Asia Pacific

As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO), China intends to promote satellite imagery sharing with other member states for applications such as urban planning, disaster monitoring and assessment, as well as resource management and surveying.

Australian New Space start-up Myriota, which focuses on providing satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT), is partnering with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to deploy marine buoys called drifters that are fitted with satellite-connected IoT sensors in order to track currents, sea surface water temperature, and barometric pressure of the ocean in real-time.

DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Technologies subsidiary company, announced on 9 November 2018 that it has mapped the entire continent of Australia at a unprecedented level of detail using the cutting-edge techniques of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and crowdsourcing.

The Chinese Air Force – officially called the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) - intends to expand its presence into space as part of its plan to become a “world-class force,” China's state-run media reported on 13 November 2018, quoting senior Chinese officers, and first reported outside of China by The Japan Times.

Bangladesh has been given full control of its Bangabandhu-1 communications satellite after a handover ceremony where the satellite’s French manufacturer, Thales Alenia Space, provided the ‘Transfer of Title’ documents to Bangladeshi officials.

South Korean government agencies and universities have five payloads on board the upcoming SpaceX Falcon-9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. The launch is currently scheduled for 19 November 2018, and will loft approximately 60 satellites from numerous countries and companies.

New Zealand's Centre for Space Science Technology (CSST) announced on 12 November 2018 their role in facilitating their first international space mission partnership, as a calibration and validation (cal/val) partner for the NASA ECOSTRESS mission.

Fleet Space Technologies' first two satellites, Proxima I and II, were launched on 11 November 2018 on-board Rocket Lab's manifest, It's Business Time. This launch marks Australia's first ever commercial CubeSats in orbit.

Rocket Lab has continued the success of its 2018 orbital launch program with the launch of seven payloads to orbit on 11 November 2018. The mission, named ‘It’s Business Time,’ marks Rocket Lab’s second successful orbital launch and deployment of customer satellites.

Spaceflight, a satellite rideshare and mission management company, has announced that it will launch twelve satellites on board an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) later in November 2018, to include a satellite for Australian New Space company Fleet Space Technologies, who are having two satellites launched this coming week from New Zealand by Rocket Lab.