Letters | Hong Kong must wake up to the opportunities in the growing space economy
- Readers discuss the reasons to promote the city’s space sector, keeping Hong Kong clean and tidy, and Japan’s plan to release nuclear waste water into the ocean
Hong Kong now sits on the launch pad for NewSpace – a term referring to the emergence of a space industry – powered by China’s stellar ambition and foresight. But where are we going, and how much fuel do we need?
Hong Kong is also a latecomer to the introduction of CubeSat programmes to our secondary school children, a CubeSat being a miniature satellite first developed by two US professors more than 20 years ago. It was only in 2021 that the University of Hong Kong and Orion Astropreneur Space Academy joined hands to organise for the first time a CubeSat challenge in which 22 schools took part.
Of the many reasons to promote the space sector, perhaps the most powerful one is how the wonders of outer space make our children’s eyes shine with eagerness. Indeed, space inspires awe. A discussion of space expands our consciousness and exposes us to our narrowmindedness.
If you have not heard of space debris and wonder what earth-bound profession your child might end up in when they grow up, then your lack of exposure limits your children’s growth possibilities.