Asia Pacific

Thailand's mu Space is heading for the Final Frontier as it announced plans to participate in projects with the U.S. space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and space exploration initiatives. The announcement, that came during the Pacific Telecommunications Council’s (PTC) conference earlier this week, saw mu Space CEO and Founder James Yenbamroong set out his stall in terms of his future vision for the company.

Sky and Space Global Ltd. (SAS), the Australian Stock Exchange-listed narrowband satellite communications company, announced on 21 January 2019 that it has signed a Reseller Memorandum of Understanding with Global Telesat SL and a Trial Service Agreement with Telespazio Brasil S/A.

Inmarsat, the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, announced today that its award-winning GX Aviation inflight broadband solution is now available to passengers onboard Indonesian low-cost airline Citilink’s first aircraft.

The Japanese government is to begin use of a quasi-zenith satellite system to provide a failover solution for support of its Self Defence Force (SDF) in the event of a malfunction on the U.S. GPS system. This move comes amid fears that China and Russia and their development of anti-satellite capabilities that will enable them to attack satellites in orbit.

In a Washington, DC, speech, Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya outlines his country's new National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and Mid-Term Defense Plan (MTDP) that included new Japanese positions on national security space that require close cooperation with its American ally.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) views space warfare as an important component of its concept of war, and is developing a range of capabilities and tactics to carry out space operations, as well as bolstering its organizational and command and control capacity to enable such operations, according to the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report China Military Power: Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win, published in January 2019.

The successful launch of the Vietnamese MicroDragon Earth observation satellite took place on 18 January 2019 from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), one of Japan’s largest shipping companies, is to increase the roll-out of Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Service, across the remainder of its owned and managed fleet. This underlines the confidence placed in the high-speed satellite service by major shipping lines and reinforces the scope of the digital transformation sweeping the industry.

Thaicom Public Company Limited (Stock Exchange of Thailand: THCOM), a leading Asian satellite operator and provider of integrated satellite end-to-end solutions, today announced that True Visions Group Co., Ltd. one of Asia’s leading pay TV providers, signed a long-term transponder capacity contract for continuing its pay TV service to audiences in Thailand.

Satellogic, the world’s first vertically integrated geospatial analytics company, announced on 15 January 2018 a Multiple Launch Services Agreement (MLA) with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). CGWIC will launch 90 of Satellogic’s spacecraft from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.