From satellites to spaceports, Thailand seeks a bigger role in Asia’s space race

Thailand is pursuing a larger role in the space sector, including plans for a spaceport and a domestic satellite industry. The effort could strengthen the country’s technology and industrial base, but experts say it will depend on attracting investment, developing expertise and finding customers.

A Thai research team’s 27kg experiment on the International Space Station showed both the country’s scientific capabilities and the practical difficulties of space missions: the equipment was mistakenly left aboard the station before being recovered and returned in June. Thailand already designs, assembles and tests spacecraft and uses satellite data, but its proposed launch facility remains at the study stage, with site, safety, environmental and business questions still to resolve.