KUALA LUMPUR) — The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), through the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), has formulated various strategic initiatives to strengthen the development of local talent and expertise in facing the increasingly competitive New Space Economy era.
The initiative is outlined through the National Space Policy 2030 (DAN2030), the Malaysia Space Exploration Action Plan 2030 (MSE2030), and the Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030 (SISP2030).
Talent Over Infrastructure
In the face of intensifying global competition, the ministry emphasized that the country cannot rely solely on its technological capabilities and raw space infrastructure.
“It requires the support of highly skilled human capital to drive the sustainable growth of the space industry, in line with DAN2030, which sets a target for the space sector to contribute at least one per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030,” MOSTI said.
The statement was issued in a reply posted on the parliament website today in response to a question by Tan Kar Hing (PH-Gopeng) regarding steps taken to ensure Malaysia is not left behind in the global space economy. According to MOSTI, the government’s primary focus is building, honing, and retaining local talent and expertise rather than merely acquiring space assets.
Active Implementation Frameworks
To achieve these strategic goals, the government highlighted five key initiatives currently being executed across the ecosystem,
- Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects – Driving commercial and state collaboration.
- Industrial Technology Innovation Centre (ITIC) Initiative– Advancing technical product development.
- Space Industry Rating Programme – Benchmarking domestic capabilities.
- Strengthening of the TVET 2.0 Ecosystem – Elevating technical and vocational skills pipelines.
- Academia-Industry Collaboration – Aligning educational output with market realities.
These ongoing programs are designed to enhance national technological capabilities while acting as a primary catalyst to produce 5,000 experts and skilled workers in the space field by 2030.
