Opinion

How do we kickstart a space-based economy that includes everything from communications, orbiting satellites, clean energy, and asteroid mining? Here, planetary scientist Philip Metzger of the University of Central Florida lays out a proposed roadmap to get there. This essay was originally published by Aeon on January 9, 2018, and is …

The recent announcement by China to orbit ten Earth observation satellites to solidify its sovereign claim for the South China Sea is a harbinger of the competitions to come for the control of other vital strategic waters across the globe. ThorGroup’s Chairman and President, Dr. John B. Sheldon, examines this phenomenon …

Wow. It’s been a busy year at SpaceWatch Middle East, but it’s also been a very rewarding one as the team has seen the platform grow form literally nothing to a publication that has earned a following that we could never have dreamed of and interest from all over the …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch Middle East and The Précis, a quarterly space law and policy report produced by Space Law & Policy Solutions, run by the prominent space lawyer and friend of SpaceWatch Middle East, Michael J. Listner, SpaceWatch Middle East is occasionally publishing select articles from The Précis. Reproduced here are Michael’s …

These are interesting times we live in. From the 45th anniversary of the last human mission to the moon with Apollo 17, the American President has now set the legislation to send Americans back to the Moon. Private space is in full swing. Mega-constellations are just around the corner and …

“The paradigm shift that we see today in space activities is best encapsulated by the term ‘Space 4.0’, and the ‘Moon Village’ concept seeks to transform this paradigm shift into a set of concrete actions and create an environment where both international cooperation and the commercialisation of space can thrive.” …

UAE Space Agency and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Dubai hosted the UNOOSA High Level Forum ‘Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development’ in November 2017. SpaceWatch Middle East asked Dr. Michael Simpson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation, to gives his take on the UN’s long-term vision in …

Since 2006, the Austrian Space Forum has been conducting simulated expeditions to Mars. Known as ‘analogue simulations’, these enable the Austrian Space Forum and its many partners, to anticipate what human and robotic exploration of the Mars will be like, to test out prototype spacesuits and to develop new concepts …

Google Lunar XPrize competitor, Synergy Moon, is an international coalition of members that encompass and merge the arts and sciences. With a spirit of social entrepreneur meets extreme adventurer, Synergy Moon is focused on using science, technology, arts, and mathematics for on-the-ground changes that benefit the entire human family. Synergy Moon represents …

Countries all over the African continent are emerging as potential space nations. Nigeria is already established in space. Ethiopia is set to build and launch a satellite and develop its own launch vehicle in the next five years. Sudan, Kenya, and Angola are all eager to set out their stalls …