This seminar commenced with a welcome address by Mr Fletcher Ng, Director and Chief Mission Officer of OASA, followed by an opening remarks by Professor Huang Jiefang, Secretary-General of AAIL. Both emphasised the importance of legal foresight and international cooperation in building a sustainable space economy.

Dr Valentin Uvarov, Founder and Director of the SEP Center (Russia), analysed from a macroeconomic perspective that current international legal systems, including the ‘1967 Outer Space Treaty’, can no longer accommodate the complex realities of contemporary space commerce, urging enhanced international cooperation and interdisciplinary education to establish a global talent development framework integrating technology, economics and law.

Dr Ranjana Kaul, Partner at Dua Associates and Vice President of the International Institute of Space Law (India), focused on the application of arbitration in resolving space commercial disputes. By analysing several investment arbitration cases and the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2011 ‘Optional Rules for Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities’, she elaborated how arbitration’s flexible, confidential and expert-led procedures can effectively handle complex disputes such as those concerning launch activities and in-orbit collisions.

Dr Anthony Neoh SC JP, Co-Chairman of AAIL, proposed a strategic positioning for Hong Kong in space commercialisation. Analysing Hong Kong’s advantages in legal systems, financial services and international connectivity, he recommended establishing a ‘Space Finance and Arbitration Hub’ to promote synergistic development of legal services, investment and financing, and data applications.

Sr Daniel Lam SBS BBS JP, Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Arbitrator, analysed the legal challenges in space dispute resolution from a practical perspective. He noted that current space law exhibits a multi-layered and fragmented structure that lacks a unified judicial mechanism, and highlighted arbitration as the optimal choice due to its neutrality, confidentiality and enforceability. He further proposed Hong Kong as an ideal arbitral seat and envisioned establishing a ‘Lunar Arbitration Centre’ to address future developments.