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As an avid history reader, one thing I’ve come to realize is that war and innovation have always been tightly intertwined.
World War II gave us radar systems and computers, while the American Civil War proliferated the use of photography and telegraphs. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.
This is particularly true of the Space Race, which was borne out of Cold War tensions. It pushed the US and the Soviet Union to (literally) shoot for the moon.
Out of this duel, the world gained state-of-the-art inventions such as LED lights, scratch-proof lenses, wireless headsets, and even insulin pumps.
The war in Ukraine has been undoubtedly devastating. But as we’ve seen before, the conflict has opened up opportunities and avenues for innovation. This time, the ones who stand to benefit may be Southeast Asia’s spacetech players.
In this week’s Making Waves, my colleague Tian Wen details how the Russia-Ukraine conflict could spur a spacetech renaissance in Southeast Asia.
The two warring countries play a large part in the global space industry, and with the ongoing dispute, Southeast Asian spacetech firms have seen increasing demand due to a shortage of suppliers. One of the region’s players, Aliena, has seen a tripling of monthly order requests since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine dispute.
Recently, the Singapore government said it would invest US$110 million into the spacetech sector, announcing plans to make the city-state the region’s spacetech hub.
There has also been an exodus of spacetech talent from the warring nations. But will Southeast Asia be able to attract them? And will the region generate enough private investment for its spacetech industry to take a giant leap?
— Shadine
MAKING WAVES
What the Russia-Ukraine crisis spells for SEA’s spacetech
Image credit: Timmy Loen
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