GISTDA takes Thailand closer to space milestone with China
Thailand took a bold step towards space leadership this week as the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) joined the 2026 Beijing International Commercial Space Exhibition in China.
The event, held in Beijing, brought fresh momentum to Thailand’s growing ambitions in the global space economy and marked a major milestone for the long-awaited Thai First Astronaut project.
Leading the Thai delegation, GISTDA Deputy Director Phee Chusri showcased the nation’s potential during a presentation titled “Cross-Border Cooperation: Empowering Commercial Aerospace.”
The talk, which explored opportunities in borderless space ventures, attracted strong interest from more than 25 major aerospace organisations, including AWIMETEL, SPACETY, Great Wall China, GalaxySpace, CETC, Minospace and Chang Guang.
Key outcomes from the exhibition included early-stage business negotiations in several areas, notably the use of high-resolution SAR satellite data, collaboration on Thailand’s LandX programme, and potential partnerships on the ambitious THEOS Constellation, an 18-satellite network developed by Thailand.
GISTDA also held joint meetings alongside Thai education and research institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). These discussions focused on human resource development and future cooperation on astronaut training, R&D, and access to the China Space Station.
In a significant breakthrough, CMSA pledged full support for Thailand’s first astronaut programme. China offered assistance in training, technical research, and mission preparation, with the goal of seeing a Thai astronaut carry out a mission aboard the Chinese space station in the near future.
GISTDA stated the talks were very positive, signalling that Thailand is no longer merely a buyer of technology, but is quickly becoming a major player in the global space arena.
In similar news, a 53 year old Soviet spacecraft is making an uncontrolled return to Earth. While GISTDA assures that Thailand is not at risk, officials are keeping a close eye on Cosmos 482, a defunct probe launched in 1972 in a failed attempt to reach Venus. The spacecraft has been circling the planet for over five decades.
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