October 26, 2026 – The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization) or GISTDA, together with the Moon Village Association :MVA, officially opened the global academic conference and workshop “10th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium 2026” for the first time in Thailand and the ASEAN region at Meeting Rooms MR 1–3, 7th Floor, TRUE ICON Hall, ICONSIAM, Bangkok, welcoming hundreds of space organization leaders, researchers, engineers, and New Space entrepreneurs from all over the world.

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Dr. Pakorn Apaphant, Executive Director of GISTDA, stated that over the past 10 years, the Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium conference has rotated to be held in leading space hubs of the world. In this 10th time, it is considered a historical milestone where Thailand achieved an important goal in acting as a “Neutral Collaboration Hub”. This conference is a historical stage reflecting the empirical success and progress of modern space exploration, serving as an important milestone for humanity in seriously returning to the Moon through international exploration projects such as the Artemis program and China’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project. Thailand achieved the important goal of connecting space superpowers from the United States, China, Europe, and Japan, as well as leading space agencies of the world such as NASA, ESA, JAXA, DSEL, and APRSAF, to exchange technology, strategy, and jointly determine the future direction of lunar settlement without geopolitical limitations.

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Thailand being selected as the host for this 10th MVA event not only confirms Thailand’s potential in being the center of space technology and strategy in ASEAN, but also reflects concrete multi-dimensional results, including: technological progress of Thai people from Thai researchers and engineers who presented their readiness in developing ground station networks to support communications in deep space and lunar missions; readiness of the industrial sector in manufacturing space parts and payloads made by Thai hands to prepare for installation and joining future lunar exploration missions; as well as opening the door to future industries for Thai entrepreneurs and startups to meet international space networks to push Thai innovations—such as extreme-condition resistant materials science, robotic control AI systems, as well as food innovation and agriculture systems in deep space—into the supply chain of the Lunar Economy.

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Another important highlight is the gathering of top-tier personnel in the world who play a true role in guiding space directions, led by Giuseppe Reibaldi, President of the Moon Village Association : MVA; Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA); Ulpia Botezatu, Co-Chair of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC) under UN-COPUOS; and Dorin Prunariu, Co-Chair of International Moon Day, who joined to give perspectives on space law frameworks and sustainable space management.

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In addition, it was honored by representatives from government space agencies and high-level policymakers, such as Michael Overby, Deputy Director for Space Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Wang Zhongmin, Director of International Cooperation from the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL), China; Koji Yamanaka, Director of Space Exploration Center from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); Kenji Yamagata, Executive Secretary of APRSAF from JAXA; Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency; and Malak Trabelsi Loeb, Chair of the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA), who joined to set collaboration scenarios through a special panel discussion together with APRSAF-32 to discuss setting frameworks for sustainable environmental management on the Moon, infrastructure, life support systems, and international space law frameworks, by emphasizing ASEAN’s role as a co-creator of new-era space innovation.

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Dr. Pakorn further stated, “Organizing this event proves that Thailand can serve as a neutral stage that gathers world-leading space personnel and organizations to jointly set the direction of the regional New Space industry, which will help continuously attract investment, research budgets, and innovation infrastructure development to take root in Thailand.” He pointed out success across 4 dimensions:

1. Pushing Thai research and industry into the global Supply Chain: Thai researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs can enter the Cis-Lunar and Lunar Ecosystem by standardizing Thai research—such as space architecture, life sciences, materials science, and space food—to be used in lunar settlement missions.

2. Transferring advanced technology to solve problems on Earth: Knowledge from coping with extreme conditions on the Moon—such as vacuum, radiation, temperature fluctuations, etc.—is transferred to be applied to industries on Earth, such as battery development and clean energy, digital medicine, environmental management, and high-precision agriculture, which helps create added value for the Thai economy.

3. Promoting Thai-International Academic Exchange and Enhancing Capacity Building: The influx of scholars, experts, high-level executives, and investors from around the globe opens a platform for exchanging knowledge, technology, and joint research between Thailand and international entities. This serves as a key mechanism in elevating and building the capacity of Thai personnel, research institutes, and space agencies to sustainably reach international standards.

4. Building foundations and inspiring the new generation of youth: This conference serves as an important springboard that opens opportunities for Thai university students and new-generation engineers to build networks, access scholarships, research grants, and job opportunities in international space organizations, sparking thoughts for Thai people to see that space is not far away, and Thai people have enough potential to create a new future for humanity.

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For those who are interested, you can follow the summary of the 10th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium 2026 conference, key contents of each session, as well as additional details at the website https://moonvillageassociation.org/mva2026