Singapore space industry nascent but progressing

Singapore space industry nascent but progressing
(ZDNet Asia) April 1, 2010, By Liau Yun Zing
Despite being in a fledgling phase, developments in the Singapore space industry have been "encouraging and progressive" in recent years, said the country's space association. The first locally built micro-satellite will launch later in the year. "Singapore's space industry is still in its nascent stages, particularly when compared with regional and global counterparts," said a spokesperson from the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) in an e-mail. However, the association feels developments in this area "have been encouraging and progressive in recent years". SSTA is a non-profit association focused on developing the space technology industry in Singapore. It works with partners from the commercial industry, government agencies, academia, and research and technological institutes. Among the recent developments, said SSTA, are the completion of a micro-satellite at the Centre for Research in Satellite Technologies (CREST), as well as an ongoing research study collaboration by the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI).