SINGAPORE: The Home Team will be developing its first satellite, which will be launched into space in 2029.
Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said on Tuesday (April 28) that the satellite, codenamed Xplorer, will target hazardous gas plumes to enable the Singapore Civil Defence Force to respond faster to such situations.
It will weigh about 100kg and will be launched into near equatorial orbit, with sensors to detect gases like ammonia.
He said the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) is partnering the National Space Agency of Singapore to explore how space technology can strengthen public safety.
HTX is also working with companies like NVIDIA and French company Mistral AI to develop AI systems for the Home Team, and HTX will launch the Home Team Humanoid Robotics Centre to train humanoid robots.
The minister gave the opening address for the Milipol TechX Summit (MTX) 2026 being held from April 28 to 30 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Formerly known as the Milipol Asia-Pacific-TechX Summit, the event is expected to see some 15,000 visitors, including 3,000 high-profile delegates from 89 countries, including those from Brunei, France and Qatar.
It is jointly organised by HTX, Civipol, TechX Ventures, and events company Comexposium, and is supported by Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and France’s Ministry of the Interior.
Shanmugam said geopolitics have reshaped the global technology landscape, with many nations facing sophisticated cyberattacks.
He said: “Supply chains are being rapidly reconfigured. There is now a decoupling of hardware, software, and ecosystems. This creates friction in how nations acquire, how they integrate, and how they deploy technology. Technology is also being weaponised to create new attack vectors.”
He highlighted frontier AI models, which refer to the most advanced AI models available.
The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore issued an advisory on April 15 on the risks of such models, which can identify vulnerabilities and hack systems the day they are released.
Shanmugam said this will cut down the time between discovery and exploitation from months to hours, leaving defenders with almost no time to react.
He also mentioned how Singapore mounted an 11-month cybersecurity op against UNC3886 to defend critical infrastructure.
In the most recent cybersecurity incident here, data relating to the upcoming Jurong Region Line MRT stations and the new Changi NEWater Factory 3 were compromised at Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore), a civil engineering and construction company.
Shanmugam said Singapore’s approach is to have the Home Team apply AI widely and responsibly.
But serious AI capability requires sovereign infrastructure.
That is why HTX partnered ST Engineering, Google, NVIDIA, and Nutanix to build NGINE, which is the Ministry of Home Affairs’ first sovereign, GPU-powered, AI infrastructure.
Last month, HTX signed a memorandum of understanding with NVIDIA to build future iterations of NGINE, said Shanmugam.
HTX has also been working with French company Mistral AI, training its own Phoenix family of large language models.
Shanmugam said Phoenix Small is already being used by officers to handle complex information in a secure environment. And this week, HTX will be releasing Phoenix Medium, which can analyse images and documents, and be adapted for more advanced tasks.
HTX will be signing a Strategic Partnership for Innovation with Mistral AI to push this further.
But AI does not operate in the abstract, said Shanmugam.
He said: “It needs sensors to see, autonomous systems to act, and officers with the operational concepts and ability who know how to work with the sensors as well as the autonomous systems.
“The next step is humanoid robotics.”
He said HTX will launch the Home Team Humanoid Robotics Centre in September, to train humanoid robots with specialised Home Team skills for operational scenarios with high risks.
These include include hazardous material response and fire safety.
Shanmugam said as these systems are developed, it must be assumed they will be targeted.
As such, the inaugural DEF CON Singapore, a hacking convention, will be running alongside MTX. Hackers from around the world are here to exchange ideas and test their skills in a series of competitions.
Shanmugam said it can become a platform for Singapore to grow the cybersecurity talent needed to defend its systems.
He said: “This will help us stress-test our systems against world-class hackers before they are deployed operationally. By surfacing vulnerabilities today, we harden frontline assets for tomorrow.”
HTX’s chief executive Chan Tsan said MTX brings together government, industry and academia to share views on challenges like scams and public safety.
He added that DEF CON Singapore reflects that innovation must not only be built, but also tested, challenged and sharpened.
He said: “By opening up emerging technologies, including our own, to scrutiny from the global cybersecurity community, we can surface vulnerabilities early and make our systems more robust for real-world operations.” - The Straits Times/ANN
