Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective

In recent years, several countries from Argentina to Turkey to Malaysia have significantly increased their investments in national space agencies as part of their industrial development program. Smaller and more efficient satellite designs, coupled with the availability of commercial off-the-shelf c...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Apaydin, Fulya
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositório:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/71508
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/71508
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Space policy
Satellites
State capacity
Malaysia
Turkey
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spelling Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspectiveApaydin, FulyaSpace policySatellitesState capacityMalaysiaTurkeyIn recent years, several countries from Argentina to Turkey to Malaysia have significantly increased their investments in national space agencies as part of their industrial development program. Smaller and more efficient satellite designs, coupled with the availability of commercial off-the-shelf components, have reduced the barriers to entry for countries with limited resources and empowered new players to embark on space missions that were once deemed prohibitively expensive. This shift represents a critical change in space exploration and utilization, as space technology has become integral to communication, scientific research, and national security. At the same time, the motivations that inform policymaking vary depending on the political priorities of the governments across these regions. Building on the divergent experiences of two middle powers classified in the upper-middle income group -Turkey and Malaysia- this paper problematizes how the political landscape influences the priorities assigned to space programs in countries that are integrated into critical markets controlled by a global hegemon on unequal terms. In these contexts, the official policy to expand the informational capacity of the state beyond the national borders was shaped by two distinct dynamics. In Turkey, frequent economic crises and security concerns have influenced the direction of the country's space program with a greater focus on military applications rather than neo-developmental goals. By contrast, in Malaysia, the establishment of the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) in 2002 emerged out of a concern for utilizing space technology for socio-economic development around Malaysian industrial policy that prioritized high-value-added exports for growth.Elsevier2025202520262025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/71508http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPFinstname:Universitat Pompeu FabraInglésSpace Policy. 2026;75:101723© 2025 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/715082026-06-12T07:21:37Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
title Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
spellingShingle Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
Apaydin, Fulya
Space policy
Satellites
State capacity
Malaysia
Turkey
title_short Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
title_full Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
title_fullStr Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
title_full_unstemmed Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
title_sort Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Apaydin, Fulya
author Apaydin, Fulya
author_facet Apaydin, Fulya
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Space policy
Satellites
State capacity
Malaysia
Turkey
topic Space policy
Satellites
State capacity
Malaysia
Turkey
description In recent years, several countries from Argentina to Turkey to Malaysia have significantly increased their investments in national space agencies as part of their industrial development program. Smaller and more efficient satellite designs, coupled with the availability of commercial off-the-shelf components, have reduced the barriers to entry for countries with limited resources and empowered new players to embark on space missions that were once deemed prohibitively expensive. This shift represents a critical change in space exploration and utilization, as space technology has become integral to communication, scientific research, and national security. At the same time, the motivations that inform policymaking vary depending on the political priorities of the governments across these regions. Building on the divergent experiences of two middle powers classified in the upper-middle income group -Turkey and Malaysia- this paper problematizes how the political landscape influences the priorities assigned to space programs in countries that are integrated into critical markets controlled by a global hegemon on unequal terms. In these contexts, the official policy to expand the informational capacity of the state beyond the national borders was shaped by two distinct dynamics. In Turkey, frequent economic crises and security concerns have influenced the direction of the country's space program with a greater focus on military applications rather than neo-developmental goals. By contrast, in Malaysia, the establishment of the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) in 2002 emerged out of a concern for utilizing space technology for socio-economic development around Malaysian industrial policy that prioritized high-value-added exports for growth.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
2025
2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10230/71508
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723
url http://hdl.handle.net/10230/71508
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Space Policy. 2026;75:101723
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
instname:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
instname_str Universitat Pompeu Fabra
reponame_str Repositorio Digital de la UPF
collection Repositorio Digital de la UPF
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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