ST-1 (the first satcom in Singapore) and ST-2 are jointly owned by Singapore's private telecommunications company SingTel and Taiwan's telecommunications company Chunghwa Telecom. ST-1 was manufactured by the European aerospace company Astrium, while ST-2 was manufactured by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric.

Prerequisites:

• Strong political mandate and sustained funding

• Spectrum/ITU coordination and filings and regional regulatory framework

• Partnerships with established SatCom/space primes and launch providers

• Technical Infrastructure (ground statsions, mission operations centre, user terminals, data centres, networks)

• Technical expertise for system development, integration and operations

• Cybersecurity, data protection, and continuity planning

• Procurement pathway

• Partner support as needed

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 150M–600M (shared among partners) + USD 10M–30M/yr (OPEX)

• Includes: JV agreement and governance setup, satellite design and manufacturing, ground segment integration, launch services and insurance, ITU/spectrum licensing and slot coordination, training and knowledge transfer between partners, operations and shared service provision

Timeframe:

• Overall: 48–84 mo

• Phase: JV agreements and governance (12–18 mo), design & procurement (12–24 mo), build, integration & testing (18–30 mo), launch & commissioning (6–12 mo)

Pros:

• Shared Development Burden - Distribute costs, risks, and technical knowledge needed in development.

• Stronger Partnership - Strengthen international or cross-sector partnerships.

Considerations:

• Partnership Alignment - Partners may face challenges in aligning objectives and priorities.