International Institute of Space Law (IISL)

Name

International Institute of Space Law (IISL)

Legal name

International Institute of Space Law

Website

https://iisl.space

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Treaties, International Law & Boundary Affairs (BPAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Space law professional association
• International space governance
• Outer space treaty research
• Space law moot court
• Space policy scholarship

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IISL generates revenue through individual and institutional membership fees. Members pay annual dues and receive access to IISL activities, publications, and the global space law community network.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations to support various projects including the Young Scholars' Fund and other IISL activities. Donations are accepted in Euros through the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) is a non-profit professional association that advances space law through membership services, the annual IISL Colloquium at the IAC, the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, the IISL/ECSL Symposium, Working Groups, expert contributions to UN COPUOS, and scholarly publications and awards. Its core deliverables are convening, scholarship, and policy engagement for space law professionals and institutions worldwide.

Product overview

The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) is a professional association for space law, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of educational and professional development programs including: the Annual IISL Colloquium at the IAC (Session E.7), the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition with five regional rounds, the Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote Lecture Series, the IISL/ECSL Annual Symposium on Space Law, various IISL Working Groups on specialized topics, publications including newsletters and proceedings, awards programs, the Knowledge Constellation platform, Expert Initiatives for UN submissions, and member events (IISL Members' Corner/Happy Hour). These programs facilitate scholarly research, professional networking, and dialogue on legal aspects of space activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition (MLSLMCC): Annual international moot court competition for law students on space law topics, held with regional rounds worldwide and world finals judged by International Court of Justice judges.
• Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote Lecture
• IISL/ECSL Annual Symposium on Space Law

Products and services

• Annual IISL Colloquium at the IAC Annual professional conference held during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Session E.7, bringing together renowned space lawyers and young professionals to present and discuss topical issues and recent developments of space law.
• Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition (MLSLMCC) Annual international moot court competition on space law held with regional rounds across five continents (Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America), culminating in World Finals judged by International Court of Justice judges.
• Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote Lectures Annual keynote lecture series inaugurated in 2009, featuring renowned specialists in international space law as the opening of the Young Scholars Session at each IISL Colloquium.
• IISL/ECSL Annual Symposium on Space Law Annual joint symposium co-organized with the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) held during the UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee session in Vienna, Austria.
• IISL Working Groups Program Multiple thematic working groups (STM, Satellite Activity in Africa, SETI and Law, Pluralistic Governance, Interplanetary Internet, Future of Moon Agreement, Light Pollution, AI in Space) producing scholarly reports and submissions to UN COPUOS.
• IISL Publications and Newsletter Annual colloquium proceedings, newsletters, statements, and working group reports published by IISL for members and the space law community.
• IISL Awards Program Annual awards including Lifetime Achievement Award, Distinguished Service Award, and Young Achiever Award recognizing contributions to space law.
• Knowledge Constellation Open knowledge platform inviting contributions from IISL members and experts on space law topics.
• IISL Expert Initiative on Information-Sharing and Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty Intensive working process gathering input from IISL members to produce working papers for submission to UN COPUOS, focusing on information-sharing and Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty.
• IISL Members' Corner / Happy Hour Digital Meetups Digital meetup series for IISL members featuring presentations, discussions, and updates on IISL activities.
• IISL Individual and Institutional Membership Annual membership for individuals and institutions (universities, research institutions, space agencies, corporations) providing access to IISL activities, publications, the global space law community network, and one vote per institutional member in governance.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SIA IndiamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025IISL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Satellite Industry Association of India at the 4th India Space Congress, aiming to strengthen cooperation in space law and policy between India and the international community.
• UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL is a permanent observer to UN COPUOS and its Legal Subcommittee. The organization submits expert contributions and working papers to COPUOS, including reports on Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty and the Future of the Moon Agreement. IISL members participate in COPUOS discussions as part of the IISL Delegation.
• European Centre for Space Law (ECSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL co-organizes the annual IISL/ECSL Symposium on Space Law during the UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee sessions in Vienna. This partnership has produced joint symposia on topics including the Rescue and Return Agreement, Moon Agreement, and National Laws for Space Sustainability.
• International Astronautical Federation (IAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL holds its annual Colloquium at the IAF's International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Session E.7. IISL members receive registration discounts for IAC. The organizations collaborate on various space activities.
• International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL co-organizes the annual IAA/IISL Scientific Legal Roundtable during IAC, including the 38th Roundtable on Cyberspace Security in Outer Space and 39th on Lunar Operations and Orbital Management. Senior IISL members have been elected to IAA membership.
• UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL submits official documents to UNOOSA as Secretariat of UN COPUOS. The organization participates in UNOOSA-organized conferences on space law and policy, including the 2024 UN Conference on Space Law and Policy in Vienna.
• UN COPUOS Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource ActivitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IISL Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement submitted a response to UNOOSA's Invitation Circular on recommended principles for space resource activities, in support of the COPUOS Legal Subcommittee's Working Group.
• Stop Ecocide International (SEI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt IAC 2025, IISL featured a joint presentation with Stop Ecocide International on ecocide within the context of space law, offering a new ethical and legal lens for outer space governance.
• Stanford Law School Space Law & Policy LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IISL Working Group on Legal Aspects of AI in Space was featured as a core component of Stanford Law School's Space Law & Policy Lab advising The Aerospace Corporation on governing autonomous and AI-enabled systems in outer space.
• Space Court FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace Court Foundation partners with IISL for the annual Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law in Washington DC.
• McGill Institute of Air and Space Law (McGill IASL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcGill IASL co-organizes the annual Eilene M. Galloway IISL Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law with IISL in Washington DC.
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISL's study on Legal Aspects of AI in Space was presented at a KAS workshop in Singapore under their program on rule of law and national space legislation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Academy of Astronautics (IAA): IAA is a broader space-focused learned academy that co-organizes the Scientific Legal Roundtable with IISL and admits senior IISL members. It overlaps in aerospace scholarship and policy influence but operates at a wider scope than space law alone.
• International Law Association (ILA): The ILA is a long-standing global learned society for law with a Space Law Committee that produces reports at the biennial ILA conferences. It is comparable as an international law membership organization with overlapping space law expertise but operates across all areas of international law.
• International Astronautical Federation (IAF): IAF is the broader incumbent federation that convenes the global space sector and hosts IISL's flagship Annual Colloquium within the International Astronautical Congress. It is comparable not as a direct space law peer, but as the larger umbrella organization whose events IISL depends on for member engagement.

