Why Space Is The New Frontier For Big Ideas

Lynette Tan From Singapore Space & Technology Limited Explains Why Space Is The New Frontier For Big Ideas, And How She Is Ensuring Asia Is Part Of The Action.

- Nick Measures

Space is hot property right now, despite temperatures hovering around -270 deg C. From the Mars landings to the launch of the James Webb Telescope, it has made plenty of headlines, but not always for the right reasons. Attempts by billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson to venture into planetary orbit have come under fire for being eye-wateringly expensive ego trips, instead of tackling real problems here on Earth.

Lynette Tan, however, thinks that’s missing the true value of ongoing efforts to push the limits of space travel. “Space connects the dots for life on earth,” says the chief executive of Singapore Space & Technology Limited (SSTL), the region’s leading space organisation. “It is the new starting point of inspiration, innovation and invention; the first stop for ideas, not the last frontier.”

Tan believes that space holds the answer to many existential issues we face on Earth, including global warming and living sustainably. The use of satellites to monitor climate change, the creation of impossible meat, and indoor urban farming are only a few examples of space technology that could have a tremendous positive impact on Earth.

“The very fundamental approach to sustaining life in space is to rethink the conservation and use of resources,” she adds, touching on an idea that has held a special place in her heart ever since she launched SSTL (then called Singapore Space Technology Association) with her then colleague and now husband in 2007.