Office News:
Publications, Engagements & Contributions

This section highlights Maître Dr. Loonis Quélen’s involvement in conferences, forums, and working groups related to space law, maritime law, and labour law. It reflects the Office’s ongoing engagement in the legal analysis of strategic contemporary issues across the space, maritime, and technology sectors. It also includes academic and institutional contributions on emerging topics such as the commercialisation of outer space, orbital debris, and the legal security of offshore activities.

June 18, 2025

International Paris Air & Space Show (Bourget) - SIAE

The LOONIS QUÉLEN Law Office’s presence at the 2025 Paris Air Show – On the lookout for the Decarbonisation of Space Activities

On the occasion of the 2025 edition of the Paris Air Show, the LOONIS QUÉLEN La Office was present in the Paris Space Hub, a space dedicated to innovations and strategic challenges in the space sector.

The firm particularly followed the discussions on the French roadmap for the decarbonization of the space sector, unveiled in the presence of several major players in the field:

  • Hervé Derrey (GIFAS / CEO – Thales Alenia Space)
  • Thomas Courbe (Chief Enterprise Officer – MINEFI)
  • Lionel Suchet (Deputy Director General – CNES)
  • Florence Dufrasnes (VP Space Systems Technology Strategy – Airbus Defence and Space)
  • Delphine Knab (VP Strategy and Innovation – Thales Alenia Space)
  • Franck Huiban (Secretary General – ArianeGroup)

The Law Office has also closely observed technological advances in  reusable orbital vehicles (e.g. the VORTEX project) as well as the development of human spaceflight and – in general – the sector’s efforts to combine performance, sovereignty and environmental transition.

May 13-17, 2025

Comité maritime international (CMI), Conférence 2025, Japan

CMI Tokyo Conference 2025

The International Conference of the Comité Maritime International (CMI) was held in Tokyo from May 13 to 17, 2025. It brought together the global maritime legal community.

This event provided an opportunity to address the major current challenges facing maritime and ocean law in the context of technological, energy, and environmental transitions.

Several topical issues were discussed:

  • Collisions;
  • Cybersecurity;
  • Autonomous ships;
  • Decarbonization;
  • Judicial sales;
  • Lex maritima;
  • Marine insurance;
  • Floating wind energy;
  • Crime;
  • Polar navigation;
  • Promotion of ratifications;
  • Abusive precautionary seizure.

As a member of the French Society for Maritime Law, I had the opportunity to attend high-quality presentations. In addition, I had the honor of participating in meetings of the working group on autonomous ships and of boarding an experimental vessel operated by the University of Tokyo.

These particularly fruitful exchanges highlight the importance of anticipating the legal challenges associated with maritime innovation.

May 14, 2025

International Institute of Space Law (IISL)

Integration into the Working Group: Next Steps in STM (Space Traffic Management)

The IISL Working Group on Next Steps for Space Traffic Management (STM) is exploring an innovative approach: drawing inspiration from maritime law to shape the future legal framework applicable to space activities in orbit.

As models derived from civil aviation are proving inadequate in addressing the specificities of the space environment (absence of sovereignty, increasing number of objects in orbit, sustainability challenges), maritime law offers relevant conceptual tools: regulation of traffic, collision avoidance, liability, and international cooperation.

This analogy opens the way to a more stable, open, and sustainable governance of outer space, better suited to the rise of large satellite constellations and growing safety requirements.

March 19, 2025

7th Mare Forum Geneva 2024

The Charterers – Shipowners – Capital Providers – Regulators

The 7th edition of the Mare Forum Geneva took place on March 19, 2024, at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva. This annual event brought together industry leaders from the maritime sector, including shipowners, charterers, investors, regulators, and energy experts, to discuss current challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

Discussions focused on key topics such as the energy transition, prospects for maritime trade, technological innovation, ship financing, and Switzerland’s strategic positioning as a maritime and trading hub. Among the speakers were representatives from organizations such as INTERCARGO, UNCTAD, DNV, Louis Dreyfus Company, Cargill, Lloyd’s Register, and WISTA Switzerland.

The event stood out for its interactive format, encouraging dynamic exchanges between panelists and participants without formal presentations. This approach enabled in-depth exploration of key maritime issues and strengthened connections among industry stakeholders.

