Recent Developments in Space Law Opportunities & Challenges

R. Venkata Rao is a Professor of Law and Vice-Chancellor of the National Law School at India University, Bangalore. Prof. Rao has more than 31 years of teaching experience and has received several awards such as the “Best Vice-Chancellor Award for outstanding contribution to education” during the World Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors’ Congress in 2014; the “Best Teacher Award” from the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2006; the “Best Researcher Award” from Andhra University in 2003, and a Gold Medal for the best PhD thesis. His primary areas of research are human rights, humanitarian law and criminal justice. He has published extensively (more than 120 papers) in journals of national and international repute.

V. Gopalakrishnan is a Policy Analyst (Space Law & Policy) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bangalore. His professional experience of over twenty-five years at the ISRO includes a good blend of techno-managerial and legal aspectspertaining to satellite projects and international cooperation in outer space activities. He has been a member of the Indian delegation to Legal Sub Committee meetings of UNCOPUOS (the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), and has participated in international consultations on the ‘UNIDROIT Space Assets Protocol’, a Code of Conduct for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, legal aspects of space security, legal aspects of space debris management, etc. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and member of International Institute of Space Law.

Kumar Abhijeet works as Assistant Professor at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. He was Linnaeus-Palme fellow to Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden); Erasmus Mundus fellow to Department of Public International Law, Gent University, (Belgium); and participant of the programme “50 Years of Space Law – Space Law in 50 Years” ofthe Centre of Research and Studies at the Hague Academy of International Law (Netherlands). Kumar is also a Research Scholar at the Institute of Air and Space Law, University of Cologne (Germany). Besides being honored with the best paper presentation award twice at two distinct international conferences, he has quite a few publications to his credit in prestigious journals, and has also contributed chapters in edited books. Kumar is a member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Paris and is also member of International Law Association (India Branch).