Participation of the Vice-Dean of the School of Law of the NKUA, Associate Professor George D. Kyriakopoulos, in an International Symposium on Space Law in China, 17–21 October 2026

The Vice-Dean of the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Associate Professor George D. Kyriakopoulos, participated in the “International Symposium on Legal Aspects of Commercial Space”, held in Wuhan, China, from 17 to 21 October 2026.

The Symposium was co-organised by Wuhan University School of Law, the School of International Law, the Academy of International Law and Global Governance, the Institute of International Law, and Durham Law School, under the auspices of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), bringing together distinguished scholars and experts in Space Law from around the world.

Assoc. Professor Kyriakopoulos co-chaired, together with Professor Guoyu Wang, the second thematic session, entitled “Commercial Space and the Use of Earth Orbits”, during which key issues were examined concerning the development of commercial space activities, State responsibility under international law, the applicable legal framework, and the challenges arising from the increasing involvement of private actors in the exploration and use of outer space.

At the conclusion of the Symposium, the participants issued the “Wuhan Statement on Commercial Space Activities”, highlighting, among other issues, the importance of State responsibility and supervision of commercial space activities, international cooperation, the sustainable use of Earth orbits, and the legal challenges associated with the military use of commercial space.

During his visit, Associate Professor Kyriakopoulos also delivered a lecture to postgraduate students at Wuhan University School of Law, entitled “Meta-Wars in Outer Space: Developments in Military Technology and Their Impact on the Weaponization of Outer Space”, focusing on developments in military technology and their implications for the militarisation of outer space.