The Convention aims to shed light on the future of Asia’s burgeoning space sector. MOU / MOC signings will solidify space technology cooperation between Singapore with India & France. SSTA & NTUC will sign an agreement to work together to advance Singapore’s space ecosystem and its position as a regional space hub.
Asia’s role in the global space economy, innovations in space technology and the commercialisation of space, are all topics being discussed at the tenth iteration of Asia’s Global Space & Technology Convention (GSTC) 2018, which kicked off today at Sheraton Towers, Singapore.
Launching with an opening address from Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr S. Iswaran, the two-day home-grown space industry event, which is now in its tenth year, brings together stakeholders from across Asia and the globe, including international space organisations, policy makers, innovators, space businesses, start-ups and venture capitalists (VCs), to discuss the future of space technology and innovation in Asia.
Created and Hosted by the Singapore Space & Technology Association (SSTA), which works with local stakeholders to support the development of Singapore’s space technology industry, the focus of the 2018 event is ‘Pushing the Innovation Frontier’, bringing together more than 500 delegates to share roadmaps, latest technological breakthroughs and innovative applications of space-enabled systems.
GSTC will see participation from top delegates from The Malaysian space agency (ANGKASA); Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA); the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), alongside representatives from Singapore’s local space ecosystem, who have come together to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the development of the space sector in Asia, and its role in the global space economy.
During the event SSTA will announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to promote Space Technology co-operation and industry interaction between India and Singapore.
SSTA will also announce a signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS) during the event, which aims to cement synergies between key French and Singaporean players as part of the France-Singapore Joint Year of Innovation, a joint initiative put by the Prime Minister of Singapore and the President of the Republic of France, as a unique opportunity to develop new scientific and economic partnerships between the countries. The signing will take place in Singapore on the afternoon of Wednesday February 7, during the Singapore Airshow 2018.
Another highlight of the event will be the live signing of an MOU between SSTA and Singapore’s National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), to work together to advance Singapore’s space ecosystem and its position as a regional space hub, including plans to support the development of Singapore’s space technology community, and to drive educational outreach programmes, to encourage careers in space and related technologies.
Key speakers at this year’s event include:
– Mr S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore Government
– Hervé Hamy, Vice-President, Optical Observation & Science, Thales Alenia Space (Keynote address)
– Mr Ravinder Singh, President, ST Electronics
– Mr Jonathan Hung, President, Singapore Space and Technology Association
– Dr Goh Eng Lim Vice President, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
– Prof. Dr. Thomas Djamaluddin, Administrator, National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN)
– Prof. Chaim Eshed, Tel Aviv University
Key topics being discussed at this year’s convention include:
– Asia’s role in the global space economy
– The commercialisation of space – opportunities & challenges for Singapore and Asia
– Cyber security for space and the future of unhackable data
– The future of satellite communications, security challenges, innovation – navigation and Earth observation
– Big Data, Supercomputing and IoT in space
– 3D printing for space
Event highlights include:
NTUC & SSTA live MOU signing
Date: 1 February 2018, Thursday (Day 1 of GSTC)
Time: 3:30 pm – 3: 50 pm
Signing by Lynette Tan, Executive Director, Singapore Space & Technology Association
Witnessed by Prof Lui Pao Chuen, Chairman of the Advisory Board, Singapore Space & Technology Association
Signing by Vivek Kumar, Assistant Director General, NTUC
Witnessed by Cham Hui Fong , Assistant Secretary General, NTUC
Satellite Mobility Forum | SATmob
This year’s event also includes a 2-day SATmob Forum exploring the development of game-changing satellite technologies for the transportation sector.
Addressing the challenges of building mobility networks to meet the needs of governments, enterprises and other end users, the Forum will see a keynote address from Tan Kong Hwee Executive Director Transport Engineering – Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), also giving attendees the opportunity to learn from leading experts on the latest market trends, technological breakthroughs and what is required to push the innovation frontier within the commercial transport sector.
The Singapore Space Challenge (SSC)
Taking place on day two of the convention, The Singapore Space Challenge (SSC) is a national design competition aimed at inspiring and encouraging Singapore youth to engage in exciting technical space related projects, which highlight the applications and benefits of space technology in our everyday lives. This year’s competition will welcome guest of honour Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Trade & Ministry of Education, and give Singapore student teams the chance of taking home a whopping SGD$10,000 prize.
To date, over one thousand youths have participated in the SSC since its inception in 2007. Working in teams to solve problems developed closely with the industry, the students derive theoretical models, design prototypes, and create simulations of their creative solutions. Final entries are reviewed and judged by esteemed technical leaders, in their respective fields, from around the world.
Airbus + SSTA – “Space for Humanitarian Aid” Challenge 2018
For the first time at GSTC, working in partnership, Airbus and SSTA, have created the ‘Space for Humanitarian Aid Challenge’, a 2.5 month competition in which students and young professionals in Singapore were given the task to develop an innovative smart application to increase efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the region / globally.
With the help of Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) and Singapore’s Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to set the parameters of the disaster scenario, the objective of the challenge was to stimulate and tap into the creativity of young students/professionals and identify new solutions to complex problems of coordination within the context of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The competition is judged by SSTA, Airbus, RHCC, SCDF, and Mercy Relief – Singapore’s only homegrown independent non-governmental humanitarian charity.
The winners of the challenge are being announced during the first day of the event, receiving a trip to the United Kingdom to visit the Airbus DS Zephyr team in Farnborough and the Space Systems site in Portsmouth. Winners are also presenting their smart application to Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr S. Iswaran, on the morning of the first day of GSTC 2018.
– Space Agencies Panel
Moderated by Dr. Franco Ongaro, Director of Engineering, Technology, and Quality, European Space Agency, this panel will bring together senior representatives from space authorities in China, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and UAE, to discuss a range of key issues, including policy making and regulatory considerations for the space age, the global economic climate and its effect on the space industry, Asia’s evolving role in the global space economy, along with the importance of public engagement and education in space.
When: 10.15am Feb 1, 2018
– Industry Chief Panel
Bringing together some of the finest minds in the space sector, including the likes of Airbus Defence and Space, Vice President, Hugues de Galzaithen, and Patrick Mauté, Chief Technology Officer, Thales Alenia Space, among others, this panel will discuss the opportunities & challenges presented by the space industry and the privatisation of space, including the skills requirement of the future and bridging the talent gap in Asia, along with evolution of space technology.
When: 11am Feb 1, 2018
