Asia Pacific

The head of the French national space agency, the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), Jean-Yves Le Gall, took part in the Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) in Singapore on 15 February 2019, a yearly event bringing together the world’s premier players in space.

Australian rocket company, Gilmour Space Technologies, has unveiled its ‘One Vision’ rocket which it plans to launch later this month, and conducted a live demonstration of its automated mobile launcher, the first of its kind in Australia.

Established in 2017, Spacespecialists is a space consultancy that offers tailored recruitment, training and speaking services to space industry clients across the globe.

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, facilitating closer international partnerships in the space industry sectors.

Australia’s first commercial spaceport, Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), has announced that it has inked a contract with U.S.-based TriSept Corporation, that offers launch integration services, rideshare and dedicated missions to small satellite customers. This agreement will see ELA provide an efficient launch and recovery location for the fast-growing commercial satellite and rocket launch market which is poised to pass U.S.$2.4 billion in 2024.

Thaicom Public Company Limited (THCOM), Thailand’s first satellite operator, today announced financial results for the full-year ended 31 December 2018.

Arianespace has successfully orbited two telecommunications satellites: the Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 condosat for operators King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Hellas Sat; and GSAT-31 for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Rwanda Utility and Regulatory Authority’s (RURA) Director General, Patrick Nyirishema, has confirmed that it is planning to launch the country’ inaugural satellite later this year.

Space activities within the United Nations Member States are growing apace and the amount of space faring nations is increasing. Enabling these countries to find their path to space is a key part of the work of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) which works to promote ‘international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development’. The Office is on hand to offer help to Members that wish to establish legal and regulatory frameworks to enable them to become active in the space arena.

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have used new space technology to predict droughts and increased bushfire risk up to five months in advance.