In 2007, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was the first Malaysian who was sent to space.
Recently at the Museum of The Moon Exhibition at Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, he told BERNAMA that Malaysia can send a second astronaut to space if the country remains committed.
It is said that there is an initiative under the Malaysian National Space Agency’s blueprint that aims to send the first ‘angkasawati’ or a female astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030; which means that the selection rounds will take place in either 2025 or 2026.
“The blueprint is to search for the angkasawati, for a woman (astronaut) this time and I do hope it will come from Sarawak,” he said.
Following this news, many netizens have spoken out and said that the money can be used to address the many issues in our country.
“It’s not that I don’t agree, but if the cons are more than the pros then it’s better to keep this intention on the back burner. Use that budget to improve the infrastructure in Malaysia. There’s no use if Malaysia’s reputation goes up because of this but the reality is that we are lacking many things.”
“There’s no need as there’s no benefit. It will be the same as last time, did he do anything for the country? If we want to say that there are developments in the aerospace field, we can’t even say that. He just went up and came back.”
“This project is not beneficial at all, let alone the wastage. There are so many more important things that need the funds.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: Sarawak Museum To Showcase Scaled-Down Version Of The Moon In Exhibition By British Artist
