Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Future Outlook In Malaysian Space Related Industries



The industries generally divided into 2 parts. First part is the upstream and he second is the downstream. The first part consists of the part where the space device such as satellite been develop with the suitable environment. The suitable environment means that the satellite is created with the launch pad, data processing system, and research and development unit.

Basically the upstream means that when people starts to launch the satellite, or sending people to other planet in the milky way, people such as the government will need the technical support to make the system works. This type of technical support which we don’t have in the current day may appear in the future. The industries which will appear as an example the image processing image from the satellite, although we don’t have any specified satellite that built for image capturing, the software will be needed as the image can be only be processed using foreign built software. Another upstream but still about software making is predicting the space device route to the space when we launch the space device. The software is needed to be almost perfect to calculating various type of variable that may infect or change the ideal path. The satellite which is expensive to built need this type of calculation to avoid failure in launch the satellite. This will create new industries in the future. Furthermore if we used foreign expertise, it would be costly. With the rapid development of information technology and the launch of the Multimedia Supercorridor which been populared by our ex- Prime Minister , Tun Dr. Mahathir makes the built of the software for this purpose is not impossible.

Another industries that is still can be classified as upstream industries that may have future in the in the Malaysian Space related industries is the satellite used for military purpose which currently satellite from Malaysia in only focussing in the communication purpose. Looking forward to the capability of Malaysian producing its own satellite today, it is not possible that in the future of Malaysian satellite is focussing in building the satellite for other purpose. Since 2004, ANGKASA’s budget for space related purpose has expanded from $25 million (95 million ringgits) to meet an ambitious space agenda, which includes sending a Malaysian astronaut to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz II launch in 2007.[5],[6] Malaysia’s National Space Agency creatied Southeast Asia’s first space center (a 400-acre complex completed in October 2006). It has expanded Malaysia’s considerable fleet of imagery satellites (the RazakSAT and TiungSAT series) and assisted in the coordination of Malaysia’s privately owned communication satellites (the MEASAT series).[7],[8] Although the focus of Malaysia’s space program has been to this point on non-military assets, statements by high-ranking government officials suggest that future Malaysian developments in space may include a military dimension.[9].**As the time goes on, when we have improve the technique of creating better satellite which in the future, we will achieved the level where we can built the hi-tech military satellite, we can built the cheaper satellite which we already can, to the country that need it like the country in other 3rd world party. This is upstream of space related industries in Malaysia in the future although it has been already exist in country such as United States of America.

The second industries that may be will appear and also can be classified as upstream is about the equipment to launch the space device such as satellite in the space. The equipment is the launching pad. In Malaysia, we still need to used the launch pad in other country to launch our own satellite. Even sending our first astronaut to the space required Russian facilities. Malaysia is located in the equator which it is perfect location for launching satellite to space. Launching satellite to the space need flat, far from residential area and safe land for the foundation but Malaysia is lack of land and surrounded by sea. So we can use the sea as the foundation. Since the location of Malaysia which is in the petroleum rich area, so we have many oil drilling platform. Currently many of this platform is aging. So we can use after been modified this platform as the satellite platform. Actually why this method is used to launch satellite because the oil digging platform is flexible to be moved to another placed if the weather changing but other land satellite platform can’t because of the flexibility to move on the water like a boat. So this will waste time to wait the clear day to appear. ***
Source :
sea-based space launchpad
command ship
DOWNSTREAM INDUSTRIES
GPS system is a useful tool and it has widely application. Nowadays it is not popular in Malaysia to use the GPS system but in fact we can still apply the GPS system to monitor and control the action of ex-prisoner or person that is used to be drug addicted and thus reduce the crime rate or drug influences in Malaysia. To do so, first, the specific microchips must be implanted into the body part of the ex-prisoners or the person that is addicted in drug. The implanted specific microchips are made to be detectable by GPS system and could easily provide the location and information of that person. The information is transferred by using satellite and easily could be shown on the computers. Not means to be offence but in facts nowadays the government of Malaysia seen not to apply fully and widely or more straightly saying that government do not put in any budget to do research and development in this high-tech stuffs. So this has provided a great business opportunity to the private companies which are carrying with this high-tech stuffs business. And maybe they could cooperate with Malaysia’s government to explore in this field.
In the contexts of space science and technology, Malaysia should get involved and start using the satellites that are carrying with various and multifunctional sensors to this industry. Like the remote sensing satellite will enable us to get the more detailed information such as geo-information and terrain data or even the direct downward view photos of the landscape. With such terrain data and geo-information about the tourist’s destinations or tourist’s hot spot and the nearby areas, the development of the infrastructure such as hotels, restaurants and clinic could be done more complete and perfect. This would improve the tourist’s view and attract them to come back again when they are satisfied with everything during their vacation in Malaysia.
Maybe not in Malaysia but in other foreign countries it is very common to apply space application in the field of agriculture such as crop production and exploitation of underground water for the water source of crop plantation. In most western modern countries, they are using the multifunctional satellite to derive the data consists of the nutrient’s composition. With this data, the distribution and location of those crops that are depleted of some kind of nutrient can be found. For the solution, some vehicles or trucks are designed special so that they equipped with advance devices which able to receive and analysis the information and thus the spraying of nutrient to the dying crops can be done easily.