KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry plans to make the Langkawi International Space Forum (LISF) an annual event following the positive impact of its inaugural edition in May, said its deputy minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
He said that during the forum held in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023, four memorandums of understanding (MoU) were inked and three letters of intent (LoI) were successfully exchanged with three local companies.
“The projects have been and are being carried out according to the Gantt chart established and monitored by the Special Committee for Strategic Cooperation and International Networking under the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA).
“If all these potentials can be realised, we estimate a contribution of RM44 million to the economy just from the four MoUs and three LoIs signed this year,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this in response to a supplementary question from Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah Wee Tse, who wanted to know whether the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry intends to continue organising LISF as an annual event to ensure the country’s aerospace industry continues to progress.
Meanwhile, Arthur said that to date, 10 local space technology companies have come together to form the Malaysian Space Industry Corporation (Masic) to create a dynamic aerospace industry ecosystem, thus promoting Malaysia’s aerospace capabilities.
He said Masic was established by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Might) to bring together local industry players to develop the country’s aerospace industry.
“In addition, MYSA, in collaboration with Might, has initiated discussions on bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye in space technology. This cooperation will focus on expertise sharing and talent development to produce a skilled workforce in satellite technology,” he said in response to the Tebrau MPs original question about the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry’s plan to expand the use of internet services through Starlink by launching Malaysia’s own satellite so that the country does not have to rely on others.
— Bernama
