Around 130 satellites forecast to be launched by emerging space programs in next 10 years. According to Euroconsult’s latest report, Trends & Prospects for Emerging Space Programs, 24 countries are identified as emerging space programs (ESPs) in 2015 having launched a total of 69 satellites in the last 20 years. …
Read More »Failed Turkish coup’s TÜRKSAT attack and other space implications
The attempted coup by elements of the Turkish military on Friday, 15 July 2016, in an attempt to depose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP Party, included an attack against the main campus of TÜRKSAT located in Gölbaşı, just outside of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The TÜRKSAT headquarters …
Read More »SmallSats Play Growing Role in $29 Billion Remote Sensing Satellite Market
With demand for Earth imagery increasing, manufacturers are expected to produce some 1,935 remote sensing satellites over the next 10 years, according to Forecast International. The company’s new study, “The Market for Civil & Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites,” reports that during the 2016-2025 forecast period, the value of production will …
Read More »DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 ready for launch: Lockheed Martin
Final preparations are underway at Lockheed Martin to ship DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 earth imaging satellite to Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, for a 15 September 2016 launch. The Lockheed Martin team is completing final satellite testing and checkout before shipment. Testing includes calculating the weight and center of gravity of WorldView-4, …
Read More »Haifa, we have lift-off! SSP16 update – week 1
Haifa, 17 July 2016 – A crew of 104 participants boarded the Technion Israel Institute of Technology last week, embarking on an eight-week deep dive into everything space. The first ever Space Studies Program (SSP) in the Middle East started with a grand opening ceremony with space professionals from 24 …
Read More »ALINA rocked Berlin
The Berlin, Germany-based start-up and Google Lunar X-Prize competitor, PTScientists , were invited on the evening of 14 July 2016 to the prestigious Volkswagen Forum, on Unter den Linden in the heart of Berlin, to present the ALINA lander to interested members of the press. Robert Böhme, CEO and Founder of …
Read More »SSTL and Goonhilly announce partnership and a call for lunar orbit payloads
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) and Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd (GES) announced on 12 July 2016 a new partnership to go beyond Earth’s orbit and provide a new model of low cost, high value, space exploration and science. With the ultimate aim of supporting a Solar System network, the SSTL-GES …
Read More »SpaceWatch Middle East is on Instagram!
In our effort to reach as large an audience as possible, and provide our readers with a variety of ways to interact with space activities in the Middle East and North Africa, SpaceWatch Middle East is now on Instagram. If you are already on Instagram then please be sure …
Read More »Iran to launch two homemade satellites by March 2017
The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Mohsen Bahrami, announced on 12 July 2016 that Iran will launch at least two indigenously built satellites by March 2017. Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Bahrami said, “At-Sat [also known as AUTSAT-1], Nahid 1, and Dousti are the satellites their design …
Read More »ArabiaWeather: Jordanian company is talking about the weather
One senior Arab space official is once said to have quipped that his country does not need a meteorological satellite since he knows what the weather will be next year, never mind tomorrow. Jokes aside, the Middle East has a more varied climate than many suppose, and has weather variations …
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