Thai air force launches first satellite
NAPA-1, the first security satellite for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), was successfully launched into space on 3 September.
An Arianespace Vega rocket, Flight VV16, launched the NAPA-1 nanosatellite from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. NAPA-1 was put into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 500km, and it will perform reconnaissance and surveillance tasks for Thailand.
This satellite will help the RTAF operate in the air, cyber and space domains as part of its 20-year strategic plan. NAPA-1 will also assist natural disaster relief operations, such as searching for hotspots and collecting data to prevent
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