BANGKOK — 13 January 2026, Thailand’s space agency said a failed satellite launch is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and fall into the southern Indian Ocean, far from populated areas, posing no risk to people or property.
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, or GISTDA, said in a statement that the THEOS-2A satellite could not be placed into orbit after a malfunction occurred during the final phase of the launch of India’s PSLV-C62 rocket.
The satellite was launched on Monday, 12 January 2026, at 11:48 local time aboard a rocket operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation. GISTDA said an attitude control anomaly during the latter part of the rocket’s third stage caused the flight path to deviate from its planned trajectory, preventing THEOS-2A and 15 other satellites from reaching orbit.
According to ISRO’s assessment, the rocket and satellites are expected to burn up during atmospheric re-entry over the southern Indian Ocean, a remote area well away from communities.
GISTDA said the THEOS-2A mission was covered by launch insurance, which includes provisions for rebuilding the satellite and conducting a future relaunch in the event of failure. Discussions on the next steps are under way, and further details will be announced once a conclusion is reached.
The PSLV rocket has been used in 63 launches, with 60 considered successful, giving it a success rate of 95.24%, which GISTDA said is high by industry standards. The rocket was designed to place satellites into orbit at an altitude of about 500 kilometres, matching the design parameters of THEOS-2A.
Despite the setback, GISTDA said the project demonstrated Thailand’s growing capability in satellite development and workforce readiness. The agency and its engineers plan to apply the knowledge gained from THEOS-2A to future satellite projects to strengthen the country’s space technology capacity and support national development.