Tokyo (July 3, 2023)—Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) signed The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations developed by the Dutch non-profit organization The Hague Institute for Global Justice. MRI will work towards achieving the sustainability of space activities, including those of the private sector, based on the principles set in the Compact.
MRI has been studying the governance mechanisms needed to make space safe and sustainable. MRI researchers have worked with the Japanese space industry and stakeholders worldwide to forecast the risks that emerge with private-sector participation and new technology.
The risks they identified span the congestion of low Earth orbit, higher possibility of collision, cyber attacks on commercial spacecraft, security challenges presented by anti-satellite weapons (ASAT), and the safety of private-sector ventures on the moon. Experts see a soft law approach as the best way to properly and promptly manage these risks as it allows for quick and flexible development and revision.
The Washington Compact is a framework introduced in July 2022 that is expected to serve as a soft law for a commercial space. An initiative in line with findings to date, MRI too has endorsed and signed on, and will continue to work towards developing governance mechanisms for space sustainability.
MRI has been studying the governance mechanisms needed to make space safe and sustainable. MRI researchers have worked with the Japanese space industry and stakeholders worldwide to forecast the risks that emerge with private-sector participation and new technology.
The risks they identified span the congestion of low Earth orbit, higher possibility of collision, cyber attacks on commercial spacecraft, security challenges presented by anti-satellite weapons (ASAT), and the safety of private-sector ventures on the moon. Experts see a soft law approach as the best way to properly and promptly manage these risks as it allows for quick and flexible development and revision.
The Washington Compact is a framework introduced in July 2022 that is expected to serve as a soft law for a commercial space. An initiative in line with findings to date, MRI too has endorsed and signed on, and will continue to work towards developing governance mechanisms for space sustainability.
