On August 25 at 11:21 a.m., a Long March 6C rocket launched from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center placed seven satellites into their planned orbits, including Galaxy Space’s Lingzhi-09 Thailand CubeSat (GISTDA CubeSat 1), according to Jiemian News. The mission marked the first time a Chinese commercial space company has completed satellite development, launch and in-orbit delivery for a Southeast Asian customer, and Galaxy Space’s first export of both a satellite and ground system.

The satellite was jointly developed by Galaxy Space for Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA). It is designed to provide Thailand with remote-sensing data collection services for land, agriculture and ecology, and to support practical teaching at Thai universities in satellite design, space tracking and control, and remote-sensing applications. Jiemian News reported that Galaxy Space provided GISTDA with an integrated package covering the satellite, ground system and capability training.

The report said China’s commercial satellite exporters have historically been led by state-backed players, while private companies are now entering overseas markets. China’s National Space Administration said in 2007 that China had completed its first satellite export with Nigeria 1. Beijing also proposed a pilot program for private companies to export low-orbit satellites in November 2023. China’s National Space Administration’s 2025-2027 action plan for commercial space calls for companies to participate in international rulemaking, expand overseas in an orderly way and support satellite applications in developing countries.

Galaxy Space, founded in 2018, said it has launched 49 self-developed satellites and has built manufacturing capabilities in Xi'an, Chengdu, Beijing and Nantong. The company completed IPO tutoring filing with Beijing regulators on March 30, with Huatai United Securities as its adviser.