News

A so-called “self-eating” rocket engine is being developed by the universities of Scotland and Ukraine. It will be capable of putting small satellites into orbit at competitive price. In a paper published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, engineers from the University of Glasgow and the Oles Honchar Dnipro …

The first six communication and remote sensing satellites to be put in space under the Sfera program mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his question-and-answer session on June 7, 2018 will be put in space three years from now, Andrei Tuylin, Director General of the Russian Space Systems OJSC …

Filipino company Bambu Wireless will use the Eutelsat-172 Satellite to provide broadband, maritime, and government connectivity services throughout the Philippines. The multi-year contract between Bambu and Eutelsat for capacity on the Eutelsat-172B satellite will be commercialised under the brand BambuSat, and it will enable connectivity services across the Philippines’ 6,000 …

An agreement has been reached for the launch of a common satellite that will serve the East African region and enhance coverage. The decision was made during the 14th Summit of the Heads of State of the Northern Corridor. It is envisaged that a common satellite would provide the East …

Taking the best of both company offerings, Planet and Airbus have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new range of satellite imagery products. Both companies have different strengths. Planet’s small satellites deliver daily global coverage of the Earth in lower resolution and Airbus delivers high resolution, but with less …

Pakistan is set to have its indigenously-built Earth observation satellite, PakTES-1A, as well as its Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS)-1, launched by China in July 2018 in a bid to catch up with its geopolitical rival, India. The 285kg PakTES-1A observatory satellite will be fItted with sensors and cameras; it …

The South African Trade and Deputy Minister, Bulelani Magwanishe, told the UNISPACE+50 High-Level Segment of the 61st session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPOUS) in Vienna, that South Africa is keen to develop global partnerships in the space arena. He reiterated that the …

Cyber security company Symantec has identified a Chinese hacking group (also called an Advanced Persistent Threat – APT) known as Thirp, which the company believes has the ability, potentially, to take over the computers of satellite communications operators in Southeast Asia and the United States that control their satellites. Reuters …

The UAE has announced that its first astronaut will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019 with the assistance of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. This confirms rumours circulating last month about the possibility of the UAE’s first astronaut being sent into orbit in 2019, despite the …

Thai New Space company, mu Space Corporation, has approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a manufacturer to build the company’s satellite with coverage spanning across Asia-Pacific. The high throughput satellite will be on a geostationary orbit (GEO) location at 50.5-degree East, an orbital slot secured on …