Direct peers

• European Centre for Space Law (ECSL): ECSL is the closest direct peer: an ESA-affiliated organization dedicated to space law that co-organizes the IISL/ECSL Annual Symposium with IISL. It serves a similar community of space law experts via events, colloquia, and outreach, and is explicitly positioned as a regional counterpart in the European space law ecosystem.
• Space Court Foundation: Space Court Foundation is a US-based nonprofit focused on space law and dispute resolution; it co-organizes the Galloway Symposium with IISL and partners on the North American Manfred Lachs regional rounds. It pursues an adjacent niche (adjudication of space disputes) with overlapping member audiences.
• Leiden University International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL): Leiden's IIASL is a premier academic space law center; its Deputy Director Tanja Masson-Zwaan is IISL President Emerita. The institute produces competing research, hosts conferences, and trains students who often become IISL members, making it the strongest academic-side peer.
• McGill Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL): McGill IASL is one of the leading academic space and air law institutes worldwide and co-organizes the Eilene M. Galloway IISL Symposium. It produces comparable scholarly publications, hosts the Annals of Air and Space Law, and trains the same cohort of space law professionals that IISL serves.

Emerging players

• Stanford Law School Space Law & Policy Lab: Stanford's Space Law & Policy Lab is a newer academic initiative that has partnered with IISL Working Groups on AI in Space governance and advised The Aerospace Corporation. It is comparable as a rising space law research and policy platform that targets a similar expert audience.
• American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law: The ABA Forum on Air and Space Law is a US-bar-based membership community for space and aviation lawyers, publishing The Air & Space Lawyer and hosting conferences. It overlaps significantly with IISL's practitioner membership base in North America but operates under a national bar association rather than as a standalone international body.

Others

• UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA): UNOOSA is the Secretariat for UN COPUOS and a key IISL partner—it is the regulatory body that IISL contributes policy submissions to rather than a true peer. It is included because it is the principal institutional counterpart whose activities and convening decisions shape IISL's influence and reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-institute-of-space-law-iisl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Institute of Space Law (IISL)