Singapore and Asia-Pacific in space

ST-1, the first satellite involving Singapore. A communications satellite jointly owned by Singapore Telecom and Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, launched on Ariane 4 from Kourou. Foreign-built rather than indigenous; it operated from 1998 to 2011. [1][2]

Merlion payload, the first Singapore-designed satellite payload. The Merlion Communication Payload flew on UoSAT-12. NTU, its builder, cites it as the first satellite payload designed in Singapore. [1]

Singapore Space and Technology Ltd founded. The region's pioneering non-profit space organisation, and organiser of the annual Global Space and Technology Convention. [1][2]

X-SAT, Singapore's first locally-built satellite. A 106 kg Earth-imaging microsatellite by NTU and DSO National Laboratories, launched on ISRO's PSLV-C16. [1][2]

OSTIn established under EDB. The Office for Space Technology and Industry is set up to grow Singapore's space ecosystem. [1]

VELOX-PII, cited as the first Singapore nanosatellite. A 1U CubeSat built by NTU, which cites it as Singapore's first nanosatellite. [1]

Six Singaporean satellites on one PSLV launch. PSLV-C29 carries TeLEOS-1 (Singapore's first commercial Earth-observation satellite, 400 kg, 1 m resolution, by ST Engineering), NTU's VELOX-CI and VELOX-II (first LEO-to-GEO communications link), NUS's Kent Ridge 1 and Galassia, and the commercial nanosatellite Athenoxat-1. [1][2]

SpooQy-1 demonstrates quantum entanglement on a CubeSat. The NUS Centre for Quantum Technologies 3U CubeSat, deployed from the ISS, becomes the first to generate and detect quantum entanglement aboard a CubeSat. [1]

OSTIn becomes Singapore's national space office. OSTIn is made autonomous under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, hosted in EDB. [1]

Aliena flies the smallest satellite to host a Hall-effect thruster. The NTU spin-off's sub-10 W Hall-effect thruster flies on NuSpace's NuX-1, launched on Transporter-3. [1]

Space Technology Development Programme launched. OSTIn and the National Research Foundation launch the STDP, funding very-low-Earth-orbit satellites, satellite data and AI, and in-space manufacturing. [1]

TeLEOS-2, Singapore's first synthetic-aperture-radar satellite. ST Engineering's 750 kg PolSAR satellite with a made-in-Singapore payload, developed with DSTA, delivers all-weather 1 m imaging. Launched on PSLV-C55 with co-passenger Lumelite-4. [1]

Singapore's first inter-satellite laser communications mission. Transcelestial runs the mission with OSTIn and ST Engineering. [1]

SpeQtre quantum communications demonstrator on orbit. The UK and Singapore entanglement-based quantum-communications CubeSat, by SpeQtral and RAL Space, deploys on Transporter-15. [1]

National Space Agency of Singapore established. NSAS stands up under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, subsuming OSTIn and formalising Singapore's national space mandate. Announced 2 Feb 2026; inaugural Chief Executive Ngiam Le Na. [1][2]

Ohsumi, Japan's first satellite. Launched by ISAS and the University of Tokyo on a Lambda-4S rocket, making Japan the fourth nation to orbit a satellite independently. [1]

JAXA formed. Japan merges ISAS, NAL and NASDA into a single national space agency. [1]

Hayabusa returns the world's first asteroid sample. The probe, launched in 2003 to asteroid Itokawa, lands its sample capsule at Woomera, Australia. [1]

Hayabusa2 returns samples from asteroid Ryugu. The capsule lands in Australia on 5 December UTC (6 December Japan time). [1]

SLIM soft-lands on the Moon. The 'Moon Sniper' lander makes Japan the fifth country to soft-land on the Moon. [1]

Dong Fang Hong 1, China's first satellite. Launched on Long March 1, making China the fifth nation to orbit a satellite independently. [1]

Yang Liwei becomes China's first astronaut. Shenzhou 5 makes China the third nation with independent human spaceflight. [1]

Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the lunar far side. The lander deploys the Yutu-2 rover, a world first on the Moon's far side. [1]

Tianhe launches, the core of the Tiangong space station. China begins assembling its own crewed space station. [1]

Zhurong rover lands on Mars. Via the Tianwen-1 mission, China becomes the second nation to operate a rover on Mars. [1]

Chang'e 6 returns the first far-side lunar samples. Launched 3 May 2024, the mission returns the world's first samples from the Moon's far side. [1]

Aryabhata, India's first satellite. Built by ISRO (formed 1969) and launched by the USSR. [1]

India's first indigenous orbital launch. SLV-3 orbits Rohini RS-1, making India the sixth nation with its own orbital launch capability. [1]

Chandrayaan-1 launches. Its NASA M3 instrument leads to the confirmation of water on the Moon in 2009. [1]

Mangalyaan reaches Mars orbit. The Mars Orbiter Mission, launched 5 November 2013, makes India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first nation ever to do so on its maiden attempt. [1]

Chandrayaan-3 lands near the lunar south pole. India becomes the fourth nation to soft-land on the Moon, and the first ever to land near the lunar south pole. [1]

KITSAT-1, South Korea's first satellite. Built with the University of Surrey. [1]

Naro-1 reaches orbit. South Korea's KSLV-I succeeds on its third attempt, flying with a Russian first stage. [1]

Nuri, the first fully indigenous South Korean rocket, reaches orbit. KSLV-II is developed entirely with domestic technology. [1]

Danuri enters lunar orbit. South Korea's first lunar mission, launched 4 August 2022. [1]

KASA established. South Korea stands up a NASA-style national aerospace agency. [1]

WRESAT, Australia's first satellite. Launched from Woomera on a US Sparta rocket, putting Australia among the first nations to launch a satellite from its own territory, though on a foreign rocket. [1]

FedSat, the first Australian-built satellite since WRESAT. Ends a 35-year gap in Australian-built satellites. [1]

Australian Space Agency established. Headquartered in Adelaide. [1]

First Australian-built orbital-class rocket launches. Gilmour Space's Eris TestFlight 1 lifts off from Bowen, Queensland; the orbital attempt fails about 14 seconds after liftoff. [1]

Palapa A1, Indonesia's first satellite. Southeast Asia's first domestic communications satellite makes Indonesia the first developing country to operate its own domestic satellite system. [1]

Thaicom 1, Thailand's first satellite. Thailand's first communications satellite. GISTDA's THEOS, the country's first Earth-observation satellite, follows on 1 Oct 2008. [1]

MEASAT-1, Malaysia's first satellite. Malaysia's first communications satellite. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor later becomes the first Malaysian in space on Soyuz TMA-11, 10 Oct 2007. [1]

VINASAT-1, Vietnam's first satellite. Launched on Ariane 5. PicoDragon, the first Vietnamese-built satellite to operate in space, follows on 19 Nov 2013. [1]

Diwata-1, the first Philippine-designed-and-built microsatellite. The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is later established on 8 Aug 2019 under Republic Act 11363. [1]