HK’s First NewSpace Conference, “Tomorrow’s Technologies Today: Preparing Your Next Opportunities in the Dawning of the Space Industry in the Greater Bay Area,” Ignites Innovation.
HONG KONG SAR 22 November 2023 – The Orion Astropreneur Space Academy (Hong Kong) (OASA) successfully hosted the ground-breaking event “Tomorrow’s Technologies Today,” the city’s first NewSpace Conference. Co-organised by Cyberport Hong Kong and funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission, this conference brought together an impressive line-up of over 40 distinguished speakers from across the globe, creating an electrifying atmosphere of innovation and collaboration. Notable luminaries such as Mr. Zhao Chuangdong, a member of China’s first batch of taikonauts, Prof. Po Chi Wu, advisor of Berkeley SKYDECK, Prof. C.K. Shum, the visionary Distinguished Professor of The Ohio State University, and Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, the President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), graced the stage with their expertise and insights.
Expanding Horizons: Beyond Astronauts in the NewSpace Economy
“Why not Astropreneur as the future? And through the course of today, as Gregg has encouraged everyone to network, to share, to connect. I would like to say what can we do here to make this reality in terms of a career opportunity and the future of our children being an Astropreneur.” Mr. Perry Lam, Chairman of OASA said as an opening during the conference. “Some of the applicants from Hong Kong were into the final selection process of participating as payload specialists into future exploration projects, and of course, some of our schools, and universities in Hong Kong have been very involved in this area of space exploration work.” pointed out by The Hon Duncan Chiu, LegCo Member of Technology & Innovation Constituency, HKSAR. This showed that more collaborations were given by the mainland space exploration work to the Hong Kong universities, bringing lots of great projects such as Mars and moon exploration projects fostering a greater demand for talents besides Astronauts. They are payload specialists, spacecraft engineers, scientists, etc. “Now you work hard on your science theory, what you will be as a payload specialist, that you will be up in the space doing your research.” Prof The Hon Kam-Fai Wong, MH, the LegCo Member, HKSAR; Associate Dean (External Affairs) of the Faculty of Engineering; Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong encouraged us during his speech at the conference.
Witnessing the Birth of Space Pioneers
The conference received tremendous support from prominent educational organisations, including PolyU, HKU Laboratory for Space Research (HKU LSR), and The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi). Mr. Brian W Tang, Founding Executive Director of HKU Law, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (LITE) program, expressed his excitement, saying, “Some folks may know that my children and I have previously been involved in some space-related educational projects, and it is great that organisations like OASA and Gregg Li and IEEE are seeking to foster and inspire the next generation”. This collective commitment underscores the critical importance of nurturing future talents in the fast-evolving NewSpace industries.
SpaceTech: Empowering Our Smart City and Fuelling a Sustainable Future
Industrial collaborations emerged as a cornerstone for NewSpace Technology advancement. Dr. Toa CHARM, Founding Chairman of OpenCertHub, posed a thought-provoking question during his address: “How can we effectively link the wealth of information captured by satellites with the data gathered on the ground? The possibilities are immense, with significant implications for social progress and business growth across various industries such as smart cities, financial services, retail, and supply chain management.”
Leveraging the resources in Hong Kong for the NewSpace Economy
In the posted article “When it comes to the space economy, Hong Kong must reach for the stars.” on SCMP, Prof. Quentin Parker, Director of the Laboratory for Space Research, The University of Hong Kong indicated that “Hong Kong has plenty of fuel to feed the NewSpace flame. The city has an excellent regulatory and compliance infrastructure for investment that is independent, globally respected, and trusted. Local expertise and prowess in financial management, fintech, and the delivery of initial public offerings can be applied to seek out, funnel, and leverage the investment needed in NewSpace start-ups and more mature entities to take them to the next level.” This revealed that it is now the right time to ignite the flame of engagement from different parties in Hong Kong.
Embark on an Astropreneurial Journey with OASA
The conference sparkled with inspiring insights from the speakers in their speeches and presentations as well as the panel discussions. To relive these powerful moments, the conference recordings will be made available on OASA’s YouTube channel over the coming weeks. Don’t miss out on the latest videos and updates by subscribing to OASA’s channel: https://lnkd.in/dcb-K4ns .
