Africa

Early indications suggest that Arianespace has successfully launched Yahsat’s Al Yah-3 and SES’s SES-14 communications satellites into geostationary orbit. The launch, designated VA241 by Arianespace, was conducted by an Ariane 5 space launch vehicle from the Kourou space launch centre in French Guiana, located in Latin America. An Arianespace press …

Arianespace have completed the integration of Yahsat’s Al Yah-3 communications satellite to the Ariane 5 space launch vehicle (SLV) that is due to launch it and another satellite on January 25, 2018, from the Kourou launch facility in French Guiana. The other satellite, SES-14, belonging to satellite communications provider SES, …

VSAT network supplier and operator Bentley Walker has announced that it will launch its iDirect-based DVB-S2X service in Afghanistan. The launch of this service follows successful rollouts in Iraq and Libya by Bentley Walker. The iDirect-based DVB-S2X desktop modem will allow users to access high-throughput broadband internet using Avanti’s Hylas …

Arabsat Broadband Services has launched a new satellite broadband service called Arabsat Expand, offering 10 Gigabytes of Internet broadband access powered by Forsway’s Hybrid Router technology. Arabsat Expand has been designed and implemented by SatConsultant for Arabsat Broadband Services. The new service aims to bridge the digital divide in Africa, …

Kenya’s first indigenously-built satellite – First Kenyan University Nano Satellite-Precursor Flight (1KUNS-PF) – has been completed and handed over to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) from where it will be deployed into orbit. The 1KUNS-PF Cubesat is the first satellite developed …

Rocket Lab has successfully reached orbit with the test flight of its second Electron orbital launch vehicle, Still Testing. Electron lifted-off at 14:43 NZDT from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Following successful first and second stage burns, Electron reached orbit and deployed customer …

When it comes to focusing on the next generation of space pioneers, the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is making great progress. The organisation, which is based in Vienna, works tirelessly to promote space as a career to young people all over the world and from different backgrounds and countries …

How do we kickstart a space-based economy that includes everything from communications, orbiting satellites, clean energy, and asteroid mining? Here, planetary scientist Philip Metzger of the University of Central Florida lays out a proposed roadmap to get there. This essay was originally published by Aeon on January 9, 2018, and is …

Quika Ltd. has launched the world’s first entirely free high-speed satellite internet for developing countries. According to a Quika press release, the new service is being provided to “address a leading cause of economic and social inequality.” Quika aims to close what it sees as an investment gap in areas …

Arabsat and German communications solutions provider CETel are partnering to provide business continuity services across the Middle East and North Africa. CETel specialises in end-to-end communications solutions, with an emphasis on fiber-optic cabling. Both companies indicated that emerging Big Data requirements of clients, arising from the growing Internet of Things …