00:00In October last year, while Malaysians were busy with their daily commutes and te tarik,
00:06Foreign Minister Mohamed Hassan quietly signed a document that could reshape the nation's future.
00:12In doing so, Malaysia joined the Artemis Accords,
00:15an American-led framework for peaceful exploration and commercial use of the Moon.
00:20Just days ago, four U.S. astronauts splashed down after orbiting the Moon for the first time in over 50
00:28years.
00:28The Moon rush has begun and good news, Malaysia now has a seat at the table.
00:34NASA's Artemis program is moving fast.
00:37Artemis 3 next year will test lunar landers.
00:41Artemis 4 in 2028 aims to put humans back on the Moon.
00:45Annual landings are planned from then on with the goal of a permanent human presence.
00:51Meanwhile, China and Russia are planning their own lunar base by 2035.
00:55Two competing blocs, two visions of who controls the Moon's resources.
01:01History shows what's at stake.
01:03In the 1970s, Taiwan bet on semiconductors.
01:06That gamble transformed it into one of the world's most strategic economies.
01:12The Moon economy could be just as transformative for Malaysia.
01:16The lunar surface holds helium-3 for quantum computing and fusion energy,
01:21water ice for rocket fuel,
01:23and rare earth elements vital for electronics.
01:27Morgan Stanley projects the global space economy could reach 4.4 trillion ringgit by 2040.
01:33And Malaysia is already moving.
01:36The Malaysian Space Agency targets 10 billion ringgit in GDP and 5,000 jobs by 2030.
01:4279 local companies have entered the industry since 2017.
01:47In Pahang, Southeast Asia's first international spaceport is being built.
01:53The opportunities are clear.
01:55Robotics, advanced materials, AI systems, lunar science.
02:00Malaysia doesn't need to mine the Moon itself.
02:03It can be part of the supply chain that makes it possible.
02:06The Moon is no longer science fiction.
02:09It is a construction site, a mining frontier, and a geopolitical chessboard.
02:14Malaysia has signed up.
02:16Now, it is time to show up.
02:18For the full story, read Malaysia to the Moon by K. Kadir Guggen, only on FMT.
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