Telok Melano surveyed for potential sea launch facility

KUCHING, 6 Oct: Telok Melano has been surveyed as a potential location for a sea launch facility as Sarawak explores a broader role in the regional space economy, said Angkasa X Executive Chairman Dato Dr Sean Seah.

Speaking during the panel session ‘The Low Orbit Economy: Sarawak’s Next Frontier’ at the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2026, Seah said the location had been considered as part of efforts to build a more complete space ecosystem in the state.

“The location that we have surveyed is somewhere in Teluk Melano, in the southern part of Sarawak,” he said.

He added that the idea was for a sea launch facility that could eventually support satellites assembled in Sarawak.

Seah said launch infrastructure would only make economic sense if Sarawak first developed sufficient satellite capability and activity.

“No rocket will come to Sarawak if you do not have your own satellites.

“So no point building a port of a satellite rocket if you do not have enough capacity,” he added.

He said the wider plan being discussed included satellite research and development, ground stations, satellite assembly, data processing and commercial applications.

Seah said Angkasa X had earlier been working with Sarawak partners on plans for satellite ground stations and assembly, integration and testing facilities in the state.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Space Agency Chairman Tan Sri Dato Sri Affendi Buang said the state’s space ambitions were not simply about putting assets into orbit.

He said Sarawak wanted to move from being a user of space services towards becoming a developer, operator and provider of selected high-value technologies and services.

Affendi added that Sarawak should develop space capability selectively, including satellite systems, ground infrastructure, Earth observation, AI-based geospatial intelligence and data products.

“Success is not simply whether a satellite reaches the orbit.

“Success is what Sarawak can design, integrate, operate, analyse and commercialise because of the mission,” he explained.

The Telok Melano proposal remains at the survey and exploration stage, with no final approval or launch facility timeline announced during the session. – TVS