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  • 60 Years International Institute of Space Law

    Paper ID

    56504

    author

    • Hannes Mayer

    company

    Karl Franzens Universität Graz

    country

    Austria

    year

    2020

    abstract

    The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) was founded in 1960. Its purposes and objectives include the cooperation with appropriate international organisations and national institutions in the field of space law and the carrying out of tasks for fostering the development of space law. It is further tasked with the studies of legal and social science aspects of the exploration and use of outer space and the holding of meetings, colloquia and competitions on juridical and social science aspects of space activities. The genesis of the field of space law began in earnest with the launch in October 1957 of the world's first artificial satellite, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic's Sputnik. Since then, space law has evolved and assumed more importance as humankind has increasingly come to use and rely on space-based resources. But the first considerations and even publications were already done before that by the likes of Ernst Fasan, Vladimir Mandl, Manfred Lachs and John Cobb Cooper. Today, the IISL organizes symposia – such as the annual Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space at the International Astronautical Congress – and conferences throughout the year around the world. It is an official observer to UNCOPUOS, publishes annual proceedings and organizes the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. This paper intends to shed some light on the foundation of IISL and some of its founding figures.