House committee plans strong push to develop space technology competence

Settapong Malisuwan, who heads the committee on communications, telecom, digital economy and society, will propose the results of the study regarding the possibility and suitability of operating outer space-launching services and infrastructure to the House of Representatives.

The study said that the spacecraft launch sector made huge amounts in revenue for nations having advanced space technology, while also playing a vital role in creating essential space infrastructure to support a sustainable space industry.

The study found that an effective spaceport and efficient management are the cores of this business.

The government and concerned sectors can uphold the country’s space industry by, for example, approving a “sounding rocket sandbox” for students, engineers, or researchers to conduct experiments about sounding rockets, said Settapong.

He added that Thailand is in a prime location for developing a spaceport, owing to its proximity to the equator.

The existence of a spaceport in Thailand will support the domestic space industry, boost the economy, increase gross domestic product, and especially develop citizens who have expertise in space technology and innovation, which will benefit other industries such as energy, petrochemicals and tourism at the same time.

Spaceport also resulted in more than 300-400 additional job opportunities, such as spacecraft technician, spacecraft assembly technician, spacecraft payload engineer, and spacecraft ticket sellers.

Settapong said despite the current advances in technology, there is a lack of technological proficiency amongst Thai citizens. The country needs to increase the technological ability of its people, especially the young generation. 

"We aim to raise awareness about the relevance of space technology to us," he added.