Desmond Tutu, a charismatic pastor from South Africa who recently passed away, once asked: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” He used this to show that even unsurmountable challenges can be overcome by taking things one small step at a time.
Recently, Malta took its first baby steps into the space sector with the unveiling of its first space strategy by the Minister for Equality and Research, Owen Bonnici. As you may imagine, my Facebook was inundated with heckling comments from my friends: “dejjem moħħok fl-ispazju”, “mela issa ha ntellgħu r-rockets” and other less polite jibes.
It’s always amusing to hear these comments because it’s clear that space and its related activities are taken so much for granted that many don’t realise we rely on space technology every day of our lives. Whether it’s your Bolt driver getting you to your correct destination or simply an accurate weather report, these space-derived products are used every day by everyone. In fact, I think I would struggle to find one person I know who doesn’t use GPS on a regular basis.
As one can imagine, it’s not only that space is vast but the activities to engage in space are also vast, which is why Malta, as a country, felt the time was ripe to launch a strategy as a guide to engage with the sector. The government has worked extremely closely with KPMG to identify the low-hanging fruits we can accede to with the currently limited amount of investment.
Malta’s ‘official’ journey into space started in 2012, with the signing of an agreement between the Malta Council for Science and Technology and the European Space Agency, followed by a space policy. This strategy now builds on the space policy to set out a clear road map on how to participate further in the space community.
Fundamental to it is the leveraging of our expertise in the maritime and aircraft spheres to look at the creation of the first space asset registry. As you can expect, space satellites are expensive pieces of equipment and companies are keen to protect them.
This is just one example of where Malta can contribute significantly to the space sector without the large investments required to launch vehicles. To galvanise our position as a flag of confidence, it is important for Malta to bolster our relationship with the European Space Agency, not only to lend credence to the jurisdiction but also to take advantage of the large ecosystem of stakeholders that the ESA enjoys.
We rely on space technology every day of our lives- Kristian Zarb Adami
The example of a space registry is just one of the five pillars upon which Malta hopes to build its strategy. The other four include the attraction of foreign companies to work in the space sector, innovation and emerging technologies. But the one closest to my heart is the development of human capital, or in simpler terms, the inspiration of the younger generation to take part in what is undoubtedly the most exciting time for space since the last 50 years.
Since the space-faring nations first launched satellites and landed on the moon, space and its associated technology have changed dramatically. Following the same technology curves as computers and electronics, the access to space and its technology has become significantly cheaper, lowering the bar for access into space, such that small countries are now becoming players within the space sector.
The Isle of Man, just slightly larger than Malta, acts as the headquarters for more than 10 space firms whose activities cover work such as satellite communication and space tourism. These companies have generated more than £400 million in investment. This growth has been fuelled by the developing opportunities offered to youth in the forms of internships and work experience programmes.
The global space economy was estimated in 2019 to be close to $500 billion with an estimated growth to $1.4 trillion by 2030. It would be remiss of us not to at least attempt to join this sector, which is clearly not only lucrative but exciting and inspirational.
In the near future, when we talk about the space sector, we will hopefully be discussing the return, not only on our investment, but on our innovation and inspiration.
Kristian Zarb Adami, professor of astrophysics