News

A Deutsche Bank research note written ahead of SES's 2019 earnings report due on 26 February 2020 is raising the possibility that SES and its smaller rival Eutelsat could merge sometime in 2020, according to a 14 January 2020 report in online television industry publication Advanced Television.

Russia, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are set to proceed with a trilateral agreement to modernise the 'Gagarin's Start' launch complex at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, according to a 16 January 2020 report in Azerbaijan's Trend News Agency citing Russian and Kazakh sources.

The European Commission is partnering with the European Investment Bank Group, announcing €200 million of investments into the EU space sector, supporting ground-breaking innovation in the industry.

In a major policy speech delivered on 16 January 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled a range of large government infrastructure and technology projects for 2020 and beyond.

In remarks made marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan at both a commemorative ceremony and in the Japanese Diet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged that Japan will make efforts to counter threats in space and cyberspace and that the Japanese Self Defense Forces (SDF) will stand up its Space Domain Mission Unit (SDMU) in April 2020, with the aim of having it fully operational by 2022.

Given the very large turnout for registration to the second batch seeking to join the UAE Astronaut Programme, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has extended the deadline for application submissions until 31 March 2020, aimed at providing Emiratis aspiring to engage in scientific exploration and manned space missions the opportunity to enrol in the programme.

Kleos Space S.A, a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, has entered into a channel partner and data integrator agreement with UK geospatial intelligence and analysis company Geollect.

ICEYE announced on 20 January 2020 the launch of its global Dark Vessel Detection solution for governmental maritime security customers.

Skyrora, the Edinburgh-based satellite launch company, is looking in Iceland for a possible space launch location, according to reports in the Icelandic news media. The Skyrora visit was hosted and assisted by Iceland's own space body, Space Iceland.

China is looking forward to 2020 being a banner year for its ambitious space programme, according to a Chinese government report released on 17 January 2020.