A commissioner of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is encouraging Thailand to become a rocket launch site for sending satellites into space, aiming to pave the way for the country to become Asean's first spaceport.
According to NBTC commissioner ACM Thanapant Raicharoen, the space industry is a sunrise industry. The opportunity in the industry is not limited to satellite development but also other activities such as sending astronauts into space or building data centres in space.
Thailand should seek this opportunity and cooperate with other countries such as China by having a joint investment in Thailand in this arena, with technology support from the partner countries, he added.
He compared it to a period in the past when Thailand was able to attract Japanese investors to develop the country's automotive industry, noting that this move yielded successful results.
ACM Thanapant said Thailand's southern region is suitable for the construction of a rocket launch pad and this would lead to the development of skilled personnel in this field.
Although NBTC is neither directly responsible for the development of a launch site, nor does it have the duty to grant the rights to build a spaceport, it could nevertheless get involved in such an initiative.
"Personally, I fully support this move because the NBTC has the duty and authority to grant permission to use satellite orbits."
ACM Thanapant said the rocket launch site could be further developed into a spaceport.
He said Thailand has several strengths in terms of technical criteria when considering a suitable location for a spaceport development.
Thailand's geographical position, especially the southern region as it is located close to the equator, was one benefit. This would enable the launch site to take advantage of the earth's rotation speed to allow rockets to carry heavier items such as satellites into orbit using less fuel.
In addition, the suitable launch site should be located in an area where the weather tends to benefit from clear skies, low instances of heavy winds, a stable temperature, and not be in an area prone to earthquakes, volcanoes, or frequent storms or lightning.
The launch site should have supporting infrastructure such as electricity, telecom systems, along with other related industries, especially those pertaining to aviation.
Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) could be leveraged to support the spaceport's development, given the EEC's aviation projects.
ACM Thanapant said in the past, the duty of launching rockets was reserved for the government and military only, resulting in only a few spaceport developments.
However, at present, private firms and space agencies in many countries have played a greater role in the space industry.
The demand for satellites has also shifted from a need for large geostationary Earth orbit satellites to smaller low-Earth orbit satellites such as America's Starlink, which plans to launch up to 42,000 satellites.