Roadmap for space tech development
USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE Information and Communications Technology Ministry will draw up a long-term roadmap for space affairs and space technology development, in the ambition that one day the country will have what ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa calls "Thailand's Nasa".

Pornchai said yesterday that his ministry would team up with the Defence, Education, Science and Technology, and Agricultural and Cooperatives ministries to draw up the plan.

More details of the roadmap will be made available in the next three weeks, he said.

In October, the ministry assigned its space affairs committee to conduct a feasibility study on the ministry's plan to launch a national satellite to provide ICT services to the public, as part of its plan to support the government's promotion of the digital economy. Pornchai instructed the committee to complete the study within six months.

If the project gets off the ground, the ministry will cooperate with the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of the Science and Technology Ministry to operate the satellite.

He said that though it might take 10 years before Thailand could build its own satellite, the country had to start making the move now to develop its space technology.

The potential of Thais working in space technology will also be upgraded to help the country achieve the goal, he said, adding that the Kingdom needed to lay the foundations in this area to enhance its competitive edge.

"We [the government and private sector] spend a massive amount on foreign satellite technologies every year. We need to build the technology on our own to move us up to the same league as foreign countries in the field," said the minister. Meanwhile, the ICT Ministry is in the process of being transformed into the Digital for Economy and Society Ministry.

The Cabinet recently approved a draft law setting up a national digital economy committee, and another for restructuring the ICT Ministry.

The first of these draft laws determines the creation of a national committee to be chaired by the prime minister, with the deputy PM in charge of the economy acting as vice chairman.

Its role is to coordinate the implementation of digital-economy policies between the government and state agencies

The second determines the renaming and restructuring of the ministry as the Digital for Economy and Society Ministry, which will oversee five offices: the ministry's office, the permanent secretary's office, the digital-economy office, the Meteorology Office, and the Office of National Statistics.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Roadmap-for-space-tech-development-30250604.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-25

"Thailand's Nasa"

NO please....... too many funny stories today I havent stop laughing since 6am

They want to send the first som tam to the moon.

oh please this is to much, Thailand cant even build roads or keep trains on tracks and now they want to be the new NASA. Just so hilarious oh dear leader Prayuth you are killing me

Just checked the calander, yup it is December 25th, thought I had overslept and it was April 1st.

Has TV turned into a humor site ??? These officials are so delusional they must be

on some sort of drugs.

How about they provide electricity first to that god forsaken village somewhere in the northeast that I was reading about a few days ago?

They've been waiting for 25 years <deleted>..

Edited December 25, 201411 yr by kotsak

Several decades late, and a few billion dollars short.

Space programs requires sophisticated knowledge and resources, more over millions are dollars are involved. And they have to start with missile programs, and launch pads, etc. It is achievable in 25-30 years for sure if delicately working. But Thailand should not enter in this industry for fancy name and it is not tourist attraction anyway. Definitely migrant labors will not help in this matter, except manually skills are required.

At the moment every satellite operated in Thailand is fully owned by Thaksin company which is Thaicom. That's why Thai's are paying Baht 3/call while rest of the world is paying less than 1 baht. First experiment they should start with is, build a powerful communication satellite(For Telephones and Internet) and launch through foreign space agencies, and control from Thailand and sell the bandwidth to all telecom companies in Thailand and use the revenue to invest in space research.

At the moment most of the telecom revenue goes to Thaksin's family pockets, because Thaicom is monopoly in Thailand. That's how Farangs are paying B.1500/month for watch less than 5 worth English channels, and rest of Thailand is paying Baht.3 per minute calls.

And still they are debating about 3G/4G revenue sharing etc, because Thaicom is controls everything here. I doubt the big revenue making companies and politicians will allow Thailand to research on space programs.

Several decades late, and a few billion dollars short.

I think I will save this post, so I can just cut&paste it to every statement issued by the government.

What can you say? These people don't even feel em bare assed about the things they say.

Just imagine , a rocket fueled with buffalo droppings

Perhaps here has been mix up in translation and the expression , ''space- tech- development'' was confused with '' fantasy- dream- world tech development.

Now here below is a lesson from Ireland and Mr. Spike Milligan that may be of interest and possibly help too to the relevant government department here in Thailand.

"Thailand's Nasa"

NO please....... too many funny stories today I havent stop laughing since 6am

NASA and European Space Agencies never dreamed India will ever launch a successful satellite to Mars. It is if achievable if dedication and hard work is involved.

NYT times insulted like this.....

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78030000/jpg/_78030102_78030100.jpg

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29502062

Hilarious.

Merry Christmas.

Obvious step in planning for people with their heads in the clouds at the best of times.

Delusional!

How about they provide electricity first to that god forsaken village somewhere in the northeast that I was reading about a few days ago?

They've been waiting for 25 years <deleted>..

priorities...

Subtle difference between this and NASA.

Has TV turned into a humor site ??? These officials are so delusional they must be

on some sort of drugs.

They are. The drug is called THAINESS

Subtle difference between this and NASA.

And here is the engineer at work in his lab..

Subtle difference between this and NASA.

And here is the engineer at work in his lab..

Interesting though....

Sounds like the fuel is full moon party mix with M150 ?

Space Cadet

Drugs have a lot to answer for

Ground Control this is Major Somchai!

Has TV turned into a humor site ??? These officials are so delusional they must be

on some sort of drugs.

How about they provide electricity first to that god forsaken village somewhere in the northeast that I was reading about a few days ago?

They've been waiting for 25 years <deleted>..

Hasn't been done in the mountains because they suffer from Acrophobia. They need to shove a Burmese fisherman into a rocket and land him on Mars first. Priorities are the 1st to walk on mars before they invent electricity.

What can you say? These people don't even feel em bare assed about the things they say.

yep and they are running the country and cant see the world rolling on the floor laughing at these generals. Dear General Prayuth is going to take us forward into a new universe and we will sit amongst the Gods. Pack of fools they have more chance of eliminating prostitution than buying a Burmese guy to put in a rocket.

Edited December 25, 201411 yr by Kooweerup

They can't manage to keep trains on tracks and they aim to conquer space

Space technology is very much an international thing, even European countries don't develop their own satellites and launch them completely by themselves.

The knowledge currently available in Thailand isn't even enough to build a small airplane.

Taking into account Thailand is isolating itself from the rest of the world,

I don't think anything like this will happen soon,

unless they buy a satellite from China and just put a Thai sticker on it.

Lately we read more and more delusional news reports probably only intended to support the Thai patriotism/nationalism.

Edited December 25, 201411 yr by kriswillems

The space race has just entered an exciting new dimension.

"Out Of Space"

I'm gonna send him to outer space,

To find another race.

I'm gonna send him to outer space,

To find another race.

...

I'll take your brain to another dimension.

I'll take your brain to another dimension.

I'll take your brain to another dimension.

(hold it!)

Pay close attention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKjRUZ63gWM

Several decades late, and a few billion dollars short.

That's a thad ignorant. Thailand has a vibrant rocket industry, some almost OTOP like homemade. Yearly tourists come to watch Thai masters at work (during the Bun Bang Fai festival that is).

start with some space cookies...enough for the beginning...