PMPA 2025 Marks Malaysia’s Push To Develop Space Law Expertise

NILAI, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) has, for the first time, organised the Space Law Moot Court Competition 2025 (PMPA 2025), featuring six finalist teams from public and private higher learning institutions.

MOSTI Space Regulator Dr Mhd Fairos Asillam said the six teams were selected as the best among 12 entries that qualified for the Oral Advanced Rounds held at the Faculty of Syariah and Law (FSU), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) from Dec 5 to 7.

He said PMPA 2025 serves as a national initiative to strengthen understanding of space law, particularly among law students, while supporting the implementation of the Malaysian Space Board Act 2022 (Act 834).

“Space law is still a new field. Through this competition, MOSTI has the opportunity to develop new expertise and raise awareness of its importance. We hope this discipline will continue to grow in the years ahead,” he told Bernama at the PMPA 2025 Coin Toss Ceremony at the USIM Chancellery Gallery.

Also present were USIM FSU Dean, Associate Prof Dr Abdul Manan Ismail, USIM FSU senior lecturer Dr Che Zuhaida Saari, and Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia (YIM) vice-president Amerridzal Bidin.

Mhd Fairos said the competition is the result of collaboration between MOSTI’s Space Regulator Division, USIM and YIM as strategic implementation partners.

Earlier, he officiated the PMPA 2025 Coin Toss, which determined the official order of the six qualifying teams and assigned each institution its role as either appellant or respondent during the moot sessions.

He said the Coin Toss was not merely a technical procedure but symbolised openness, fairness and transparency within the competition process.

However, Mhd Fairos noted that under competition rules, the names of the six finalist universities cannot be disclosed.

He added that the PMPA 2025 champion will represent Malaysia at the Asia-Pacific round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition in 2026.

Mhd Fairos said PMPA 2025 is expected to serve as a catalyst for developing space-law talent, strengthening collaborative networks and nurturing a new generation of lawyers capable of contributing to the nation’s space sector.

In conjunction with the competition, the National Space Law Conference (PPAK) was also held as Malaysia’s first academic platform dedicated to the field, bringing together government agencies, academia and industry players.

In his remarks, Abdul Manan said PMPA 2025 is an important national platform to enhance the new generation’s knowledge of space law.

He said the competition exposes participants to real-world issues such as the Liability Convention, State Responsibility and modern technological challenges, providing valuable practical training in preparing future experts in space law.

-- BERNAMA