Space Launches from Singapore?

The Republic's equatorial position and status as an aviation centre make it a candidate for a spaceport

- Alison de Souza

Could there be a spaceport in Singapore some day, launching both satellites and humans into space? In late 2024, an executive at space-tourism company Virgin Galactic, Mr Mike Moses, told The Straits Times it could envision building spaceports in locations such as Singapore.

A similar idea was floated as far back as 2006, when a bold plan to build a US$115 million "Spaceport Singapore" near Changi Airport was announced by a consortium of investors and an American space-tourism firm. At the time, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore even said it had begun formulating regulations for commercial spaceflight.

That plan never materialised, however. When contacted recently, a spokesperson for Singapore's Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn) said there are currently no near-term plans for a spaceport.

But she added: "We believe our space sector has a solid foundation for multiple space-related opportunities."

Industry players and analysts agree, noting that a spaceport here could leverage Singapore's transport-hub status and proximity to the Equator - with the latter also offering fuel-saving advantages for certain launches.

In 2023, the Center for Space Policy and Strategy - a think-tank within The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit funded by the United States government to support its space programmes - published a paper arguing that Singapore has "all the makings of a serious space nation".

It is not the only one in the region with spacefaring ambitions. Indonesia is keen to have its own spaceport, while Thailand and South Korea have partnered to study the feasibility of building a Thai one.

But the paper highlighted Singapore's wealth, well-educated workforce, advanced manufacturing, equatorial location, and status as a maritime and aviation hub. These are "characteristics that suggest it could play a more prominent role in the domain in the years ahead".