Event
Joint IISL ECSL KAS event on space law in Asia – registration open
Dear IISL Members, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung – Rule of Law Progrmme Asia (KAS), the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), and our Institute are convening a joint event on Dialogue on Space Law in Asia. The event will take place on 9 October 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CEST at the KAS Paris Office. Participation is possible both in person at the venue as well as online. The event gives the floor to renowned experts who will inform about recent developments in space law in India and South Korea, and will be moderated and framed by leading experts of IISL, ECSL, and KAS. You can register for the event here (select your mode of participation and you will receive the necessary details for attendance by email). We look forward to seeing many of you there – in person or online!
IISL Awards Dinner Registration OPEN!
Dear IISL Members, The 2024 IISL Annual Awards Dinner will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2024 | 19:00Palazzo Turati, Via Meravigli, 7, 20123 Milano, Italy Registration for the Dinner is now OPEN here: IISL Awards Dinner Registration IMPORTANT Note on Dietary Requirements: All dietary requirements and preferences have to be submitted to us by 5 October 2024, in order to ensure the delivery from the caterer. If you have questions, please contact us on secretary@iisl.space and webmaster@iisl.space. We look forward to seeing you there!
IISL President participates in “out of this world” panel
IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl participated in an “out of this world” panel, taking place in the art studio of Dustin Yellin on 25 September 2024. What are the philosophical and cultural qualities of outer space? Who owns the moon? Should there be limits to the exploitation of outer space? What are the scientific consequences of interference with celestial bodies? How do we preserve celestial bodies sustainably? What are the existing regulation gaps and how do we fill them? Entitled “Earth, Sun & Moon – Law & Peaceful Cooperation in Outer Space”, the event provided a dynamic setting for experts in outer space, AI, and law to discuss legal and philosophical frmaeworks for safe and peaceful activities in outer space. More information is available here.
IISL lunch time events at IAC in Milan
Dear IISL Members, During this year’s IAC in Milan, IISL will hold two special lunch time events: a General Counsel Roundtable and the presentation of the current work under the IISL Study Group on Legal Aspects of AI in space. General Counsel Roundtable On Wednesday, 16 October 2024 at 13-14 h in Green Hall 3 For this event, General Counsels from agencies and ministries are invited for a roundtable discussion of current issues General Counsels are dealing with. Presentation and Discussion on the Draft Findings of the IISL Working Group on Legal Aspects of Al in SpaceOn Tuesday, 15 October 2024 at 13-14 h in Green Hall 3 The IISL Study Group on Legal Aspects of AI in Space will share its draft findings and open the floor for discussion with the audience. Both events are open to IISL Members and IAC participants. An update with the participating experts will be provided in the week ahead of the Congress. We hope to see many of you there!
Register for IISL Happy Hour #17 on IAC
Dear IISL members, The 17th IISL Happy Hour will be held on 26 September (Thursday) 12:30-13:30 h CEST (it could be extended until 14:00 h). This time, IISL Officers will share the important information with us, IISL members on the IAC 2024 , taking place in Milan, Italy from 14 to 18 October. To better prepare for and the make the most of the IAC 2024, please save the date and register the next IISL Happy Hour! In order to receive the meeting link, please register using the link below.
IISL invited to deliver Keynote speech at ITU Sustainability Forum
IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl gave a Keynote speech at the ITU Sustainability Forum, which took place on 10 and 11 September 2024 in Geneva. His presentation can be found below. The ITU Space Sustainability Forum brought together a wide range of stakeholders, also highlighting the longstanding efforts ITU is taking in guaranteeing sustainability in the uses of outer space. More information on the Forum as well as the programme can be found on the ITU’s website here.
