Kuala lumpur: 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 stated that these teams were chosen as the best among 12 entries that qualified for the Oral Advanced Rounds at the Faculty of Syariah and Law (FSU), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) from Dec 5 to 7.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, 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). Dr Mhd Fairos Asillam emphasized that space law remains a new field, and the competition represents an opportunity for MOSTI to develop new expertise and raise awareness of its importance. He expressed hope that this discipline will continue to grow in the future.
Present at the event 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. The competition is the result of collaboration between MOSTI’s Space Regulator Division, USIM, and YIM as strategic implementation partners.
Earlier, Dr Mhd Fairos 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 highlighted that the Coin Toss symbolized openness, fairness, and transparency within the competition process. However, competition rules prohibit the disclosure of the six finalist universities’ names.
The PMPA 2025 champion will go on to represent Malaysia at the Asia-Pacific round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition in 2026. Dr Mhd Fairos expressed that PMPA 2025 is expected to act 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, marking Malaysia’s first academic platform dedicated to the field and bringing together government agencies, academia, and industry players. Dr Abdul Manan emphasized the importance of PMPA 2025 as a national platform to enhance the new generation’s knowledge of space law. He noted that the competition exposes participants to real-world issues such as the Liability Convention, State Responsibility, and modern technological challenges, providing valuable practical training for future experts in the field.