New space lab to ‘matchmake’ local space-tech firms with other sectors, investors

SINGAPORE – The newly launched Singapore Space Lab in one-north aims to play “matchmaker” between local space start-ups and businesses in other sectors looking to adopt space technologies.

The 1,000 sq ft facility at tech incubator IMDA PIXEL was launched on May 14 by Singapore Space and Technology Think Tank.

“The lab is designed to help non-space organisations better understand how space can be a tech enabler for their sector. It focuses on what space can do for non-space sectors, along with an overview of the Singapore ecosystem,” said the think-tank’s general manager, Ms Nicolette Yeo.

For example, a bank reviewing an application for a green loan for rooftop solar installations could use a satellite analytics firm to assess the viability of the project instead of paying for an expert site assessment.

The lab also serves as a showcase of Singapore’s space ecosystem, tracing the satellites it has launched over the decades and featuring various applications of space technology such as earth observation, navigation and satellite communications.

It also features an on-computer demonstration of cybersecurity solutions for the satellite industry.

Information on five to six local start-ups is displayed in cocoon-like stations, and the featured start-ups will rotate every quarter or so. The start-ups can hold meetings with other companies and investors in these spaces.

Current firms being featured include Zero-Error Systems, whose technology protects satellite data from being corrupted when exposed to harsh radiation in space, and Kumi Analytics, which combines satellite imagery and AI to detect illegal logging, and track mangroves’ health and the amount of carbon stored.

The lab will also host workshops and visits by investors, firms and foreign delegates.

“The opportunity is no longer only about building space assets, but about translating space capabilities into economic value for industries on earth,” added Ms Yeo.

Singapore has around 70 space companies that employ about 2,000 professionals. These firms have so far focused on building small satellites and specialised components, analysing earth’s images and data for the shipping and environment sectors, and supporting timely response in regional disasters.

The Singapore Space Lab is supported by Deloitte, and operated by Singapore Space and Technology Think Tank, which focuses on commercialising space and runs an accelerator programme that helps home-grown space companies reach international markets.

The lab’s opening follows the establishment of the National Space Agency of Singapore in April to expand the local space economy and develop its capabilities.

Space tech also has its uses in other sectors like insurance and data centres.

For instance, insurers need remote sensing data to determine the risks of wildfires or crop failure, said Mr Clinton Libbey, managing director of Kumi Analytics.

Faster insurance payouts can be determined by satellite images of burnt areas and the blaze’s proximity to specific properties.

“Oftentimes, the space market is focused on selling to the space market. And they often lose sight of the many potential benefits to customers,” he added.

Zero-Error Systems’ vice-president of product marketing and strategy Niranjan Gundala said that the space market is a “moonwalk market” because it takes time for satellites or other space vehicles to build and launch.

“It can take 18 months to launch one satellite. It takes almost two years to qualify our solution and release it for satellites. By the time our solution launches, the technology we use would’ve been more advanced elsewhere,” said Mr Niranjan.

For their business to be sustainable, space firms often need to diversify to serve other industries.

For Zero-Error Systems, this may be data centres.

Its chips are designed to prevent radiation from destroying satellite electronics and corrupting data transmission to earth.

Mr Niranjan said the same patented technology – minus the radiation protection – can be used in power management chips, to minimise electricity wasted as heat in data centres by as much as 10 per cent.