Event
IISL strengthens cooperation with ChinaNew!!
At the occasion of the 2025 Space Day of China which was organized by China National Space Administration (CNSA), and the 2025 China Space Conference which was organized by Chinese Society of Astronautics, during April 23-26 in Shanghai, China, the IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl and the CSA Vice President and Secretary General Wang Yiran, signed an MoU intending to formalize and to strengthen the already longstanding cooperation between the two institutions. On April 24, the IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl was invited by CNSA to attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Space Day of China and was invited by CSA to deliver a keynote for the plenary of 2025 China Space Conference.With the theme of International Cooperation and Competition Rules in Commercial Space, President Kai-Uwe Schrogl analyzed the inherent relationship between technological innovation and rule game in the space industry, and provided unique insights for establishing a fair, transparent and sustainable international commercial space order. On April 25, President Kai-Uwe Schrogl had exchanges at the meetings of the Space Policy and Law Committee of CSA and the Chinese Institute of Space Law (CISL). At the latter occasion the recent IISL study on legal aspects of Al in space activities was reviewed. IISL highly welcomes the opportunity to provide the platform for interaction of Chinese space law experts and institutions with their colleagues in the international community on all continents. This is crucial for IISL’s mission to maintain and extend the rule of law in outer space reflecting the responsibility of all actors to jointly work together in securing this goal.
IISL/ECSL Symposium 2025
This year’s symposium will be held on the 14th of May 2025, from 10.00 to 13.00 in Room M-Plenary of the Vienna International Centre. A panel of prestigious speakers will discuss the following subject: “Due regard in outer space: current legal implications” during the morning session of the 64th Legal Subcommittee of the UNCOPUOS. Please find the programme below. This event is co-organised annually with the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and takes place during the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) in Vienna, Austria. The IISL and ECSL are both observers at the Legal Subcommittee. This Symposium brings together academic experts and leading practitioners in the field of space law, policy and regulation to discuss pressing issues and to propose solutions to the international community.
Register for IISL Happy Hour #19
The 19th IISL Happy Hour will be held on 6 May, 12:30-14:00 CEST. In this happy hour, Dr. Diane Howard from the University of Texas at Austin and former Vice President of the IISL (2014-2021) will share her experience under the title “Dr. Diane Howard: My Life in Service” on serving the US Government under two successive Administrations, first as Chief Council for Space Commerce, Department of Commerce (2019-2021) and then as Director for Commercial Space Policy, National Space Council (2021-2025).
Register for IISL Happy Hour #18
The 18th and first IISL Happy Hour in 2025 will be held on 30 January (Thursday) 12:30 -13:30 CET. Dr. Olavo Bittencourt, a board member of the IISL will make a presentation titled “the risks of space law fragmentation” for the first part of the Happy Hour. Then, attendees will exchange views and update as a space law family the residual time.
IISL General Assembly to be held on 14 December 2024
Dear IISL Members, The next IISL General Assembly will be held on 14 December, 14:00 h Central European Time (Paris). The event will take place virtually and the meeting link as well as the agenda for the Assembly will be distributed to Members on good standing. The General Assembly will address the activities of IISL since the last assembly, the work of the IISL Committees and Officers, operational matters of IISL, as well as the results of the last IISL elections. The IISL General Assembly will take place virtually on14 December at 14:00 (Paris time).
IISL President speaks at UN Conference on Space Law and Policy
21 November 2024. IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl was invited to speak today at the 2024 United Nations Conference on Space Law Policy in Vienna, Austria, taking place from 19 to 21 November 2024. The UN Conference on Space Law and Policy is part of a long-standing series of capacity-building organizing over 15 workshops and conferences on space law and policy, organised by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. This year the Office has moved back to the traditional style of having it held as an in-person event. More information on the UN Conference on Space Law and Policy is available on the dedicated website of the United Nations. Schrogl spoke on Day 3 of the Conference during the panel on National Space Legislation (Panel 2), which included the following panelists: His presentation is available below. The Conference was attended by many IISL members and was received very well and the Programme is available below. The Conference objectives were met and a final report reflecting the successful discussions was adopted during the closing session of the Conference. The report will be made available on the dedicated UNOOSA webpage for the UN Conference on Space Law and Policy.
IISL President and Members speak at AALCO Webinar on Space Law for Emerging Space Actors
20 November 2024. IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl as well as several IISL members were invited to participate today in the Webinar on Space Law for Emerging Space Actors, organised by the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO). The webinar aims to explore the significance of space law-making for new entrants to the space sector, examine how the experiences of mature space powers in Asia, Europe, and North America can inform these processes, and emphasise the importance of aligning national legislation with international space law. The topic “Legal Issues in Outer Space” was incorporated into the Organization’s agenda following a proposal by India at the Sixty-first Annual Session in Bali, Indonesia, in 2023. This initiative was further developed during the Sixty-Second Annual Session held in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2024, where in-depth deliberations took place. These discussions highlighted the multifaceted challenges arising from the proliferation of space activities by various state and non-state actors, encompassing issues of safety, security, environmental protection, and a myriad of legal complexities. AALCO Member States emphasised the critical need to preserve outer space exclusively for peaceful purposes, expressing concerns about potential weaponization. The Bangkok session also highlighted the importance of capacity-building in space law for emerging space actors. In response to these developments and to support collaborative dialogue on establishing inclusive and peace-oriented governance structures for outer space, the AALCO Secretariat has organised this webinar. More information on the webinar is available in the Concept Note of the event, available below. Schrogl participated as a panelist in Panel 2 of the Webinar on International Experiences in Space Regulation. All invited speakers to the event were IISL members, among which took part in Panel 1: In Panel 2 of the Webinar, IISL members participating were: Moreover, IISL members participated in the audience of the event.
