Asia Pacific

Firefly is well and truly ignited again. A new formation of the company with solid investors behind it is now paving the way for what has the potential to be a very successful business. International asset management firm, Noosphere Ventures, as lead investor, is set to take Firefly to the next level and beyond with an evolutionary strategy and approach that sees the development two launch vehicles to satisfy the full breadth of the dedicated small satellite launch market and for broader in-space applications as well.

Myanmar is mulling creating its own national space agency and the acquisition of an Earth observation small satellite with the assistance of Hokkaido University in Japan. Myanma engineers and scientists are set to take part in the manufacture and integration of some the components and instruments, according to reports in the Myanma media.

Sky and Space Global Ltd. (SAS), the New Space narrowband satellite communications company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), announced on 3 September 2018 that it has signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with Surinamese Internet Service Provider - Foundation Busie Suriname (FBS).

The Australian Space Agency and its French counterpart, the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that commits both countries work together to develop their respective space programmes and take full advantage of the rapidly expanding global space industry.

Chinese New Space satellite launch company iSpace successfully launched its SQX-1Z sub-orbital launch vehicle on 5 September 2018 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Northwest China.

Jean-Yves Le Gall, the president of the French National space agency the Centre national d’etudes spatiales (CNES), visited Jakarta, Indonesia, on 31 August 2018 to meet with his counterparts from the Indonesian space agency, LAPAN, and the Indonesian agency for meteorology, climatology, and geophysics, BMKG, to discuss Indonesia’s participation in the CNES-led Space Climate Observatory (SCO) initiative.

Australian New Space narrowband satellite communications company Sky and Space Global (SAS) has signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cendrawasih Teknologi Nusantara (CTN) to provide SAS’s nanosatellite connectivity services to CTN’s individual and small business customers across Indonesia.

Following the announcement in early August 2018 by Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, that India will launch its own Vyomanauts into space by 2022, senior Indian space officials have added more details about what is now called the Gaganyaan programme.

Singtel, Singapore’s leading telecommunications provider, has teamed up with KVH Industries to provide satellite-based broadband maritime connectivity for shipping and the maritime sector across the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia’s space agency, Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN), has announced that it intends to launch an indigenous space launch vehicle (SLV) by 2040 with the ability to insert a 1-ton satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), according to SpaceTech Asia.