Members of the Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL) travel to Cape town for the International Astronautical Conference; Professor Ram Jakhu receives the 2011 Social Sciences Book Award from the International Academy of Astronotics; the Institute hosts a congress on space debris remediation and Professors Paul Dempsey and Ram Jakhu publish a new book on international civil space regulation.
International Astronautical Congress – Cape Town, South Africa
Professor Paul Stephen Dempsey, Catherine Doldirina, Diane Howard and Professor Jakhu presented in various sessions of the International Astronautical Congress, held in the first week of October in Cape Town, South Africa. The McGill IASL team took part in both the Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space organized by the International Institute of Space Law and the actual technical sessions of the Congress, such as the IISL/IAF Scientific and Legal Roundtable that this year was devoted to the various issues of space debris remediation.
Watch the video wrap-up of the IAC:
Catherine Doldirina also led, as the co-chair, another yearly event that precedes IAC – Space Generation Congress. This event offered 130 delegates from 45 countries around the world to discuss pertinent space issues and share their ideas not only with each other but also with such high-level professionals like NASA administrator Charles Bolden, the chairman of COPUOS Dimitru Prunariu, president of the IAF Berndt Feuerbacher and many other prominent space leaders.
Ray Williamson addressing SGC 2011:
Ram Jakhu honoured for his work by International Academy of Astronautics
The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) awarded Professor Ram Jakhu the 2011 Social Sciences Book Award for his book National Regulation of Space Activities (Springer, 2010) during a gala dinner in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday, October 2nd, 2011.
Jakhu, LLM’78, DCL’83, is an Associate Professor at McGill’s Institute of Air and Space Law and an expert in space and public international law. Since 2009, he has been an advisor on Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space within the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
In 2007, he was appointed Chairman of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, and named Fellow of the IAASS for his significant contributions to the field of space safety.
Each year, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) attributes seven prestigious awards in recognition of excellence in the fields of science and technology. The Book Awards underscore excellence in publication in the fields related to basic science, engineering science, life science and social science.
International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris Remediation
The International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris Congress, held at the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal on 11 and 12 November 2011, examined various technical concepts and means, legal and economic aspects, operational and organizational requirements for space debris remediation and on-orbit servicing of satellites with the objective of putting forward specific and viable policy and regulatory steps (mechanisms) that may be considered by States and other stakeholders in order to minimize risks posed by space debris.
The Need for an Integrated Regulatory Regime for Aviation and Space: ICAO for Space?
Professors Paul Dempsey and Ram Jakhu are co-editors of a new book discussing the establishment of an international civil space regulatory framework.
In the new space age after the end of the Cold War, orbit and frequency allocations, traffic control, safety, and a number of support services such as space weather forecast and orbital debris monitoring need to be coordinated transparently and effectively by clear rules at an international level.
The book also highlights the increased reliance of aviation safety on space-based navigation and communication systems, the increasing space systems traffic through the international airspace under the jurisdiction of the ICAO, and the emerging hybrid systems such as aero-spacecraft and space planes, to advocate the practical benefits of directly expanding the ICAO Convention domain beyond the airspace to include outer space up to the geosynchronous orbit.
The book was published by Springer.