IISL Happy Hour #16 held
IISL Happy Hours are events coordinated and co-hosted by IISL Members Setsuko Aoki and Quentin Verspieren. This is a monthly 60-minute program starting with a presentation by an IISL member about a recent project or study, followed by a free discussion session during which all participating IISL members are invited to chat and report on their relevant activities. For the 16th IISL Happy Hour, Dr. Nomfuneko Majaja, Chief Director for Space Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa, and former COPUOS/LSC Chair gave a presentation titled “South African Space Policy & Law”, starting from the foundational Space Affairs Act of 1993, and providing first-hand information on subsequent domestic developments, including the founding of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in 2010. She insisted on the importance of space as a driver of socio-economic development in national space efforts in South Africa. She then delved into one of the most recent significant developments of national space policy: the drafting of a South African Space Industry Regulatory Bill. The bill has two main pillars: (1) creating an environment conducive of industry development, and (2) maintaining continuous supervision and control over space activities under the jurisdiction of South Africa, with an emphasis on space safety and sustainability. Dr. Majaja also expressed South Africa’s interest for emerging challenges in space: legal framework for resource utilisation, dark and quiet skies, debris mitigation and remediation, in-orbit services, etc. She reaffirmed the recognition of COPUOS as the main place for multilateral space engagement and South Africa’s ratification of the four main space law treaties (South Africa did not sign nor ratify the Moon Agreement). Finally, she presented regional efforts on space law capacity building, including the creation of specialised space law programmes in higher education organisations, the organisation of the Africa Region Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition for more than 10 years, etc. The presentation was followed by an active Q&A session. Attending IISL members then shared updates on their recent activities and new members introduced themselves to the community. The video recording of the 16th IISL Happy Hour is available below.
Register for IISL Happy Hour #16
Dear IISL members, We hope you are having beautiful summer vacation. The 16th IISL Happy Hour will be held on 1 August 2024, 1230-1330 (could be extended 1400) CEST. For this occasion, An IISL member and former COPUOS/ LSC chair, Dr. Nomfuneko Majaja will talk on “Space & Law: a South African Perspective including African Capacity Building in Space Law”. She is CD Space Affairs; Africa Regional Coordinator: Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. In order to receive the meeting link, please register using the link below.
IISL at IAU conference
At the conference on “Communicating astronomy with the Public” of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which was held at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse, IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl gave a keynote on the policy and legal aspects to deal with light pollution and radiofrequency interference from space objects. The presentation (download below) built on the recent IISL study on this topic (download here) and the co-sponsorship by IISL of the respective UNCOPUOS documents led by the IAU. Please also see the press coverage in La Tribune Toulouse here.
26th Asia-Pacific Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition 2024 Concluded
24 June 2024 — The Asia-Pacific Regional Round happened at Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan two years in a row and concluded its 2024 round on 9th June 2024. The Regional Round was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Space Policy Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and was sponsored by Anderson Mori & Tomotsune、TMI Associates, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Mitsubishi Corporation, Nishimura & Asahi, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Astroscale, and Deloitte Tohmatsu Space and Security. It attracted 30 teams from India, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia which participated in its memorial round. Sixteen teams were selected to compete in the oral rounds. Teams competed in the oral round for three preliminary rounds, as well as quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds. Significantly, the Regional Round retained its first ever participation from the Middle East, Prince Sultan University, which was awarded the Spirit of Lachs award, a special award of the Region for a nascent team who overcame significant challenges in order to participate in the Competition. The Regional Final was judged by the honorable Ambassador Kimitake NAKAMURA (Japan), Prof. Steven FREELAND (Australia), and Prof. Kai-Uwe SCHROGL (France). The Winner of the Regional Round was Singapore Management University (Singapore) who is now the representative of the Region for the World Final in Milan. Yu TAKEUCHI, the 2024 Regional Organizer for Asia-Pacific, on behalf of the organizing committee, appreciates the three Final Judges, 19 judges who generously served as Oral Judges on site and 43 Memorial Judges who evaluated the memorial round from around the world. In addition, appreciation goes to all of the supporters, sponsors, staff members and participants who tremendously, untiringly, and enthusiastically engaged and supported the organization of the Regional Round. The Regional Round of 2025 will be organized in Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, India and the baton of the Regional Organizer will be relayed to Prof. Divya TYAGI of that University. Lastly, the Regional Organizer would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Local Organizing Committee members, especially in recognition of the young generation, who heavily contributed to the organization. Chief Director: Prof. Souichirou KOZUKA (Japan) General Advisor: Prof. Setsuko AOKI (Japan) External Relations: Prof. Masahiko SATO (Japan) Associate Regional Organizer: Mr. Gopalakrishnan V. (India) Assistant Regional Organizer: Ms. Yui NAKAMA (Japan) Assistant Regional Organizer: Mr. Shunshi DEGUCHI (Japan) Memorials Coordinator: Mr. Bryant Mishima-BAKER (USA) Chief Clerk: Ms. Reiko KAWAI (Japan)