Asia Pacific

As the Asian Century takes on an interstellar dimension, who will write the rules of the road? Rajeswari Rajagopalan writes that space will likely be no exception to Asia’s great power rivalries.

Addvalue, the Singaporean mobile satellite communications company, has announced that it is partnering with U.S. company Network Innovations Inc. to jointly market Addvalue’s iFleetOne TM maritime satellite communications terminal along with its proprietary Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), the Addvalue iFleetOne VMS TM, to the Northwest American fisheries sector.

Astroscale Japan Inc., an affiliate of Singaporean-Japanese New Space company Astroscale that aims to utilise technology top remove space debris in Earth orbit, has contracted with Russian satellite launch provider Glavkosmos/GK Launch Services to launch its End of Life Services by Astroscale –demonstration (ELSA-d) spacecraft on a Soyuz-2 cluster mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome in early 2020.

Rocket Lab, the U.S. headquartered New Space launch company with a launch complex in New Zealand, has now also established an assembly facility for its launch vehicles in Auckland, New Zealand. The facility was officially opened by Star Trek actor William Shatner.

South Korea is considering drawing up rules of engagement in cyberspace to better defend against growing threats from North Korea and other unidentified threat actors, the South Korean military revealed on 14 October 2018, according to a report from the Yonhap News Agency.

Pioneering NewSpace company, Satellite Vu, will take part in GITEX Future Stars, the fastest growing start-up event in MENA and Southeast Asia.

Australian New Space satellite communications company Myriota has created a new facility on the outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia, and has announced that it plans to create 50 new jobs over the next two years to accelerate its nanosatellite-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) venture.

U.S. New Space investment company Space Angels has released its Space Investment Quarterly for the third quarter of 2018, and the report reveals that China is now the leading investor in New Space companies, expanding its market share more than any other country.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a developer of orbital launch vehicles for the small to medium satellite market, announced on 10 October 2018 the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with York Space Systems for the development of integrated launch services and spacecraft mission solutions.

Intelsat S.A. has announced that APT Mobile Satcom Ltd. (APSATCOM) will become the first maritime solution partner to offer, in China, IntelsatOne Flex for maritime services. This agreement will deliver a seamless global maritime network for APSATCOM’s customers, providing unparalleled throughput, improved economics, and easier access to broadband services.