Save the Date – 13 December 2024: 19th Annual Eilene M. Galloway IISL Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law
A day of insightful discussions and networking at @Akin Gump in Washington DC. This IISL Symposium is a tribute to the enduring contributions of Eilene M. Galloway to space law and policy. Organized in partnership with McGill IASL and Space Court Foundation. To register, for either in-person or virtual, please go to spacecourtfoundation.org/IISLGalloway.
IISL intensifies and expands partnerships at IAC 2024
Next to our IISL Colloquium, the IAC 2024 and its exhibition offered the possibility to intensify and extend international partnerships of our Institute. New contacts into all regions of the world were made, that are going to create new and exciting shared activities with our partners. Below, see some of the impressions of perspectives of our week at IAC 2024: Azercosmos – Space Academy On 15 October, IISL’s Kai-Uwe Schrogl (President), PJ Blount (Executive Secretary), Mahulena Hofmann (Board member), and Scarlet O’Donnell (Board member) met with representatives Narkhanim Orujova and Imran Mukhtarov from Azercosmos as well as Azercosmos’ Space Academy, in order to discuss potential cooperation of the two entities in the future. Ms. Narkhanim Orujova is IISL Member and very effectively supported IISL with the organisation of the Institute’s activities during the IAC in Baku – many thanks again to her on this occasion. Collaboration would especially focus on knowledge transfer and cooperation with regard to jointly organised events. IISL Board member Mahulena Hofmann is the newly appointed Chair of the IISL Directorate of Studies (DoS) and has been appointed as point of contact for Azercosmos on the topic. SIA-India IISL met with SIA-India — An Association for the Space Industry, to discuss potential future collaboration between our two entities. With Anil Prakash and Rajeev Gambhir representing SIA, at the focus of the deliberations were issues such as space sustainability as well as space governance of emerging space faring countries. The meeting was enabled through incoming IISL Vice-President, Ranjana Kaul, from India. China IISL met with delegates from China at IAC, with whom there exists a long-standing relationship based on IISL’s annual participation in the China Space Conference. Every year, the two organisations collaborate to hold a Space Law Symposium. At the IAC in Milan, the collaboration was reiterated and the next Space Law Symposium in 2025 was confirmed. Türkiye – collaboration for IAC 2026 in Antalya IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl met with Member of the Turkish Parliament, Ms. Zeynep Yildiz, who shares a strong interest in space law, in the context of the IAF meeting of Ministers and Members of Parliament. It was agreed that with a view to the IAC 2026 in Antalya, IISL and the Turkish IAC hosts will hold a Workshop on Space Law in summer 2025 in the run-up to the Congress. WiA – Women in Aerospace On 14 October 2024, IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl took part in the Meet&Greet organised by WiA Europe — a meeting and networking opportunity for young talent in the industry. The meeting was met by a lot of interest and new connections could be formed. European Space Agency – ESOC The European Space Agency’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), serving as the main mission control centre for the European Space Agency, took note of IISL’s lunchtime event of Tuesday, 15 October 2024, where the IISL Working Group on AI in Space presented its preliminary findings and entered into dialogue with the audience, to collect feedback for drafting the final report on its study. ESOC expressed interest in holding a special event for ESA employees, where the Working Group would highlight its most important findings. IAF General Assembly During the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) General Assembly, IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl presented the Institute’s past and current activities, as well as an outlook to the future. Moreover, ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer’s video on the importance of space law was shared with the attendants of the IAF General Assembly. The message of the video, which focuses on space sustainability, were well aligned with the theme of the conference: “Responsible space for sustainability”. Communications – SpaceWatch.Global On Friday, 18 October 2024, IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl participated in Space Watch Global’s ‘Space Café’ with Torsten Kriening. The episode was broadcasted live from the IAC in Milan. Schrogl discussed the vibrant atmosphere at IAC 2024 in Milan, highlighting the growing interest in space activities among governments, commercial entities, and the younger generation. He emphasized the importance of democratizing space and the need for effective legal frameworks. Schrogl detailed the IISL’s flagship Moot Court Competition, which saw the team from Singapore win, and underscored the relevance of space law in addressing issues like light pollution and AI regulation. He also noted the challenges of harmonizing national space laws and the urgency of space traffic management. The episode can be watched on SpaceWatch.Global’s site here.
IISL President keynote and interview during SDSC 2024
29 October 2024. IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl spoke in the context of the Software Defined Space Conference with Remco Timmermans, independent online marketing consultant for space. Schrogl (IISL, ESA) gave a keynote speech together with Tomas Hrozensky (ESPI) and Paul Liias (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia) on the topic of New Space Policy Initiatives on Day 1 of the Conference. In the interview with Timmermans, he spoke about why the Outer Space Treaty is still as relevant today as when it was drafted in 1967. They also covered how having a national space law supports the development of a space economy in countries like Estonia, and the importance of regulating behaviour of states and commercial actors in space. The interview is available on LinkedIn.