THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

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INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
SPECIAL AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
THE AKERAN FEDERATION
(APPLICANT)
AND
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MHENI
(RESPONDENT)
JOINTLY NOTIFIED TO THE COURT

COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE

COMPROMIS
ENTRE
LA FDRATION DE AKERA
(REQURANT)
ET
LA COMMONWEALTH DE MHENI
(RPONDANT)
NOTIFI CONJOINTEMENT LA COUR

2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem

2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

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CASE CONCERNING
SATELLITE ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE
Statement of Agreed Facts:
1. The Akeran Federation (Akera) and the Commonwealth of Mheni (Mheni) are
neighboring states with a long history of competition, diverging political systems,
alliances and disputes. Mheni is a large mountainous State on the coast of the Botuos Sea.
Akera is comprised of a federation of nearly 500 islands, some large, some small,
extending 950 kilometers north-south closely along the length of Mheni. Both nations
allocate a significant part of their budgets to civil and military space programmes.
2. In the late 20th century, huge reserves of natural gas and crude oil were discovered
under Akeras island chain, and it became a major petroleum exporter in the global
marketplace. Historically, inter-island trade and travel was difficult because the waters
throughout Akera are threatened by many dangerous reefs and other natural hazards.
Akeras economy prospered from the petroleum trade, and it was able to exploit these
resources to eliminate the navigation threats, enhance its own national and economic
security, and enable sea-borne trade by supertankers and container ships to its islands.
Akera achieved this success in part by developing and flying its own precision navigation
and timing (PNT) satellite system, known as SEANAV.
3. The SEANAV constellation is a set of 18 payloads hosted onboard a variety of
commercial satellites that have been launched by sea-based commercial space launch
providers into inclined, near-circular, medium Earth orbits. The SEANAV hosted
payloads have been fully operational since 2010. The SEANAV PNT capabilities have
been employed by the Akeran military as well as the international private sector. Private
sector users purchase SEANAV User (SEA-U) receivers from Akera in order to access
the signal. Unbeknownst to Akera, the SEANAV PNT signal also was used by the
Mhenian military with unauthorized Mhenian produced SEANAV User Equipment (MSUE) tuners.
4. The claimed economic zones of Akera and Mheni overlap in places in the Botuos
Sea, including the area of the Langerhans Islands. The Langerhans Archipelago is a
small cluster of uninhabited islands and contains an abandoned airstrip that was
constructed and used by the State of Mintov during the Second World War. No State or
entity expressed concerns about the area until geologists determined substantial oil and
gas reserves exist under its waters. When that occurred, considerable interest was
2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem
2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

________________________________________________________________________
expressed by established Akeran petro-companies, as well as by smaller and start-up
companies in both Akera and Mheni.
5. Sain Communications is a Mhenian corporation founded, owned and controlled
by former Mhenian space and defense contractor employees, including hardware and
software engineers. Sain Communications conducts a variety of business operations,
including consulting services for the Mhenian oil and gas industry. According to a filing
with the Mhenian securities regulators, Sain Communications had a contract with one
petroleum start-up company, Peabody Enterprises. Sain Communications compensation
was to be comprised, in majority part, of stock and stock options which were potentially
lucrative in the event Peabody Enterprises successfully exploits the oil and gas reserves
of the Langerhans Archipelago.
6. In mid-2014, in an attempt to assert its interests in the Langerhans Archipelago
region, small Akeran warships sailed out of harbors in northern Akera into the
Langerhans Archipelagos waters. Akeras air force also flew several transports onto the
abandoned airstrip. While there, the pilots exited their aircraft, saluted, planted an
Akeran flag next to their aircraft, shook hands, climbed back into their planes, and
departed. Photographs of these events were widely publicized and celebrated by the
Akeran media.
7. In early 2015, Sain Communications received authorization from the Mhenian
government pursuant to its Space Licensing Act to begin development of the X-12
satellite system. The license application listed the purpose of the X-12 satellites as the
testing of new communication technologies. Sain Communications proceeded to
complete and deploy the X-12 system in early 2016. The X-12A and X-12B satellites
were launched at 6 month intervals from a floating platform in waters of the Langerhans
Archipelago by an international commercial launch services consortium which included
entities incorporated in Akera. The X-12 satellites were placed in highly elliptical
orbits, with their apogees located above the territories of Akera and Mheni. The X-12A
and X-12B were phased within the same orbital plane to present 24-hour continuous
coverage of the region. Mheni registered the X-12 satellites with the United Nations, and
listed the purpose of each satellite to be the testing of new communication
technologies.
8. In mid-2016, Akera noted that its SEA-U receivers began to suffer from
intermittent electromagnetic interference (EMI) and, as a result, the systems began to
have difficulty accessing the SEANAV PNT signal. The EMI coincided with the
overflights of the X-12A satellite over Akera, and only affected SEA-U receivers which
were within the communications footprint of the X-12A. As the two X-12 satellites
2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem
2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

