News
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 Elections 2024: Run-off Elections – Voting Information
The IISL Elections 2024 for Board and Officers were successfully held between 15 June and 15 July 2024. The IISL elections this year offered one open Vice-President position (IISL Officer) and nine open positions on the IISL Board of Directors (IISL Director). The specific results will be announced soon, however there was a tie in the vote for two candidates for the ninth Director position. In accordance with the IISL Bylaws a run-off election is being held between these two candidates between 30 August and 15 September 2024. We urge you to take part and vote so that the result will accurately reflect the wishes of our entire membership. Voting opens on August 30 at 00:00 CEST, and closes on September 15 at 23:59 CEST. Find more information and the link to the voting poll here:
IISL Elections 2024: Run-off to be held 30 August to 15 September
Dear IISL Members, The IISL Elections 2024 for Board and Officers were successfully held between 15 June and 15 July 2024. Participation in this years’ elections by IISL members in nominating and supporting candidates, and voting, was exceptionally high and we thank everyone for their participation in making the IISL Elections 2024 a truly democratic endeavour! The IISL elections this year offered one open Vice-President position (IISL Officer) and nine open positions on the IISL Board of Directors (IISL Director). The specific results will be announced soon, however there was a tie in the vote for two candidates for the ninth Director position. In accordance with the IISL Bylaws, therefore, a run-off election will be held between these two candidates between 30 August and 15 September 2024. We kindly ask you to note the run-off voting period in your schedules and heartily invite you to take part in it. The more IISL members that participate in the elections, the truer the result will be reflective of the wishes of our entire membership. We will send out another email to IISL members before the start of the run-off voting period and inform you about the voting procedures. The candidates’ nomination forms and supporting documents will be available on the website when voting opens. For your information, please find the IISL Statutes and Bylaws here.
Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition – Statements of Facts for 2025 released
IISL has released the Statements of Facts and Summary of Agreed Statements of Facts for the 2025 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Case: Admetus v CronusCase Concerning the Legality of Space Activities in Conflicts Find our dedicated page for the 2025 MLSLMCC here:
Obituary: H.E. Judge Vladlen S. Vereshchetin
9 August 2024 IISL is saddened to announce the passing of H.E. Judge Vladlen S. Vereshchetin on 7 August 2024. Judge Vereshchetin was a strong promoter of space law and a great supporter of IISL. He joined the Board of Directors in 1982 and served as Vice President for over ten years. The Institute awarded him the Honorary Directorship in 1994, recognizing his outstanding contribution to space law. Judge Vereshchetin was an enthusiastic supporter of IISL’s Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition and judged the World Finals for the first time in 1995 in Oslo and without interruption until he retired from the International Court of Justice, demonstrating his vivid interest in educating the young space lawyers. In 2009, he held the inaugural Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote Lecture at the IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, on the topic “The Law of Outer Space in the General Legal Field (Commonality and Particularities)”, published in the IISL Proceedings. Judge Vereshchetin served as a Member of the International Court of Justice from 1995 to 2006. Before that, he was a member and Chairman of the International Law Commission, and a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He was Professor of International Law (Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Doctor of Juridical Sciences, Maître émérite des Sciences of the Russian Federation (title bestowed by the President of the State). He served as Vice-Chairman and Legal Counsel, INTERCOSMOS, Russian Academy of Sciences; Deputy-Director and Head of the International Law Department of the Institute of State and Law (Moscow); Member of the USSR delegations to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Legal Subcommittee. He has published widely in the area of international law, in particular the law of outer space, international judicial settlement and the theory of international law. IISL will miss him dearly as will the whole space community. We were privileged by his interest and engagement in space law and our Institute. Officers and Presidents Emeriti of IISL
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.
Academics at Durham Law School and St Andrews University launch global online survey on contact with extraterrestrial intelligence
The survey is available in four languages (English, German, French and Spanish), with additional invitations in Arabic and Chinese. For the invitations containing further information and the links to the survey see the link below.