Hanoi (VNA)🗹 - The 28th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28) took place in Hanoi under the theme “Bridging Space Innovations Opportunities for Sustainable and Prosperous Future”.

This year’s session was held by the Vietnam National Space Centre under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The four-day event featured meetings of working groups on November 15 -16 and plenary sittings on November 17 - 18. It attracted over 350 delegates from 34 countries and territories. In his remarks on November 17, President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Chau Van Minh said the strong development of science and technology over the past decade and the engagement of not only governments but also private enterprises and startups have helped space technology. The development has produced the most advanced science in the sector at present. He cited a 2020 report by the UN Economic and Social Council as saying that space science, technology, and data made direct and indirect contributions to the realisation of the Sutainable Development Goals in countries around the world. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific, which creates about 60% of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of global growth, is also home to more than half of the global population. Many big economies with advanced technology are focusing here. Countries in the region have effectively applied space technology to promoting sustainable development and obtained strong growth in the recent past, he noted. Minh expressed his hope that with experiences in space technology research and application shared at the event, cooperation will be further enhanced to build a strong space community in the region. The aim is to cope with regional and global issues in the coming decades, and work towards sustainable and prosperous development in each nation. VNSC Director General Pham Anh Tuan said that the engagement of parties in the space sector will help improve operations and create opportunities for the sustainable development and prosperity of the sector in future. To promote the sector’s development, this year’s APRSAF session saw the participation of several private companies from Japan, Vietnam, the UK, France and Taiwan (China) in the exhibition space. He expressed his hope to see more cooperation projects within the framework of the APRSAF and between regions. In line with the theme of APRSAF-28 of “Bridging Space Innovations Opportunities for Sustainable and Prosperous Future”, this session aimed to introduce the latest overall space activities in each country. The aim is also to include policies to promote or support the creation of space innovations and commercialisation to meet evolving needs. Participants also focused on discussing and seeking chances for cooperation among the APRSAF members. The session includes meetings of working groups and plenaries with the themes of “Satellite Applications Challenge for Space Innovation in Asia Pacific Region” and “Creating an environment for innovation to realise a sustainable and prosperous future”, a roundtable of Asia-Pacific leaders, and other related activities. The Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) was established in 1993 to enhance space activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Space agencies, governmental bodies, international organisations, private companies, universities, and research institutes from over 40 countries and regions take part in APRSAF. It is the largest space-related conference in the Asia-Pacific region. The increasing attendance of high-ranking officials at APRSAF events provides opportunities to discuss international cooperation for space activities in concrete terms. APRSAF currently organises four working groups—Space Applications, Space Technology, Space Environment Utilisation, and Space Education—to share information about the activities and future plans of each country and region in these respective areas. APRSAF also supports the establishment of international projects as solutions for common issues, such as disaster management and environmental protection, so that participating parties will benefit from mutual cooperation./.