Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Germany
Hong Kong
USA
Switzerland
Singapore
United Kingdom
While US’ Silicon Valley has been a primary source for triggering milestones for the space industry, many companies out of Asia have started investing in space technology. Even as the US, Russia, and a few European countries hold the biggest in the industry, new space activities are gaining momentum in the Asian region, with many countries stepping up efforts over the last decade.
To name a few – China, Japan, India, Taiwan, Australia as well as Southeast Asian nations are pushing for developing and commercialising their space technologies. As per industry experts, the aeronautics industry is a huge market waiting to be tapped by Asian economies, and the region’s space industry is likely to evolve rapidly over the next few decades.
According to the “Global Market Report 2021: Covid-19 impact and recovery to 2030“, the global aerospace market is expected to expand to $327.96 bn in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% from $298.01 bn by 2020. The market is expected to swell up to $430.87 bn in 2025 at a CAGR of 7%. While North America was accounted for 50% of the global aerospace market in 2020, Asia Pacific accounted for 22%, the report states.
Space partnerships across borders
Most Asian space capabilities and programmes still remain largely government-driven, opening up new cooperation opportunities between economies. Opening new pathways for outer space cooperation for the first time, the US, Japan, India and Australia – known as the Quad – vowed to meet regularly to tap into the cyberspace and space sector, by identifying new collaboration opportunities and sharing satellite data.
Taiwan wants to secure a strategic position in the space industry’s supply chain. Taiwanese tech companies have already become suppliers for SpaceX (an American aerospace company founded by Elon Musk) providing components and ground-based reception equipment.
Traditionally focused on manufacturing equipment and components for medium earth orbit (MEO) and highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites, Taiwanese companies are also pursuing the development of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. For this, the government has launched a four-year project this year worth $145 m, aiming to launch its first LEO communications satellite in 2025.
Furthermore, Taiwan’s space agency, National Space Organisation (NSO) has announced building a domestic rocket launch site, for the long-term development of the country’s space programme. The Taiwanese government also enacted the space development promotion act and a plan to invest $906.62 m in the space sector over the next decade.
Japan and India with high space ambitions
Japan is relying heavily on its niche strength in robotics to mark its place among elite space-faring nations. Capitalizing on the country’s technological expertise, Japan has been the fourth nation to successfully launch a satellite into orbit after the United States, Soviet Union, and France.
Japan is already NASA’s most important space partner of the US, via Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Japanese space agency. In the fiscal year 2021, Japan is planning a record space budget of $4.14 bn (up 23% YoY). In June, the country has launched the Kyoto University centre, to help Japan contribute to the development of technologies needed for humans to venture and live far from Earth.
Furthermore, Japan is working crossborder in major space initiatives. Recently, two Australian communications satellites (CUAVA-1 and Binar-1) were successfully launched through Japanese startup SpaceBD. The 2017-incepted Japanese startup that provides access to space, is also working with Taiwan’s NSO to launch an observation satellite. Eyeing business opportunities in the space industry, the company has also collaborated in partnership with JAXA for years now.
India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has signed around 260 agreements with 60 nations and 5 multi-national entities. Exploring overseas markets, Australia and India have also announced plans for working closely on Space science, technology, and research to boost social and economic growth. Through this initiative, Australian Space agencies will work with ISRO for developing low-cost and high-performance systems and even joint missions.
For its second Moon landing mission, India has made a joint initiative with Japan to work on the lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission, planned for 2024. Besides lunar cooperation, ISRO and JAXA are also exploring opportunities in earth observation, and satellite navigation as well as cooperation in ‘space situational awareness and professional exchange programme’.
Several Indian private industries have also entered into space. ISRO has also signed of an agreement with Indian private rocket startups last week, to perform space various activities such as – rocket-building, satellite-building, owning and operating spacecraft and providing space and ground-based services.
China – biggest Asian player in space
China is the most significant competitor in the space programme sector from Asia, which went from launching satellites to building its own space stations. Besides making the sector a part of its Belt and Road initiative, China has also invited other countries to conduct research on its planned space station.
As per data by UCS Satellite Database, the country has 4 launch centres and has over 431 satellites in orbit, against 168 from Russia and 2,505 from the US. Even as China has emerged as a major space power, the country is still in the process of constructing its space station, Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) by 2022. China has over 160 commercial space companies, as of November 2020.
According to think tank FutureAerospace, investment in Chinese commercial space firms will exceed $4.7 bn by 2025. To transform China into a world-leading space power by 2045, China National Space Administration intends to launch about 100 satellites by 2025. In addition to that, China’s government has plans to launch 60 satellites by 2020 and 137 by 2030.
