ภาษาไทยMasters of the Universe: Thailand preps space economy plan
Thailand’s government will launch its Space Economy Master Plan by the end of this year to keep pace with the sector that will be worth an expected $8.8 billion locally by 2032. The plan is part of Thailand’s efforts to build a more technologically advanced economy.
Thailand and its private sector have owned and operated communications satellites since the early 1990s. They have all been foreign built, but a few Thai companies have begun developing small homegrown prototype satellites with the intention of building more advanced ones in the future.
The government sees aerospace and aviation as a priority sector for Thailand’s economic transformation to a more advanced level of development. It has been offering generous incentives and privileges for firms that invest in the sector.
The Space Economy Master Plan should provide a unified national vision, framework and direction for creating a space economy. Until now, each player in the sector has been following its own path, which can have advantages but lacks synergy.
The Plan covers all types of satellites and innovations, including geostationary satellites and medium earth orbit and low earth orbit satellites, with an eye toward optimizing benefits for the country.
It also includes guidelines and practices for the promotion and development of the space economy, such as helping local enterprises to become space-related business providers, incentives to support the private sector and workforce upskilling in the space economy.
Putchapong Nodthaisong, Secretary-General of the Office of National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE), said that the Plan complements the Digital Thailand Roadmap. He added that the space economy cannot be separated from the digital as both technical development and the value chain of the space economy are critical factors in the new economy ecosystem.
Photo courtesy of https://www.gistda.or.th/news_view.php?n_id=5569&lang=TH
