Space sustainability
Submission of the Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement to UN COPUOS
On 15 November 2024, the Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement submitted an answer to UNOOSA’s Invitation Circular OOSA/2024/43 CU 2024/221. The circular was distributed under the initiative of the Legal Subcommittee’s Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities, and invited Committee members and permanent observers to provide contributions on elements for an initial draft set of recommended principles for space resource activities. The Invitation Circular as well as the IISL Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement’s response can be viewed and downloaded below. More information on the Working Group is available on the dedicated IISL website of the Working Group.
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.
Six days left to register for the UN World Space Forum 2024!
Only 6 days left to register for the UN World Space Forum 2024! The #WSF2024 is organized by UNOOSA in cooperation with Germany, the UAE and Peru from 3-5 December at the UN Campus in Bonn. Representatives from governments, agencies, science, business and civil society will discuss how space can become more sustainable and how satellites facilitate the implementation of the SDGs on Earth? Some central topics are: 👉 Preserving the Space Environment – Space Debris Mitigation & Space Debris Remediation👉 Ensuring Space Sustainability – How to Implement Space Traffic Management👉Sustainable Lunar Activities – Information Sharing & Balancing the Needs of Science and Industry👉 SDG 17 – Partnership for Sustainable Development Goals & Collaborating with Science and Industry to Tackle Climate Change👉Continuing the Space Dialogue: The multilateral way forward for space governance Register and stay tuned to have the chance to participate in these multifaceted discussions and side events organised on the margins of WSF2024… and once you receive the official UNOOSA invitation letter, don’t forget to confirm participation to be counted to the group of WSF2024 participants. See you there!
Meet the 2024 IISL Young Achiever Awardees
The Space Law Award for Young Achievers was introduced as a new category of award in early 2019 and recognises meritorious contributions or outstanding achievements relevant to the field of space law or distinctive service to the activities, events or goals of IISL by young individuals, that can serve as inspiration to the up-and-coming generation of space lawyers. This year’s Young Achiever Award went to Ruvimbo Samanga and Scarlet O’Donnell. They answered three questions for IISL, offering us the opportunity to get to know them more closely. Ruvimbo Samanga 1) Who I Am: I am Ruvimbo Samanga, a space law and policy analyst and advocate for the development of space law in Africa. My work focuses on space law, policy, and sustainable development, particularly in relation to how space technology can drive socio-economic growth across Africa. I have a background in international law, and my passion is ensuring that space becomes a tool for the benefit of all humankind, especially for developing nations. 2) How I Came to Space Law and What I Did So Far: I became interested in space law during my legal studies, when I realized the critical role space technologies can play in addressing global challenges, particularly for African nations. I was drawn to the idea of ensuring equitable access to space for developing countries. My journey began when I participated in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, where my team won the African rounds. This experience sparked my deep interest in space law. Since then, I have worked on various space law projects, including being a legal expert for private sector, NGOs, regional and research institutions and contributing to the development of space policies in the region. I have also been involved with several global organizations, such as the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and the Milo Space Science Institute, where I advocate for space education and diversity in the space industry. 3) What I Expect from Space Law in the Future: In the future, I expect space law to play an increasingly important role in ensuring the peaceful, sustainable, and equitable use of space. As more countries and private entities become involved in space activities, the need for comprehensive and inclusive legal frameworks will grow. I hope to see the development of clearer regulations on issues like space debris, resource extraction, and space traffic management. Moreover, I envision a future where space law helps developing nations, especially in Africa, harness space technology to address issues like food security, environmental monitoring, and disaster management. I believe space law will continue to evolve as a key pillar in ensuring that the benefits of space exploration and technology are shared globally, for the benefit of all humanity. Scarlet O’Donnell 1) Who I Am: I am a space lawyer specializing in both national and international space law. My work focuses on areas such as international responsibility, the registration of objects launched into outer space, the domestic implementation of international space law, comparative space law, international liability, space traffic management, and, importantly, space sustainability. My background is in public international law, and over the past few years, I have lived in the Netherlands, Cambodia, Sweden, Austria, and Germany. I am deeply passionate about ensuring that all nations can benefit from space exploration and that space serves the interests of ‘all humankind’. 2) How I Came to Space Law and What I Did So Far: My journey into space law began during my law studies and Ph.D. research. My doctoral work at Lund University, Sweden, focused on both international and national space law, with a particular emphasis on Articles VI, VII, and VIII of the Outer Space Treaty. I have also worked as a Scientific Advisor at the German Space Agency (DLR) and served as a consultant for UNOOSA’s Space Law for New Space Actors Project. This experience has allowed me to merge academic expertise in space law with practical experience. In addition, I have been involved with the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) in various capacities, first as a webmaster, and currently as a member of the IISL Board of Directors and Chair of the IISL PRISM Committee. Last year, I had the honour to bring together a team of young scholars from the five regions of the world represented in the IISL Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition to jointly draft and present the Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote Lecture opening the 2023 IISL Colloquium and Young Scholars Session. As our topic, we chose to revisit the foundation of IISL’s mission: the rule of law in outer space. 3) What I Expect from Space Law in the Future: Space law is built on the foundation of five UN treaties, crafted with remarkable foresight during the early space age. In the coming years, I anticipate further refinement of these foundational principles, adapting them to match the current technological landscape. This is particularly critical for ensuring the sustainability of space activities, so that future generations can continue to access and utilise outer space. The growing role of the private sector in space exploration may drive new developments in space law and policy. I look forward to seeing how these changes will influence the creation of national and international regulations. For me, the work of COPUOS and its Subcommittees is fascinating not only because it deals with matters beyond our planet, but also because it is one of the few international committees that operates by consensus. The agreements forged here can have far-reaching implications, even influencing areas of geopolitics on Earth. In the years ahead, I believe space law will expand its importance for global cooperation in space activities as well as for political and diplomatic exchanges worldwide. I hope that space activities will continue to be and increasingly be carried out “for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all [hu]mankind”.
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.
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 UN/Portugal Policy Symposium
In preparation for the high-level UN/Portugal May Conference on Management and Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, the Portuguese Space Agency organised from 11 to 15 March an online preparatory Policy Symposium (https://www.unportugal.ptspace.pt/) . IISL was represented by its President Kai-Uwe Schrogl as moderator of the session on regional and national approaches on space sustainability and Maruska Strah presenting IISL activities on Space Traffic Management on a dedicated session. Many other IISL Members were invited as moderator or speakers in their other professional capacities.