________________________________________________________________________
became fully functional, other communications and digital systems tied to the SEANAV
PNT system in Akera suffered deterioration. Numerous sensitive electronic and electrical
devices also were disrupted, including those used for military purposes and civil aviation.
The prestigious investigative journal Aviation Daily & Space Operations reported that as
a result of the interference of the SEANAV signal, an Akeran unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) equipped with a SEA-U receiver had crashed at a military base, destroying the
vehicle, as well as a building at the base, and killed two military personnel on the ground.
In a press conference, the President of Akera confirmed that an Akeran UAV had
crashed. She announced that Akeran analysts had confirmed the loss was caused by EMI
generated by the X-12A and that the EMI had disabled the UAVs onboard navigation
capabilities. According to the Akeran President, the analysts concluded that the
interference phenomena had never occurred prior to placing the X-12 system on-orbit.
She described the X-12A satellite as a sophisticated weapon and complained that it was
being used against Akera, endangering its territorial integrity and national security.
9. By early-2017, the X-12A EMI had increased to prevent the use of SEA-U
receivers throughout Akeras islands and near the Langerhans Archipelago. This had the
effect of causing a substantial reduction in international shipping and transit through
Akeras waters, because large supertankers and container cargo ships could not navigate
safely through its reefs and hazards. As a result, Akeran oil exports and trade declined
significantly. During this time, however, several companies from Mheni, including
Peabody Enterprises, began oil drilling operations in the Langerhans Archipelago.
10. The Akeran Foreign Ministry issued a demarche to the Mhenian authorities
demanding that Mheni take immediate action to prevent the transmission of signals from
X-12 satellites that were causing or could cause harm to Akeras use of the SEANAV
system.
11. In a news conference, Mhenis foreign minister, Preston Yukon, responded to the
Akeran demarche. He said that Mheni was not at fault for the deterioration of Akeras
communications. Yukon stated that there was no proof of a direct connection between the
malfunctioning of the Akeran systems and devices and the transmissions of the X-12
satellites, and Mheni refused to take responsibility for the interference. He stated that
Sain Communications was in possession of valid authorizations to perform its space
experiments and testing in accordance with both Mhenis laws and international
obligations. He added that, during the authorization process, nothing indicated that X12A was designed to disrupt any other satellites signal. He disclosed that Mheni was
using M-SUE tuners, and explained that it would not be in Mhenian interests to interfere
with the SEANAV system since its military and national space systems also used the
signal for PNT purposes. As further proof on this point, Yukon stated that he was told
2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem
2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

