AN “INTERNATIONAL TEAM SPORT”
Regionally, Thailand is not moving in isolation. Across Southeast Asia, governments are investing in satellite technology, domestic manufacturing and Earth observation, while some are exploring their own launch facilities.
The ambitions come amid projections of rapid growth in the global space economy, which the World Economic Forum and consultancy McKinsey estimate could nearly triple in value to US$1.8 trillion by 2035.
In Southeast Asia, a separate February 2025 Deloitte study estimates that wider use of satellite-based earth observation imagery and data could contribute an additional US$100 billion to the regional economy between 2023 and 2030, particularly through applications in agriculture, energy and government services.
Singapore is expanding its commercial space industry, Vietnam is developing satellite capabilities with international partners, and Indonesia and Malaysia have ambitions involving launch infrastructure.
The Philippines is also building its space programme, with plans for a new Earth observation satellite to support agriculture, disaster response and maritime monitoring.
“Several challenges that our nation faces today find solutions from space,” said Gay Jane Perez, acting director general of the Philippine Space Agency.
The growing interest comes as advances in technology and falling launch costs make space more accessible to countries that previously lacked the resources to participate.
Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, told CNA that the opportunities were substantial, but countries needed to be realistic about what they could achieve independently.
“Space is very much an international team sport,” he said.
