Singapore Takes To The Skies With NSAS, Marking Its Official Entry Into The Global Space Sector 

With its National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS), Singapore targets a piece in the global space economy, which is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. 

Singapore is officially entering the space race, as it gears up to establish a national space agency in April, making industry insiders hopeful that this would result in the island-state positioning itself as a regional hub for space innovation and exploration. 

With its National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS), the Asian economic powerhouse targets a piece in the global space economy, which is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, as opportunities for space research and technology are becoming increasingly accessible to more countries.  

Tan See Leng, the Minister of Energy and Science and Technology, announced the launch of NSAS at Singapore’s inaugural space summit at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Leng said that this new initiative will allow the state to capitalise on new opportunities in the space sector and attract new investments, aside from the $157 million previously set aside from 2022 for research and development projects. 

NSAS is set to expand the organisational reach of the Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn), which has been under the Economic Development Board since 2013. Leng also said that Singapore’s reputation as a trusted, connected hub with strong financial and logistical sectors makes it the ideal destination for companies working in the space sector in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.  

He also said that the government will develop a strong talent pool and incorporate local expertise to aid the growth of Singapore’s space technology sector and help generate employment. Leng also added that the government seeks to establish a multi-agency operations centre that will support satellite tasking and geospatial data analytics. This would benefit port operations, urban planning, environmental monitoring and food security. 

Singapore currently co-owns three Earth observation satellites with the state-linked ST Engineering, and plans are underway to expand its space infrastructure. 

Singapore also has plans to explore a larger constellation of satellites to meet both local needs and broader regional use cases due to its closeness to the equator. As the country’s geographic location enables it to do more in this area, the city-state will expand its capabilities to develop its constellation of satellites to satisfy both national needs and use cases throughout the Equatorial Belt, Leng explained. 

The Ministry of Trade and Industry spokesperson told This Week in Asia that the NSAS would start out as a departmental unit with 30 employees, all of whom were from OSTIn, but that as the agency’s scope grew over the following five years, this number was anticipated to increase. 

He asserted that the NSAS sought to provide concepts and solutions that would have an international impact while enhancing Singapore’s reputation as a reliable participant in the global space economy. Through NSAS, the government hopes to increase its investment in space in the future years, strengthening our national space capabilities and growing our space sector. This move has demonstrated Singapore’s intention to become more active in the global space ecosystem. 

The Singaporean government understands the importance of developing an indigenous talent pool, and has therefore expressed its commitment towards ensuring the development of the country’s space sector is synchronised with its talent development.  Programs like Space Faculty give young people opportunities like the recently announced satellite building workshop and the International Space Challenge for those aged 13 to 25. 

The goal of these programs is to develop a new generation of space engineers who can help the sector grow. The optimism at the summit, when over 1,500 participants from 40 nations and regions enthusiastically welcomed Monday’s announcement of the new organisation, was in line with these grassroots initiatives. 

With these new and holistic initiatives in place, it would be interesting to witness Singapore’s entry into the global space industry.