Malaysians can be pretty impressive, especially this one, for representing the country for the United Nations space programme!
Photo: The Rakyat Post
25-year-old Brelveenraj Kaur Rajwant Singh will be representing the country as the National Point of Contact (NPoC) to the United Nations-backed Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC)!
SGAC is a non-governmental organisation and professional network that is in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, which aims to bring the views of students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space industry and also other organisations.
It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with over 15, 000 members, representing more than 150 countries across the globe.
Brelveenraj is amongst the 13 young volunteers who were appointed in the council and as part of her duties as the NPoC, she will be communicating with other NPoC’s across the Asia Pacific region on the future of space activities, which includes events, national newsletters and scholarships and even policy discussions on matters regarding the national space policy activities in the region.
When speaking to The Rakyat Post, Brel, as known by her friends and family, said that she was thrilled by the appointment and that she came across the programme while attending the Young Professionals in Space Conference (YPinSpace) in Dubai last year, amongst the many international space technology conferences she has attended over the years.
She was inspired upon meeting the many SGAC representatives across the globe and hopes to share her passion with the country.
“I wanted to take the challenge of a new responsibility – as long as I can inspire more people to join space-based events for the betterment of Malaysia’s space exploration in the future,” she said.
Brel has always been curious about space exploration and that in part drove her to learn more about the space industry.
“During my Final Year Project in university, I was processing real-time GPS signals and it got me thinking; “How did those satellites get into space? How long do they stay up there for?” The movie Hidden Figures also inspired me and that’s when I decided I want to work in the satellite/space industry.”
Bel, who is currently juggling a full-time job while working on her master’s research and other SAGC programmes, believes that with faith and hard work, anything is possible.
“I believe that in order to achieve your dreams, one must believe in themselves. My friends say I am lucky to be in the space sector, but I like to think that I am hardworking, and I don’t give up easily.”
With her new appointment, she hopes to inspire more young Malaysians to venture into the space sector and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge on the subject via her own webinar and space camp soon.
Congratulations, Brel! We’re excited to see how she can take Malaysia’s interest in the space industry to greater heights!
By: Siti Farhana Sheikh Yahya
