Gandhinagar: Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), one of India’s leading law schools, has invited abstracts for the 4th International Conference on Rule of Law in Space, scheduled to be held on April 5, 2026, at its Gandhinagar campus. The deadline for submission of abstracts is January 15, 2026.
Established under the Gujarat National Law University Act, 2003, GNLU is recognised by the Bar Council of India and the University Grants Commission. In recent rankings, the university was placed 5th among law schools in India by NIRF 2025, while the Gujarat State Institutional Ranking Framework (GSIRF) awarded it a Five-Star rating with the highest CGPA. Outlook and India Today surveys have also consistently ranked GNLU among the country’s top three law institutions.
The upcoming international conference aims to provide an academic and professional platform for examining the evolving legal landscape governing outer space. With rapid expansion of space activities driven by private sector participation, emerging technologies, and national policy reforms, the conference seeks to assess whether existing legal frameworks are adequate to address contemporary and future challenges.
The central theme of the conference is “Rule of Law in Space”, with a focus on legal issues relating to exploration, commercial use, governance, and regulation of outer space. Discussions will be anchored in recent global and national developments, including the Artemis Accords, the International Lunar Research Station, and India’s space sector reforms.
Indicative sub-themes include delimitation of outer space, militarisation and weaponisation, space mining and tourism, space traffic management, debris mitigation, satellite regulation, space insurance and financing, intellectual property rights in space, dispute resolution mechanisms, national space legislations, space crimes, space start-ups, and policy reforms aligned with Viksit Bharat@2047. Participants may also propose papers on other contemporary issues in space law.
Submissions are open to students, academicians, researchers, legal practitioners, policymakers, government officials, and professionals from the space industry and related institutions. The conference will accept research papers, conceptual papers, case studies, policy papers, and analytical essays.
Abstracts must be between 300 and 500 words, while full papers should range from 3,500 to 5,000 words, excluding references. Submissions must follow OSCOLA (4th edition) citation style and adhere to prescribed formatting guidelines. Accepted abstracts will be notified by January 24, 2026, and full papers must be submitted by March 15, 2026.Registration fees vary by category, with concessional early-bird rates available for students, professionals, and foreign participants. Queries regarding the conference may be addressed to gnluspacelawcon_vsmcasl@gnlu.ac.in.
