Rocket Lab, a commercial space launch company, successfully completed its 10th launch on 6 December 2019 from its launch complex in New Zealand, placing seven small satellites in orbit as well as returning its Electron booster back to Earth.

Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced on 4 December 2019 that it has signed a contract with the Egyptian operator Nilesat to build the Nilesat-301 geostationary communications satellite, winning the contract against an international field of competitors.

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has directed the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to open registration for the second edition of the UAE Astronaut Programme. The move marks the start of a new phase of the UAE’s space exploration journey.

As it readies for its first satellite launch next week, Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) announced on 6 December 2019 that it has closed credit facilities totalling U.S.$160 million with a group of financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and GuarantCo.

Gilat has confirmed that it has achieved the fastest ever modem speeds of 1.2 Gbps total throughput over Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite. This industry milestone demonstrates the potential of high throughput Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, on 19 November 2019 reported its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

NATO Foreign Ministers met in Brussels on 20 November 2019 to address a wide range of security challenges in preparation for the meeting of NATO leaders in London. “We all agree that NATO remains indispensable for our security, and that despite our differences, we are stronger as we face the future together,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Thuraya, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), in partnership with Airbus, a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services has successfully conducted live screenings of a demonstrative aerial surveillance mission taking place in Germany, from an airborne Airbus H145 helicopter equipped with a communication system developed by SCOTTY to the Dubai Airshow visitors, utilising Thuraya’s L-band satellite network.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announced on 18 November 2019 that it has reached a major landmark with the selection by SES for development and deployment of a global multiple application very small aperture terminal (VSAT) platform for its O3b mPOWER Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) communications system.

Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) President Yves Le Gall was at the 3rd Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany, where he took part in the plenary of heads of space agencies and the panel session on ‘Space Trans-Atlantic’, both focused chiefly on space exploration, particularly lunar exploration.