Malaysia plans space camp for Southeast Asian youth — South China Morning Post
Malaysia’s state of Penang plans to host an international space camp for children and teenagers from Southeast Asian countries. The week-long programme at a tropical rainforest eco-park could take place no earlier than the end of 2027 and will be designed for participants aged seven to 17.
The project is being developed by cosmonaut instructor Timofey Yegorov, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Malaysian initiator Winfred Hu. As the South China Morning Post reports, the organisers want to combine physical activities, exposure to space and natural sciences, and ethical education.
Educational programme
Yegorov works at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow, in the aggressor state of Russia. At the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns conference in Penang, he spoke about the Russian tradition of youth space camps in nature. According to him, the programme is intended not only to encourage children to pursue careers in the space industry or science, but also to develop openness, respect, mutual understanding, responsibility and gratitude.
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Yegorov noted that cosmonaut training involves assessing health, psychological readiness, motivation, communication skills and character. He also said that children are capable of mastering complex scientific topics, including quantum effects and special relativity, if these are explained using interesting examples, questions and visual materials.
The museum’s role and space plans
The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is helping to develop the educational programme. According to Yegorov, the partners expect to involve a teacher with kits for independent experiments who would conduct classes on astronomy or the Solar System.
Malaysia intends to establish and operate Southeast Asia’s first rocket launch site by 2029 as part of its national space policy. The first Malaysian astronaut spent almost 11 days conducting experiments aboard the International Space Station in 2007. Hu said he had discussed the camp idea with Yegorov for more than six years and that the initiative should promote broader public participation in peaceful space projects.
