The national space office announced on Wednesday ( Feb. 26 ) that Singapore has launched a new initiative to address the region’s sustainability and humanitarian issues.
The Earth Observation Initiative ( EOI), led by Singapore’s Office for Space Technology &, Industry ( OSTIn ), will address Asia-Pacific’s issues such as food and water quality, disaster and disease monitoring as well as forestry and land management, the agency said in a press release.
An additional S$ 60 million ( US$ 44.8 million ) will also be invested in OSTIn’s Space Technology Development Programme (STDP ) over the next two years, to boost technological innovation and develop Singapore’s space technology ecosystem.
The organization will collaborate with its foreign counterparts to create an open, equitable, and rule-based global regime governing area activities.
At the Global Space Technology Convention &, Exhibition 2025, these were one of the new initiatives that Singapore introduced to support its expansion into the booming storage business.
According to a World Economic Forum report released in April of last year, the world place sector is projected to triple in size by 2035, increasing from US$ 630 billion in 2023.  ,
According to Economic Development Board ( EDB) managing director Jacqueline Poh,” Singapore’s space industry is entering a new phase of growth, driven by global advances that lower the cost of space technology and growing real-world wants.”
” By leveraging our strengths in business and R&, D ( research and development ), we aim to develop space technologies that can unlock new economic opportunities, reinforcing Singapore’s role in the global space economy”.
FIRST OF ITS KIND
The EOI, the first of its kind in Singapore, is coordinated by OSTIn and aims to use storage technologies to make a difference , on local issues.
International organizations, research organizations, business people like the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and the World Bank, as well as local people like the Singapore Land Authority and Maritime and Port Authority, are among the 15 partners and associates.
Earth study technology is a cost-effective way to monitor, manage and mobilise sources by providing complete, real-time information on a wide range of economic situations, OSTIn explained.
” This enables us to track changes in terrain apply, monitor water resources, assess produce wellness, and predict natural tragedies with extraordinary speed and accuracy”, it said.
The strength of Earth assessment is in its ability to cover large areas quickly and repeatedly, reducing the need for substantial ground-based data collection and providing important insights to remind targeted interventions and coverage choices.
In established spacefaring regions, such as in the West, Earth observation hubs do exist, but there is a gap in the Asia-Pacific region and in Southeast Asia specifically, said OSTIn executive director Jonathan Hung.
Due to its near-equatorial and low Earth Orbit satellite capabilities, Singapore is well-placed to support the region, according to the organization, with frequent and high-resolution data.
Very Low Earth Orbit satellite technologies enable satellites to travel in different orbits closer to Earth for various purposes.
Apart from tackling regional challenges, the initiative also aims to use the data collected to tailor solutions to the Asia-Pacific region’s unique needs, then export them to other regions with similar challenges.
The exchange of knowledge and capacity building is another focus, with workshops, seminars and training sessions held to share insights, best practices and lessons in the field of Earth observation.