The Space-based Infrared System (SBIRS) is a U.S. military satellite system one would not normally associate with the fight against Daesh. Designed to warn of ballistic missile launches, the sophisticated and mostly classified satellite system is now proving to be a valuable intelligence asset in crushing Daesh on the battlefield. …
Read More »SpaceWatch Middle East is invited to “A GoodFestival” in Lausanne
The GoodFestival will take place between 25 – 29 October 2016 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The goal of the Festival is to foster projects for sustainability that are compliant with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Eight of these goals were defined as categories of the …
Read More »Eutelsat pulls plug on Kurdish satellite TV stations in Europe
Allegedly at the request of the Turkish government, Eutelsat has ceased broadcasting two Kurdish satellite television stations in Belgium and Sweden. The Turkish government has shut down several Kurdish media outlets, to include television channels, in Turkey over the past few weeks and it would appear that it is now …
Read More »Turkey offers to build satellites for Azerbaijan, share satellite data
Turkey is to build new satellites for its near neighbour Azerbaijan once its current satellites in orbit reach the end of their operational lifetimes. Azerbaijan currently operates its Azersky and Azerspace-1 satellites in both low-earth and geostationary orbits (160-2,000 kilometres altitude and 36,000 kilometres altitude respectively). Azersky is an earth …
Read More »When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut too…why Iran and NASA will not be cooperating anytime soon
Recent press reports quote the head of the Iranian Space Agency, Mohsen Bahrami, as saying that he would like to see Iran cooperate with the American space agency, NASA. ThorGroup’s Chairman and President, Dr. John B. Sheldon, argues that while Mr. Bahrami’s sentiments are noble, political realities mean space cooperation …
Read More »The Greatest (Space) Show on Earth
World Space Week (WSW) is in full swing with events taking place all around the world in celebration of the impact that space has on mankind. The largest annual space event on Earth was founded by the United Nations General Assembly and has been running every year since 1999. The …
Read More »Iran taps Russian company to build remote sensing satellite
According to Iranian and Azerbaijani press reports, Iran has signed a contract with a Russian satellite manufacturer to build a high-resolution National Remote Sensing Satellite. Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister, Mahmoud Vaezi, told Mehr News Agency that the Iranian space programme is being developed along two parallel tracks with …
Read More »Mission accomplished: Rosetta’s journey ends in daring descent to comet
ESA’s historic Rosetta mission has concluded as planned, with the controlled impact onto the comet it had been investigating for more than two years. Confirmation of the end of the mission arrived at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany at 11:19 GMT (13:19 CEST) with the loss of Rosetta’s signal …
Read More »Oman government giving national communications satellite a fresh look
Media reports in Oman indicate that the government in Muscat is reexamining the feasibility of acquiring a national communications satellite to serve broad Omani telecommunications needs. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim al Futaisi, Oman’s Minister of Transport and Communications, said that the government is developing a range of studies …
Read More »IAC 2016: UAE Space Agency joins the International Astronautical Federation
The UAE Space Agency has been inducted into the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) during the 2016 International Astronautical Congress being held in Guadalajara, Mexico, held 26-30 September 2016. The IAF is a non-profit non-governmental organisation set up in 1951 under French law. Its structure is laid out in the IAF …
Read More »