Geopolitics

Several weeks ago SpaceWatch Middle East contributor Ghanim Alotaibi, a Kuwaiti engineer and Space Generation Advisory Council member, wrote of the need for a Kuwaiti space programme, but that such an endeavor faces several challenges, starting with the challenge of ‘Kuwaitisation’. This week, Ghanim address the other three challenges Kuwaiti leaders will …

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (Yahsat), the UAE-based satellite operator which is fully owned by Mubadala, has appointed Mona Al Muhairi as Chief Human Capital Officer. Mona has more than 20 years of human capital experience and she has been promoted to the role having previously held the position …

Airbus Defence and Space announced that customers can now be served with WorldDEM Digital Elevation Data for any point on Earth. Following the comprehensive global acquisition campaign and subsequent processing effort, WorldDEM data now is available for the entire World, including Antarctica and Arctic regions as well as Pacific islands. …

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 …

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 …

Newtec – a specialist in designing, developing and manufacturing equipment and technologies for satellite communications – today announced it was selected by General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada to provide its MDM9000 Satellite Modem to the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) for use on its Aurora fleet as part of its …

Airbus Defence and Space has launched One Atlas, a new satellite image basemap, which covers the earth landmasses with professional grade imagery. Available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week and refreshed within a 12-month period, One Atlas provides customers with easy access to cost effective, high-quality and …

According to Iran’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi, satellite manufacturers from four countries have expressed interest in building Iran’s National Communication Satellite (NCS). The announcement by Minister Vaezi came after he revealed that a contract had been signed with an unnamed Russian satellite manufacturer for Tehran’s National Remote …

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 …

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 …