Thailand is set to launch it second Earth observation satellite, THEOS-2, on October 7 at 8.36am (GMT +7) from the Guiana space centre in South America, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space technology development.

The launch was announced on Wednesday at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovations by representatives of Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GITSDA), Airbus and the French embassy.

GITSDA director Dr Pakorn Apaphant said that the satellite will take 5-6 days to enter its normal orbit and will undergo testing for about six months before becoming fully operational.

Operated by GISTDA, THEOS-2, will be capable of capturing detailed colour images of Earth with a resolution of up to 50cm. The satellite will transmit data to a ground station, covering about 74,000 square kilometres per day, providing current, but not real time, accurate information for various sectors in Thailand.

The data will have significant applications in emergency response, agriculture, water management, disaster management, urban planning and natural resource management.

GISTDA intends to make the data accessible to both the public and private sectors. Thailand launched its first Earth observation satellite, THEOS-1, about 15 years ago.