ISPL Webinar on Indian Space Policy and Law

Join this Webinar to listen to expert appraisal of the Indian government’s reform initiative aimed at boosting private sector participation in space activities. There will be opportunity for audience questions.

Webinar description:

India is seeking to facilitate private space activities, as increasingly are other governments of space-faring states. On 16 May 2020, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Minister of Union Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs, announced reforms of various sectors, including the space sector “aimed at boosting private sector participation in the entire range of space activities,” officially approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 June 2020. Their implementation will involve entities such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), New Space India Limited (NSIL) and the recently created Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe).

With many elements still to be determined or disclosed, this ISPL seminar provides an early appraisal of the Indian government’s space reform initiative.

Towards that end, ISPL expert Dr Christoph Beischl first presents a brief overview of Indian engagement in space and puts the recent development into context. Renowned Indian Space Policy and Law expert Dr Ranjana Kaul follows with critical assessment of the available information on the reforms from a political and legal perspective. Finally, Indian entrepreneur and well-known NewSpace India proponent Narayan Prasad provides a measured entrepreneurial evaluation of the said information. Dr Kaul and Mr Prasad’s analyses include examination of the conditions for Indian private actor participation in the space sector before and after the reforms, deliberation of evident or anticipated issues in the wake of these reforms, prediction of potential further developments as part of the reform initiative, and consideration of UK and other foreign private actors’ opportunity to benefit from them. A 20 minute panel discussion, including the opportunity for audience questions, concludes the seminar.

Experts:

• Dr Christoph Beischl
Research Fellow at the London Institute of Space Policy and Law (ISPL).

His research focuses on, among others, Space Policy and Law in the Asian region, the UK and Germany, international space cooperation and space terminology. His current long-term project is the creation of the ISPL Dictionary of Space Terminology. He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the German SichTRaum space research network and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). He served as Co-Lead of the SGAC Space Law and Policy Project Group from 2016-2019. He holds a PhD from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, UK. His PhD thesis, supported by a scholarship of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, assessed the potential to establish an Asian Space Agency. Prior to that, he completed a Magister Artium in Political Science (Major), with an emphasis on politics in the East Asian region, and Law and Modern and Contemporary History (Minors) at the University of Munich, Germany. He can be reached at christoph.beischl@space-institute.org

• Dr Ranjana Kaul
Partner in Dua Associates, a leading law firm in India.

She specialises in International Space Law and related domestic policies and regulations and downstream space technology business verticals. She regularly consults on the application of international space laws to India and provides comprehensive multi-sectoral advice on policy and applicable laws for setting up businesses in India. She frequently speaks at restricted audience events in India. She served as Counsel for the State of Maharashtra in the Supreme Court of India and as Counsel for the Union of India in the High Court of Delhi. She has published widely nationally and internationally. She is an advisor to the Space Federation of India and an affiliate of the International Institute of Space Law, Space & Satellite Professionals International (India) and Women in Aviation International (India). She holds a Doctorate from the University of Poona, India, an LLM from the Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, Canada and a Bachelor’s in Law from the University of Delhi, India. She can be reached at ranjanakaul@duaassociates.com

• Narayan Prasad
Co-founder at satsearch.co, a global marketplace for space supported and incubated by the European Space Agency.

He actively facilitates the development of the Indian NewSpace industry as a partner to SpacePark Kerala, a Government of Kerala initiative to develop a dedicated space activities hub in India, and host of the NewSpace India podcast. He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law and author of a multitude of articles in national and international publications. He was a recipient of the Emerging Space Leaders grant of the International Astronautical Federation in 2017 and served as Associate Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute. He is about to conclude his PhD in Supply Chain Management at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He holds a Master’s in Space and Telecommunication Laws from the Centre for Air and Space Law, NALSAR University of Law, India. He further completed an Erasmus Mundus SpaceMaster, studying in France and Sweden. He can be reached at narayan@satsearch.co and @cosmosguru.

Date, time and platform:

Date: 28 July 2020
Duration: 09:15 – 11:00 BST.

Information about the on-line platform and instructions how to join will be sent to all who registered closer the seminar date.

Registration:

Although this seminar is free, registration is required. Registration closes on 27 July at 12:00 BST.
The registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register please complete the Events Notification form at https://www.space-institute.org/contact/events- notification/ and enter the phrase Webinar on Indian Space Policy and Law in the “Additional Details” box.

Enquiries:

For further enquiries, please contact: info@space-institute.org