The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is aiming for the first crewed Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission to take place in December 2021.

The role of commercial space in today’s national security environments is known well enough. There are useful policy debates to be had over what national security space systems a state should absolutely provide for to ensure sovereign decision making in war versus where commercial entities can step in.

Nanosatellite operator, Sky and Space Global (SAS), has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) that will strengthen its growth strategy on the African continent.

Newtec, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of equipment for satellite communications, announced on 9 January 2019 that its Newtec Dialog® VSAT multiservice platform has been selected by broadband satellite operator, Kacific, for its new High Throughput Satellite, Kacific-1, to significantly expand its broadband service delivery in underserved areas of South East Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has completed the build of the platform for EUTELSAT QUANTUM, the world’s first geostationary telecommunications satellite that will be fully reconfigurable in orbit.

GomSpace Luxembourg, a subsidiary of Denmark-based GomSpace, has announced that it will start offering constellation operations management-as-a-service for clients in 2019.

Following reports earlier this week that Australian Stock Exchange-listed Sky and Space Global (SAS) had missed scheduled payments to its satellite manufacturer GomSpace, the narrowband satellite communications company that aims to put in orbit a constellation of Nanosatellites called 'Pearls' by 2020, said that the outstanding payments will be settled soon.

How far have we come in achieving the UN's sustainable development goals that we are committed to nationally and internationally? Yes, it can be difficult to make a global assessment of poverty and poor economic conditions, but with an eye in the sky, researchers are able to give us a very good hint of the living conditions of populations in the world's poor countries.

Frost & Sullivan forecasts an estimated launch demand for 11,746 small satellites for new constellation installations and replacement missions by 2030. Such demand would take the small-satellite launch services market past the U.S.$69 billion mark and present significant growth opportunities throughout the industry.

Swiss satellite operator, Astrocast, has lofted three new pilot Nanosatellites that promote affordable Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. The pilots are designed specifically for IoT applications and Astrocast’s two-way system allows companies to monitor and control their remote assets, including over-the-air upgrades at lower latency and cost than existing satellite communications networks.