News

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 country is committed to the peaceful use of outer space and the long-term sustainability of space-related activities.

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.

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 fact that the selection for the UAE's four-person astronaut corps has yet to be completed.

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 Israeli government will shortly come to a decision on the manufacturer for its own satellite - and this has become a hot topic in industry and political circles. Perhaps somewhat controversially, Israeli satellite operator Spacecom decided to purchase its next satellite, AMOS-8, from Space Systems Loral, an American satellite manufacturer, rather than the indigenous IAI, which had previously been the manufacturer of choice for satellite missions and has provided satellites for the Ministry of Defence and other businesses both in Israel and internationally.

Sky and Space Global (SAS), the UK-Israeli New Space company registered on the Australian Stock Exchange, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese company Beijing Commsat Technology Development Co. in order to tap the massive Chinese Internet of Things (IoT) market.

According to Sergei Sopov, S7 Space CEO (S7 Space is part of S7 Group), the company intends to build an enterprise for NK-33 rocket engines production in the city of Samara, Russia. He informed the Vedomosti paper that in order to build the enterprise the company is planning to buy out production facilities from the Russian United Engine Corporation.

NuRAN Wireless and Avanti have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to market and distribute a combined 2G RAN product alongside Avanti’s Ka-band satellite backhaul solution.

Thailand’s mu Space has announced that it has secured an orbital slot and spectrum for its proposed communications satellite, planned for launch in 2020 by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The mu Space satellite is expected to provide satellite broadband throughout Southeast Asia.

Last month ex-deputy prime minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin was appointed Director General the Roscosmos Corporation by Vladimir Putin, replacing Igor Komarov, who had headed the agency since 2015. Mr. Rogozin has overseen Russia’s space industry since 2011. He was placed under US sanctions over the Ukrainian crisis some years ago.