The hands-on educational opportunities, fascinating demonstrations and interaction with top scientists at a recent conference wowed several young students and inspired them to pursue science and technology careers.
“Generally, when we think about space science, all that comes to mind is astronauts. But this field is incredible. It offers benefits that are as infinite as the space itself in every field from health and medicine to transportation and computer technology” said Arsalan Khan, an Islamabad-based young student, sharing his understanding of the field after attending a conference focused on space science.
Space technology for socio-economic development
Held in Islamabad, the three-day international conference on space 2022 focused on the role of space technology and applications in socio-economic development.
Experts at the conference encouraged applications of space technologies for sustainable development, including ensuring food security, health applications, access to telecommunications, reducing disaster risks, preventing humanitarian crises, monitoring natural resources, and environmental management.
The third International conference on space was organized by Pakistan Space and Upper Research Commission (SUPARCO) – the country’s national space agency mainly responsible for conducting peaceful research in space technology and promoting the technology for the socio-economic uplift of the country.
Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO), Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology (ISNET) also cooperated in organising the space summit.
Research and investment
As many as 250 scientists, researchers, engineers, academia and heads of space agencies, including 35 foreign participants from 16 countries including UAE, Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Australia, Canada, Egypt, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Austria and Switzerland attended the conference.
The conference featured 125 paper presentations on topics such as space technology, applications and education as well space laws and policy while workshops were focused on space applications, big data analytics, satellite navigation and microgravity.
Scientists called for “investments in space science, research and innovation” as well as attractive funding to create future career opportunities to attract and retain top talent in the country which has made minor progress in the field in the last decades.
President urges self-reliance in space tech
Pakistan’s President Dr Arif Alvi urged efforts to “achieve self-reliance” in space technology which he said was “significant for the country to match the pace of global scientific advancements.”
He asked the country’s space scientists “to explore capabilities in satellite navigation and promote relevant applications in areas of socio-economic development” and to use satellite data to strengthen climate resilience, farming system and water resources.
President Alvi also stressed the use of outer space for peaceful purposes to ensure and achieve sustainable development goals and called on the international community to prevent countries from turning space into a battlefield. He also visited the exhibition where he was briefed about Pakistan’s aerospace navigation systems and multi-purpose robots.
Investment in space technology
Experts suggested regional and international cooperation for capacity building, human resource development, technical infrastructures and attracting financial resources.
Recently, Pakistan’s national space agency signed an agreement with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to jointly develop communication satellites and other space projects.
The joint manufacturing would “significantly improve Pakistan’s existing space technologies as well as research and development,” aviation analyst Fahad Ibne Masood said. Investments in space technology “is critical for Pakistan to develop and adopt applications for peaceful purposes, commercial space exploration.”
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