________________________________________________________________________
the X-12 satellites also used the SEANAV PNT signal for navigation purposes. He stated
that Akeras authorities should search for the source of disruption in their own territory.
12. Akera sought redress for its complaints about the X12 satellites transmissions
through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and requested that Mheni
accede to the Optional Protocol on Compulsory Settlement of Disputes. Mheni rejected
the request. Thereafter, Akera invoked the ITU dispute resolution consultations. Mheni
denied any responsibility for the EMI, and the ITU procedures were unsuccessful in
resolving the matter.
13. Akera also raised concerns about the X-12 satellite before the United Nations
(UN) Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), as part of its Legal
Subcommittee (LSC) and Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (STSC) general
exchanges of views. Other members of the LSC and STSC declined to offer comments
responsive to the topic, though some did advise that they wanted to consult with home
governments before expressing any specific view. Akera also sent an official letter to the
UN Secretary-General informing him about the situation, and formally requested the UN
Security Council to undertake measures with a view to prohibiting the attacks against its
communication networks and navigation systems. One permanent Member State of the
Security Council, a long-standing ally of Mheni, issued a statement that it would veto any
resolution against Mheni. Subsequently, the UN Security Council matter was tabled
without a vote.
14. During this period of time, Akera developed a second generation of SEANAV
PNT satellites, which were designed to transmit a more powerful and protected signal,
resistant to the X-12As EMI, and to counteract and neutralize the effects of the EMI. No
longer flown as hosted payloads, the SEANAV-2 system was inaugurated with the launch
of three satellites in the constellation in orbits close to the original SEANAV hosted
payloads. The launch of these three satellites, Klondike, Hudson and Simcoe, was
accompanied by an announcement by Akeras President that the SEANAV systems
would be used in support of expanded use of its drone program, and to patrol waters in
and around Akera and the Langerhans Archipelago. She also stated that the SEANAV-2
signal would not be as vulnerable to EMI as was the original SEANAV system, but the
full deployment of SEANAV-2 would take several years to complete. She reiterated that
the X-12 EMI was provocative, illegal, and a threat to Akeran national security interests,
and demanded that Mheni take immediate action to end the EMI.
15. Mheni responded to the Akeran demand by stating that Mheni was not
responsible for the EMI and that there was no proof that the X-12A caused any
interference.
2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem
2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

________________________________________________________________________
16. While the Klondike satellite orbited in near conjunction with the X-12A, the
Klondike broadcast a new SEANAV navigation signal with information encoded and
integrated within its waveform to counteract the EMI. The X-12A was equipped with an
on-board M-SUE tuner, which malfunctioned when processing the Klondikes new PNT
signal. This malfunction rendered the X-12A uncontrollable and it began to spin.
Automatic systems on-board the X-12A ignited its thrusters in an attempt to correct its
orientation, but the impaired M-SUE tuner sent inaccurate navigation information to the
control system, and the automated thruster firings had the effect of changing the X-12s
orbit and to lower its perigee to 100 km. Ground controllers were unable to stabilize the
X-12A or boost its orbit, and within two weeks the satellite re-entered the Earths
atmosphere and was destroyed. With the destruction of the X-12A the EMI affecting
SEA-U receivers use of the SEANAV PNT signals ceased.
17. In an attempt to reduce the potential for hostilities among the parties, and resolve
their disputes, Akera and Mheni have decided to submit these issues for resolution to the
International Court of Justice.
18. Akera and Mheni both are members of the United Nations and parties to the Outer
Space Treaty, Rescue and Return Agreement, Liability Convention, Registration
Convention, Moon Agreement, and the Constitution and Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union and its Radio Regulations. Akera is a signatory to the ITU
Optional Protocol on Compulsory Settlement of Disputes. The parties agree that there is
no issue concerning the jurisdiction of the Court. Each party also stipulates that the ITU
dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted.
19. Akera requests the Court to adjudge and declare that:
a. Mheni is liable under international law for the harmful EMI preventing access
to the SEANAV satellite PNT signals.
b. Akera acted in conformity with international law by disabling the X-12A
satellite.
c. Mheni is liable to Akera for the loss of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the
damage to the military facility, and the deaths of the two Akeran military
personnel.
20. Mheni requests the Court to adjudge and declare that:
a. Mheni is not liable under international law for any EMI preventing access to
the SEANAV signals.
2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem
2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved

THE 2014 MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

________________________________________________________________________
b. Akera violated international law by disabling the X-12A satellite resulting in
its destruction.
c. Mheni is not liable to Akera for the loss of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the
damage to the military facility, and the deaths of the two Akeran military
personnel.

2014 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Problem

2013 by the International Institute of Space Law. All rights reserved