PUBLISHED ONApril 28, 2026 5:15 AMBYKhoo Yi-HangSingapore is looking up at space to tackle threats down in our country, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam shared at the Milipol TechX Summit 2026 on Tuesday (April 28).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Minister Shanmugam revealed plans for the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) to develop their first satellite, codenamed Xplorer.
Xplorer's aim is to target hazardous gas plumes, giving the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) an earlier warning in the event of a crisis, he said.
Not only would it improve situational awareness "when every minute counts", Xplorer would also enable faster decisions and response times for the SCDF.
Moreover, HTX is also partnering with the National Space Agency of Singapore as part of efforts to determine how space technology can further bolster public safety.
"Some technologies may not yet be central to today's operations, but they will shape tomorrow's strategic advantage," Shanmugam stated.
Held from April 28 to 30 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, this event is jointly organised by HTX, Civipol, TechX Ventures, events company Comexposium, and is supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and France's Ministry of the Interior.
Among the measures and methods for keeping Singapore safe, Minister Shanmugam also spoke on how HTX can use artificial intelligence (AI) as a "force multiplier".
Aside from the existing use of AI in unmanned vessels, drones, or automated passenger gates, HTX is looking to develop humanoid robotics at their Home Team Humanoid Robotics Centre (H2RC) which will be launched in September.
The H2RC will present a space for HTX to work alongside partners to co-develop these robots, allowing officers to test prototypes and brainstorm new concepts.
Products of the H2RC will see field use by the Home Team in operational scenarios with high risks, such as hazardous material response and fire safety, Shanmugam said.
To protect the H2RC, Def Con - a hacking conference held in Singapore - will help stress test defence systems against "world-class hackers" before being deployed operationally.
"By surfacing vulnerabilities today, we harden frontline assets for tomorrow," Shanmugam stated.
Apart from working with Nvidia to build further iterations of Ngine - MHA's first sovereign, graphics processing unit-powered AI infrastructure built in collaboration with ST Engineering, Google, Nvidia and Nutanix - HTX is also aiming to release Phoenix Medium this week.
Phoenix Medium, a large language model named after the already operational Phoenix Small, will help HTX analyse images and documents and do more autonomous tasks.
"Infrastructure and models are only part of the equation," Shanmugam said.
"All of us have to build strong workforces. In Singapore, in MHA, we are building a very strong Home Team AI workforce.
"We will continue to invest in people who can deploy these systems well, safely, and effectively."
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