National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT), under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) has participated in the international ARRAKIHS space mission, a new European Space Agency (ESA) project designed to study how galaxies form and evolve.

The mission will study at least 80 galaxies similar to the Milky Way over a period of 3-5 years for understanding the processes that shaped galaxies and the wider universe, while also shedding light on dark matter, one of the most elusive components of the cosmos.

Since 2018, Thailand has played a key role in preparing the ARRAKIHS mission, with NARIT researchers contributing to telescope simulation software utilizing CHALAWAN, NARIT’s high-performance computing system, one of only four facilities worldwide supporting the mission’s data preparation.

This project marks a major milestone for Thailand, as NARIT becomes the first Thai research institute to join both the scientific and technical teams of an ESA space mission, highlighting the country’s leading role in global space research.