Spaceport: Thailand’s Strengths and Advantages Toward Opportunities in the New Space Economy

On Saturday, July 17, Indian startup “Skyroot Aerospace” successfully launched Vikram-1 rocket into space orbit, making it the first private company in India capable of developing an orbital-class rocket. This launch took place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, which is managed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

This spaceport is India's primary launch facility, located on the eastern coast facing the Bay of Bengal. It features multiple launchpads ranging from missions to the Moon to launching satellites into Low Earth Orbit. Notably, the THEOS-2A satellite was also launched from this spaceport.

The launch of the Vikram-1 rocket could not have occurred without India's supporting infrastructure, including both spaceports and related rocket industries. This success stems particularly from the promotion of the private space sector under Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's administration, which emphasized leveraging government infrastructure and expertise to support private sector players across the entire supply chain. Today, India can proudly announce a major milestone: success in promoting the private sector to possess competitive technologies in the global space industry.

Following a detailed response to an interpellation at the Senate meeting on July 6 by Professor Yoteschanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, regarding the study plan for the "Commercial Spaceport for Peaceful Purposes," widespread interest in spaceports and Thailand's potential for serious development has been sparked.

A spaceport is not merely a launchpad used for the takeoff of launch vehicles, but encompasses comprehensive infrastructure required for launches. This includes satellite assembly and integration facilities, fuel storage and distribution systems, mission control centers, ground support stations, and transportation systems, ensuring rockets and spacecraft can launch as safely as possible.

Examples of well-known spaceports include NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA; CASC's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China; ROSCOSMOS's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan; and ESA's Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, an overseas department of France. These spaceports share a key similarity: they are situated close to the equator to leverage the centrifugal force of Earth's rotation, saving fuel and reaching orbit efficiently. Furthermore, location at low latitudes supports launches into low-inclination orbits, an orbit type experiencing rapidly growing customer demand from countries near the equator.

Thailand, situated near the equator with an open coastline extending along its southern region, possesses geographical advantages along with the Gulf of Thailand serving as a drop zone for discarding rocket stages safely without endangering local communities or residential areas. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization), or GISTDA, has conducted a feasibility study for the spaceport establishment project in collaboration with KPMG Phoomchai Business Advisory Ltd.

According to the feasibility study, establishing a spaceport will yield social returns, such as job creation, upskilling specialized space personnel, and stimulating foreign investment. Professor Yoteschanan Wongsawat indicated that a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model will be utilized to prevent excessive government budget spending while generating spillover effects that attract other high-tech industries to Thailand.

The roadmap for constructing a Thai spaceport to become an ASEAN hub, as outlined by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, is divided into 3 phases:

• Phase 1 (Years 1–2): Conduct comprehensive feasibility studies across all dimensions and push forward the Space Affairs Act. 
• Phase 2 (Years 3–5): Select the site, open bidding, initiate construction, and commence sub-orbital test flights. 
• Phase 3 (Years 5–10): Open commercial services for orbital flights, aiming to become the space economy hub of ASEAN. 

To support the spaceport development mission, GISTDA, as Thailand's space agency, has developed various infrastructure components to accommodate the domestic space industry. These include the National Assembly Integration and Testing Center(NAIT), Space Traffic Management (STM) systems, and specialized personnel development—particularly satellite engineers who have received knowledge transfers and can now build satellites domestically. These engineers are ready to transfer knowledge to entrepreneurs and interested youth, serving as a key force driving the Thai space industry.

Crucially, GISTDA, in collaboration with partner agencies, is currently driving efforts to unlock restrictions regarding experimentation and research on technologies related to research rockets. This serves as the starting point for developing orbital launch vehicles, allowing Thai researchers and domestic startups to launch rockets from Thai soil—a vital milestone that must be promoted alongside spaceport development.

As the world enters the era of the New Space Economy, developing a spaceport is a major milestone in elevating Thailand from a past satellite buyer into a key player in an industry projected to be worth over 35 trillion baht in the coming years. It demonstrates the potential and readiness of Thai people and Thai companies to compete in the space domain on par with any other nation.