March 14, 2025

MEET 2050, Sea & Nuclear, Paris

Civil Maritime Nuclear – Legal Perspectives

As part of the MEET 2050 lecture series, I had the pleasure of presenting on the legal perspectives of civil maritime nuclear energy — an emerging topic at the intersection of the energy and maritime transitions.

In view of the challenges posed by the decarbonization of maritime transport and the pursuit of energy autonomy for certain coastal or remote regions, several States and industrial stakeholders are now considering the use of nuclear power at sea through two main applications:

  • Nuclear-powered vessels (NPVs);
  • Floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs).

However, this development raises significant legal questions that have so far received limited attention:

  • What international regulatory framework applies to these hybrid units, which function both as ships and as nuclear installations?
  • How can safety, liability, environmental protection, and international oversight be ensured for such facilities?
  • What coordination mechanisms should exist between the relevant organizations (IMO, IAEA, coastal States, flag States)?

The presentation provided a structured overview of applicable international instruments (SOLAS, MARPOL, Nuclear Safety Code, nuclear liability conventions), identified current gaps, and discussed recent work carried out within the IMO aimed at revising the Safety Code for Nuclear Merchant Ships.

This issue, lying at the crossroads of maritime law, nuclear law, and international law (environmental protection, non-proliferation, etc.), deserves particular attention in order to support innovation without undermining legal certainty or public trust.

December 5, 2024

Space for Inspiration, European Space Agency (ESA), Luxembourg

Export controls

Presentation of the legal issues of export controls in the space sector, during the ESA’s flagship event dedicated to innovation and the space economy. Focus on regulatory obligations and best practices for European operators, particularly in France. This is in the context of U.S. law and new Chinese legislation, both of which are extraterritorial.

December 2024

Journal of Space Safety Engineering (JSSE), ScienceDirect by Elsevier, VOL. 11, N°4

Lunar distress communications: Interoperability, frequencies and harmful interference – Which normative model for the Artemis Accords?

This article analyzes the coordination of distress communications in the lunar environment. It compares the LunaNet and LunaSAR architectures with existing systems (COSPAS-SARSAT, IAMSAR, ISMERLO), with the aim of identifying the most suitable normative model for multilateral lunar exploration under the Artemis Accords.

November 19–21, 2024

United Nations Conference on Space Law and Policy, UNOOSA, Vienna

Selected Expert – Working Subgroup on Space Debris Remediation

The conference, organized within the framework of the COPUOS Committee’s work on the peaceful uses of outer space, contributed to international discussions on the development of new standards related to space debris management. It aimed to promote understanding and implementation of United Nations treaties and principles concerning space, while facilitating the exchange of information on national policies and legislation. Participants examined the contribution of space law to sustainable economic development, contemporary challenges in international space law, as well as ways to strengthen regional and international cooperation. The conference also emphasized university education in space law and explored new legal fields to reconcile the divergent interests of States.

June 20, 2024

Report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – General Assembly, Space and Global Health Network Session, UNOOSA, Vienna

Personal proposal integrated into the official report A/AC.105/2024/CRP.18

Intervention within the framework of UN discussions on synergies between space technologies and global health. Result: item 4(g) of the final report presented to COPUOS.

May 15-16, 2024

Luxembourg Centre for European Law – University of Luxembourg in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, UNIVERSEH, and SES

Who leads the way in the new era of space? The new actors of international space law?

The interdisciplinary conference “Who leads the way in the new era of space? The new actors of international space law”, held on May 15–16, 2024, was organized by the Luxembourg Centre for European Law (LCEL) at the University of Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, UNIVERSEH, and SES Satellites. It explored the evolution of international space law through the lens of its various actors.

The first day focused on the role of States and international organizations in shaping space law. Experts such as Professor Timiebi U. Aganaba (Arizona State University) examined the strengths and weaknesses of the current normative system, while Dr. PJ Blount (Cardiff University) discussed the influence of the United States on the development of traditional space law.

The second day shifted attention to non-state actors and emerging legal challenges. Discussions addressed the licensing of private entities, the interaction between national and international frameworks, and State responsibility for private space activities. Speakers included Professor Setsuko Aoki (Keio University) and Dr. Randi Ayman (University of Luxembourg). The final session focused on private investment in space, with particular attention to legal instruments for investment protection and innovations such as blockchain-based investments, presented by Dr. Güneş Ünüvar and Mr. Harry Lars Ghillemyn.

The conference emphasized the need to adapt the international legal framework to the contemporary realities of a rapidly evolving space sector.