KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Malaysia is expected to send its second astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017 and 2018, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin said.

However, he said it would depend on the country’s economic situation.

“For the Second Astronaut Programme, we already have a candidate, it is just a matter of time,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysian Space Odyssey: 20 Years With National Planetarium programme in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the National Planetarium here today.

Malaysia’s first astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was launched to the ISS onboard Soyuz TMA-11 on Oct 10, 2007 with cooperation from Russia.

Meanwhile, Ewon said the government was also in the midst of developing a remote sensing satellite, known as RazatSAT 2, to monitor the Earth’s surface.

“This programme is still in the discussion stage and we are still choosing the right technology to use,” he said. — Bernama