News
Register for IISL Happy Hour #15
Dear IISL Members, The 14th Happy Hour of the IISL will be held on 12 June 2024, 12:45-13:45 (CEST). It is high time we got together again to exchange views on a timely and relevant space law issue, as well as updating ourselves as space law family members. The theme on 12 June is “the Zero Debris Charter” as the world’s most ambitious technical vision of space debris mitigation and remediation to date. The speaker is Dr. Quentin Verspieren, an IISL member, and the safety program coordinator of the European Space Agency (ESA) who has been the project manager of the Zero Debris Charter. In order to receive the meeting link, please register using the link below.
IISL 2024 Elections – nominations period closed
The nominations period for the 2024 IISL Elections has come to an end, and we would like to sincerely thank all members who participated – through being nominated, or through supporting nominations – this year. The Election Committee will publish the names of nominees for the vacant positions soon. The voting period will take place between 15 June and 15 July 2024.
IISL at UN Space Conference in Portugal
15 May 2024. IISL’s President spoke at the UN/Portugal conference “Management and Sustainability of Outer Space Activities” (conference site here). This conference was held in view of the UN Summit of the Future in autumn and built on the Policy Brief on space in preparation of it. IISL’s President Kai-Uwe Schrogl gave a presentation (download below) on IISL‘s contributions to the management and sustainability of outer space activities and offered to make IISL available for anyfollow-up of the Summit of the Future and its Pact for the Future.
2024 IISL Board Elections Season opened
Submit your candidacy or nomination until 15 May 2024 The IISL Election Committee, currently comprising Leslie I. Tennen, George D. Kyriakopoulos, and Olga Volynskaya, invites IISL members to take part in the 2024 IISL Board Elections. Positions available All IISL Members in good standing are entitled to put themselves forward for the following elected positions on the Board: One of the Institute’s Vice President function is currently vacant. The names of the IISL Directors whose term of office expires are: Marco Ferrazzani, Fabio Tronchetti, Ranjana Kaul, Masahiko Sato, Jenni Tapio, Joanne Gabrynowicz, Olavo de Oliveira Bittencourt Neto, and Guoyu Wang. Furthermore, there is an open position vacated by Lesley Jane Smith on becoming Vice President. Procedure A candidate is to be nominated by an IISL Member in good standing and supported by five IISL Members in good standing, and must confirm agreement with being nominated. For further details please refer to the full terms of the IISL Statutes and By-Laws, available at https://iisl.space/index.php/statutes-and-bylaws/. The candidates for the IISL Board positions are to submit ONLINE a Nomination Form. For your candidacy to be considered, please make sure that TWO FORMS are duly submitted (one by YOU and another one by YOUR NOMINATOR). We kindly remind you that nominations received after May 15, 2024 cannot be considered. Links to online nomination forms For the Nominee: here For the Nominator: here For the Supporters of the nomination: here Please note that there is no save and edit later function, therefore you have to allocate enough time for filling it out. We would recommend you to have the text ready in word and copy paste it to the online form. Prior to filling in the forms, you have to get confirmations from the nominator and five supporters (as you will be asked to specify the date on which the consent has been given). Voting period and voting procedure In accordance with the IISL Statutes and By-Laws the Election Committee is authorized to draw up the list of qualifying candidates, supervise the election process, and count the votes. Voting shall take place between June 15 and July 15, 2024. Please note that there is only one vote per institutional member, and the IISL Election Committee must be notified as soon as possible (and definitely prior to voting) as to who is the designated Point of Contact (POC). Please also note that while not formally prohibited to nominate / support, the Committee suggests that for ethical reasons, members who stand for election should abstain from nominating / supporting other candidates.
IISL Board of Directors adopts Resolution on Committee Chair Term Limits
During its Spring Meeting 2024, the IISL Board of Directors adopted a resolution concerning the length of term of Chairs of its committees. The Resolution was adopted during its Board Meeting on 27 April 2024. The text of the resolution can be viewed and downloaded below.
