Participation of ISRO delegation in the 32^nd Session of APRSAF, held in Bangkok, Thailand, during 26 to 30^th October 2026
Home / Participation of ISRO delegation in the 32^nd Session of APRSAF, held in Bangkok, Thailand, during 26 to 30^th October 2026

November 06, 2026

ISRO delegation led by Dr. Ch. V. N. Rao, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, participated in the 32^nd session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-32) held during October 26-30, 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. APRSAF-32 was organized by the Geo-Informatics & Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand, jointly with Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology (MEXT), Government of Japan and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with the theme “Bridging the Asia-Pacific: Advancing a Trusted and Inclusive Space Future”.

ISRO is a founding member of APRSAF and has been actively involved in the activities of various working groups and initiatives under APRSAF. ISRO hosted its annual event twice earlier (in 2007 & 2017) at Bengaluru.

Following were the highlights of ISRO’s participation in APRSAF-32:

• Director, SAC made a presentation on “Indian Space Programme & Policy Updates” during Plenary session;
• ISRO delegation presented updates on various ongoing activities in the meetings of the following Working Groups of APRSAF: Satellite Applications for Societal Benefit (SAWG); Space Education for All (SE4AWG); Space Frontier (SFWG); and in the SAFE Session of SAWG;
• ISRO officials Co-Chaired (along with JAXA officials) the SAFE Executive Board meeting and SAFE Session of SAWG;
• ISRO delegation participated in the panel discussion on “Strengthening Global Disaster Resilience”; round table meeting of Space Sustainability Working Group (SSWG); and joint session of SE4AWG & SFWG;
• The delegation held bilateral meetings with officials of Agencies/ Ministries of international partner countries viz., Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Kazakhstan, European Space Agency (ESA) and discussed the progress of respective bilateral cooperative activities and future opportunities.
• Dr. Jayaprakash V. Thomas, Director of the Earth Observation Applications & Disaster Management Support Programme, ISRO Headquarters has received “Asia Pacific Region Excellence in Space Award-2026” in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Earth Observation applications across disaster management, oceanography & meteorology domains, and regional cooperation in Asia-Pacific region, that have profoundly impacted space related activities, inspiring future generations of space professionals and leaders in the region.

In the concluding session, the importance of regional space cooperation was reaffirmed in supporting sustainable social and economic development across the Asia-Pacific region, which will be further discussed during the 33^rd session of APRSAF scheduled to be held in Fukuoka, Japan, during November 23-26, 2027

Participation in APRSAF-32 enabled ISRO to showcase India’s recent achievements in space and also to highlight the activities of vibrant Indian space ecosystem.