Singapore will establish a national space agency on April 1 to help the country seize opportunities in the rapidly expanding space economy and strengthen its space capabilities, the Straits Times quoted Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology Tan See Leng as saying.

According to the news report, the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) will operate a multi-agency operations center to support government agencies with satellite tasking — including requests for satellite imagery of specific locations — and geospatial data analytics, Tan said at the opening of the inaugural Space Summit on Feb 2.

These capabilities can be applied to areas such as port operations, urban planning, environmental monitoring and food security.

Singapore will also further develop its constellation of satellites to meet national needs and support use cases across the equatorial region, leveraging its geographical location, Tan said.

At present, the government co-owns three Earth observation satellites with local technology, defense and engineering group ST Engineering.

“We will also progressively build up and operate space situational awareness capabilities, to ensure the safety of our space assets in the increasingly congested space domain,” Tan added.

Set up as a department under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), NSAS will engage the space sector on legislative plans and build on the Office for Space Technology & Industry’s (OSTIn) Guidelines for Singapore-Related Space Activities introduced in 2024.

In response to The Straits Times, an MTI spokesperson said OSTIn will be folded into the new agency, bringing over about 30 staff, with headcount expected to rise over the next five years as the agency’s mandate expands.

The agency will be led by veteran public servant Ngiam Le Na, currently deputy chief executive of DSO National Laboratories.

With 25 years in public service, Ngiam has held senior roles including deputy chief executive of the Defense Science and Technology Agency, and oversaw the acquisition and development of Earth observation satellites for applications such as environmental monitoring, maritime security and disaster relief.

Since 2022, the Singapore government has committed more than S$200 million to space research and development (R&D), supporting institutes and companies to develop and test space technologies.

Under NSAS, R&D investments will span areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, climate and sustainability technologies, space situational awareness and microgravity research in human health sciences.

The government will also expand international partnerships and help local space technology companies validate and commercialize their technologies, with the aim of attracting firms to base operations in Singapore and scale across Asia and beyond.

About 70 space companies and 2,000 professionals currently operate in the sector here.

MTI said NSAS will spearhead Singapore’s efforts to tap the growing global space economy, projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035.

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