Moderated by Mr Adrian Lai JP, Deputy Secretary-General of AAIL, and presented by Mr Gallant Guo, Research Associate of AAIL, this webinar examined a practical question arising from the rapid commercialisation of outer space — whether the private-law infrastructure supporting space transactions has kept pace with the market.

Mr Guo first deliberated on how ‘space assets’ now extend beyond physical objects to a commercial bundle of hardware, data rights, spectrum access, licences and contractual entitlements. While international space law provides an essential public-law framework for State responsibility, registration and liability, commercial actors also require clear answers on title, security interests, priority and remedies upon default.

Mr Guo then continued his presentation on the existing national and international arrangements before introducing AAIL’s proposal for a Hong Kong Space Asset Registration and Finance Ordinance (SARFO), including a statutory register of space assets.

The final part of the webinar focused on dispute resolution, discussing the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities and outlined a possible Hong Kong specialist framework combining international arbitration, court support and registry-linked remedies.

The webinar concluded with an interactive Q & A session, during which audience had lively exchanges with Mr Lai and Mr Guo on the market need for such a framework, potential legislative pathways and the proposal’s practical implications. Building on AAIL’s 2026 Colloquium on International Law and the related policy papers, the discussion highlighted Hong Kong’s potential contribution at the intersection of commercial space finance, international law and dispute resolution.