Publication

IISL publishes Report of IISL Light Pollution WG

In 2019, deployment started of the two first large constellations of satellites which are intended to provide global broadband internet. The resulting launch of several thousands of satellites into Low Earth Orbit has caused a steady increase in the light pollution of the night sky. In 2021, the Board of Directors of IISL agreed to form a new ‘Working Group on the Light Pollution of the Night Sky from a Space Law Perspective.’ The goals of the Working Group were to collect as much information as possible about this issue, analyze it from a space law perspective, raise awareness on the topic among IISL members, and provide the IISL Board of Directors with a report describing the current state of the situation. The Group had ten members and was led by IISL member, Professor Rafael Moro-Aguilar. The Group completed its report early in 2023. It was reviewed by the IISL Directorate of Studies and presented to the IISL Board of Directors in June 2023. The report was also presented to the IISL community at large by means of a webinar hosted by IISL, which was well attended and which provided some additional input for the report. The final report of the IISL Working Group on the Light Pollution of the Night Sky from a Space Law Perspective, titled “Keeping the Night Sky Clear”, can be found here: