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The return capsule, carrying three astronauts from China’s Shenzhou-16 spacecraft, is about to touch down at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia on October 31. China has opened up the recruitment of taikonauts to Hong Kong, and the city’s emerging space sector has much to offer. Photo: EPA-EFE/Xinhua
Opinion
Quentin Parker
Quentin Parker

Space has the answers to several of Hong Kong’s problems. Just look up

  • Even as Chinese space exploration takes off, the recent policy address is strangely silent on how the space sector can contribute to Hong Kong
  • This is disappointing because ground-to-sky sensing technologies, for instance, would serve the city, including the Northern Metropolis, well
Quentin Parker
Quentin Parker
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In Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s last policy address as chief executive in 2021, there was at last a specific reference to Hong Kong’s role in the nation’s space exploration projects.

This was music to the ears of our universities and emerging companies that are either engaged in the mainland’s space exploration endeavours or seizing other opportunities arising from the burgeoning global space economy – an industry which could be worth US$1 trillion by the end of the decade, according to Morgan Stanley.

Indeed, following Lam’s address, the mainland opened up the recruitment of taikonauts to Hong Kong and Macau, the China Manned Space Engineering Office invited Hong Kong universities to submit proposals, precious samples of moon rocks collected by the Chang’e 5 lunar mission were obtained for study by the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and various NewSpace start-ups emerged in Hong Kong.

All this recently culminated on October 20 in the first-ever NewSpace conference held at Cyberport – a first not just for Hong Kong, but the entire Greater Bay Area.

At the same time, there has been an increasing governmental focus on the development of the Northern Metropolis. The vision is for green, technology-driven infrastructure to underpin planning of this project.

This is an exciting prospect for NewSpace because much of the infrastructure needed could be better developed if we incorporate data from ground-to-sky sensors that include hyperspectral satellite imaging from space. This would be useful in monitoring temperature, local weather, pollution, flora, erosion, logistics, the infrastructure footprint and much more.

It has therefore come as something of a disappointment that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s comprehensive policy address last month, covering many excellent and forward-looking initiatives, had no room for what a locally supported NewSpace ecosystem could contribute to our city.

The word “space” came up six times in the address, but largely in the context of urban space, not aerospace. This is despite the fact that significant parts of the speech were devoted to supporting and applying science and technology to various policy areas.

For example, there were initiatives to develop STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) talent, make Hong Kong a more liveable and smart city, and improve the transport network. NewSpace could be included in many of these areas.

Moreover, given that space is a clear mainland priority, its omission from the policy address, especially the section titled “Dovetail with National Strategies and Enhance the Development of the ‘Eight Centres’”, seems even stranger. Think of the positive impact Hong Kong can have if NewSpace opportunities are considered with regard to the eight key areas in which China’s 14th five-year plan supports the city’s development.

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An interesting comparison can be made here with Xiamen. I recently visited the mainland city at the invitation of its science and technology bureau, which is seeking advice and cooperation on NewSpace and smart city infrastructure.

Xiamen, like Hong Kong, is a small coastal city. It is rich and focused on smart development.

It is also home to Xiamen University, which not only ranks among the top 20 in a country with more than 3,000 universities and colleges, but also boasts an excellent aerospace engineering group. Of further relevance is that the city hosts the Institute of Urban Environment (IUE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Judging by a tour of its campus, this institute is a body Hong Kong could learn a lot from.

Xiamen already has access to a remote sensing satellite that provides quality images of the city and its environs, which would help in smart city planning. Back in 2019, before the pandemic hit, three faculties at HKU prepared an extensive blueprint for smart city development that was submitted for funding approval. It was close, but no cigar for us.

However, both the intent and plan remain, I believe, as valid today as they were then, if not more so. The plan includes a key component involving ground-to-sky sensing technologies for Hong Kong. Such smart and integrated ground-to-sky planning would be suitable not just for Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but also for the Northern Metropolis project.

I therefore urge the Hong Kong government to look into this area and act on the recognition of the value of what we can do by looking up, and not just looking ahead.

Quentin Parker is an astrophysicist based at the University of Hong Kong and director of its Laboratory for Space Research

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