Dr. Natthawat Hongkarnjanakul on Thailand's Space Ambitions [S7.E4]

Ahh, Thailand. Beaches, sunsets, late-night parties, serene
temples, and…space technology design and future satellite launch
site? 


Greg interviews Dr. Natthawat Hongkarnjanakul of the Thai
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency,
essentially Thailand's version of NASA. Dr. Natthawat begins with
his background studying aerospace engineering in Thailand and
later in France on a scholarship. Next, he talks about GISTDA,
and the Thai government's interest in space research. Greg notes
that people do not normally think of Thailand when they think of
space, but Dr. Natthawat states that Thailand uses satellites for
data gathering for mapmaking, air quality monitoring, and for
help during natural catastrophes such as floods or forest
fires. 


The two continue by going into more detail on the work of the
Thai space agency. Dr. Natthawat points out that a big part of
their work is educating the private sector in Thailand on the
value of satellite data. Greg remembers reading about McDonald's
use of satellite images back in the day to plan its expansion,
and Dr. Natthawat says that this is exactly right, that many big
companies have realized the unique advantages of data from
space. 


Listen in for further discussion of the 'space economy' and the
unheralded work of Thailand's space agency. 


Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the
show as well as swag and other perks. And we'll keep our
Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us
comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.