IISL President participates in 2024 China Space Conference
On April 25, the 2024 International Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space was held in Wuhan, China during the course of the 2024 China Space Conference. The China Space Conference is held since 2018 and now is the most influential space event in China and a high-end platform for promoting international space cooperation. As one of the most vibrant events, the International Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space aims to provide a platform for experts worldwide to share insights on the recent trends and challenges in the rule of law in Outer Space and has been successfully held six sessions. The Symposium was organized by China Institute of Space Law (CISL) and supported by International Institute of Space Law, Space Law Center of China National Space Administration and Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA). IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl addressed the event in his capacity as President of the IISL. The address can be accessed below.
Statements at the 2024 UNCOPUOS Legal Subcommittee
In March and April 2024, the International Institute of Space Law proudly showcased its expertise at the UN COPUOS in Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹 Our very own Maruška Strah, Co-Chair of the Space Traffic Management Working Group, delivered insightful speeches to the Legal Subcommittee of UN COPUOS. She summarised 2023-2024 IISL activities, shared news about scholarship and publications and described how the IISL contributes to the conversations on STM in global fora. March 2024 Statement: http://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/lsc/2024/Statements/5_International_Institute_of_Space_Law.pdfApril 2024 Statement: http://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/lsc/2024/Statements/12_IISL.pdf Additionally, Olavo Bittencourt Neto participated in the IISL/ECSL Symposium co-organized with the ECSL – European Centre for Space Law. His involvement highlights the collaborative spirit and expert knowledge within our space law and space policy community. Congratulations to both Maruska and Olavo for representing the IISL with such distinction and advancing our mission in the international arena.
2024 China Space Conference: Announcement of International Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space
Update 18 April 2024: The live link is as follows: Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space Netmeeting software: ZOOM, Conference number: 835 6507 7116, Password: 2024 On April 25, the 2024 International Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space will be held in Wuhan, China during the course of the 2024 China Space Conference. China Space Conference is held since 2018 and now it is the most influential space event in China and a high-end platform for promoting international space cooperation. As one of the most vibrant events, the International Symposium on the Rule of Law in Outer Space aims to provide a platform for experts worldwide to share insights on the recent trends and challenges in the rule of law in Outer Space and has been successfully held six sessions. The Symposium is organized by China Institute of Space Law (CISL) and supported by International Institute of Space Law, Space Law Center of China National Space Administration and Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA). IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl will address the event in his capacity as President of the IISL. The live link is coming soon.
IISL at the 2024 Space Symposium
9 April 2024. Organised by Skip Smith (Greenberg Traurig) and supported by Dennis Burnett (Hawkeye 360), IISL partnered with the Space Foundation in setting up the one full day Space Law Track at the 2024 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. The programme (below) featured institutional as well as commercial legal issues and highly profiled speakers with an audience of up to 200 persons. The photos show IISL Director Skip Smith and IISL Treasurer Dennis Burnett, speaking and moderating as well as IISL President Kai-Uwe Schrogl participating. The panels and keynotes depicted, gained maximum attention of the Symposium attendants and the programme again proofed to tackle highly relevant space law and regulation issues with a global impact.
IISL Board Member Fabio Tronchetti represents IISL
IISL Board Member Fabio Tronchetti represented the IISL in his capacity as IISL representative to IAA on matters related to the Moon Farside Protection and as Member of the IISL Board. The presentations were held recently during the First IAA Symposium on Moon Farside Protection and the European Interparliamentary Space Conference Workshop. During the 1st IAA Symposium on Moon Farside Protection, which took place in Turin, Italy, on 22 March 2024 Dr. Tronchetti gave a presentation entitled: ‘The role of space law in protecting the Moon Farside for scientific research’. The presentation was given on behalf of IISL in his role of IISL representative to IAA on matters related to the Moon Farside Protection. The presentation can be accessed below and more information on the Symposium is available at: https://www.moonfarsideprotection.org/. The European Interparliamentary Space Conference Workshop, on 25 March 2024, addressed the topic: Legislating space: a commercial affair? The Workshop took place in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Dr. Tronchetti gave a presentation in his capacity as IISL Board Member entitled: ‘China and space: a regulatory and strategic reflection’. More information is available at: https://www.chd.lu/en/node/2235.