MalaysiaGIS.com

Kuala Lumpur, Tues - The National Space Agency, the setting up of which was approved by the Cabinet in January, is now in the process of structuring its organisation.

The Science, Technology and Environment Ministry is looking for a president to head the agency, which is the administrative merger of the Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing (Macres) and the Space Science Study Division (Baksa).

The agency will be made a statutory body through the National Space Act which is to be tabled in Parliament soon, Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Law Hieng Ding said today.

The NSA will be guided by the National Space Council, of which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad is chairman.

Law said a National Space Policy was also being formulated. Its goals were effective management of the environment, natural resources and national disasters while pursuing the needed scientific knowledge.

He was speaking at a Press conference after launching the French Space Technology and Related Applications seminar here.