The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) is an inter-governmental organization operated as a non-profit independent body with full international legal status. It is headquartered in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Members include agencies from: Bangladesh, China, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, and Thailand. Indonesia and Turkey also signed the APSCO convention. In 2005, the APSCO convention was signed in Beijing. Representatives from Argentina, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and Sri Lanka also attended the founding ceremony.
Published in Chapter:
Proposal of Establishing an Asian Space Agency
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7407-2.ch017
Abstract
This chapter describes the author's proposal on the necessity of Establishing an Asian Space Agency (ASA). The establishment of the ASA will promote the international cooperation among Asian countries in space exploitation, research and technology, as well as their space application and developments, much like the European Space Agency in Paris. It is desirable and necessary for us to establish ASA in order to promote cooperation in space policy, law, science, technology, and industry among Asian countries. The creation of an ASA would lead to a strengthening of the cooperation deemed essential by the Asian community towards joint undertakings in space and would act as a catalyst for the efforts on space exploitation and allow resources, technology, manpower, and finances to be centrally managed in an independent fashion to the benefit of Asian countries. It is desirable and necessary for us to establish the ASA in order to develop the space industry to strengthen friendly relations and to promote research cooperation among Asian countries.