The latest round of cyber skirmishes that have erupted between Iranian and Saudi Arabian hackers is a timely reminder that Middle Eastern satellites and their operators are vulnerable to more sophisticated cyber attacks. ThorGroup’s Dr. John B. Sheldon explores this often discussed yet poorly understood threat to space systems. On …

Iran’s defence minister, Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, has claimed that Iran has created a Local Positioning System (LPS) making Iran independent from any reliance on the US Global Positioning System (GPS). Brigadier General Dehghan told Iranian journalists that LPS consists of five high-powered transmitters located around Iran that can provide …

Intelsat S.A., headquartered in Luxembourg and operator of one of the world’s largest commercial communication satellite fleets, announced that the Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC), a provider of integrated mobile, fixed and broadband communications services, has expanded its relationship with Intelsat and entered into a new contract for satellite services on …

Lockheed Martin, Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat), and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Saudi Arabia have successfully completed a comprehensive technical review of ARABSAT-6A and Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1, two satellites that will provide television, internet, telephone and secure communications, to customers in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. …

The Algerian channel DTV and Arab Satellite Communication Organization -Arabsat – signed a contract today to re-launch and broadcast the DTV channel over the Maghreb and north-west Africa on Arabsat satellite Badr-5, where all viewers in the Maghreb and North West African countries will be able to watch DTV around …

The UAE Space Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Kazakhstan, defining a framework for collaboration and the exchange of information and expertise in the fields of space science, research, and technology. The MoU was signed at the National Space Centre of Kazakhstan by H.E. …

The United Arab Emirates Space Agency hosted its second meeting of the agency’s Advisory Committee in Abu Dhabi on 22-23 May 2016. The UAE Space Agency’s Advisory Committee, comprising leading experts on space policy from around the world, were hosted in Abu Dhabi by Dr. Khalifa Al Romaithi, Chairman of …

The Middle East is set to benefit from multiple global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) currently under development by China, India, Europe, Russia, and the United States. The United States especially is a global GNSS powerhouse, and US aerospace company Lockheed Martin is developing the next generation US GNSS capability, Global …

What if Iran’s space programme is exactly what the Iranian government says it is… a space programme? What if Iran’s Simorgh and Safir rockets are actual space launch vehicles rather than a cover for the development of long-range ballistic missiles? And, if we are to assume all of this is …

India’s Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, formally approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency. The approval occurred on 25 May 2016 in New Delhi where the Union Cabinet met, …