KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 18): The government is holding a value management lab from Tuesday to Friday with successful bidders to discuss the implementation of the National Remote Sensing Satellite Development Programme (PSPJN).

Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said in Parliament on Tuesday that the government is currently in the negotiation phase with the selected bidders to ensure that all project requirements are systematically and comprehensively fulfilled.

“The [value management] lab will serve as a platform to deliberate on project implementation in detail, focusing on cost and resource optimisation, as well as the early introduction of mitigation measures to manage potential risks,” Chang said during an oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat. He did not say when the contract will be awarded.

Given the satellite’s development period of three years, the PSPJN satellite is expected to commence operations in its fourth year in 2028. Once operational, off-take payments will be made periodically, based on the volume of data received and verified by the government, the minister said. 

This approach ensures that payments reflect the value of the data obtained while encouraging companies to maintain high-quality standards in satellite data delivery. These requirements will be further refined with the bidders when finalising the concession agreement documents.

The ministry was responding to Young Syefura Othman (Pakatan Harapan-Bentong), who inquired about the current status of the PSPJN under the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) and its expected launch timeline.

This development follows the launch earlier this year of the high-resolution UzmaSAT-1 satellite by Uzma Bhd (KL:UZMA).

The government had invited local companies to submit requests for proposals for Malaysia's Remote Sensing Satellite Development project starting Jan 31, 2024, with the selection process concluded in November 2024.

The project, approved by the Cabinet, will be executed through a public-private partnership and supervised by MYSA. 

Previously, the minister stated that the new remote sensing satellite would reduce costs and safeguard national data security, as Malaysia currently relies on foreign companies for remote sensing capabilities.

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