Asia Pacific

The 16th Edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), a biennial exhibition/conference, officially commenced on 23rd May 2023 in Langkawi (Malaysia) after a covid break. An exhibition traditionally focused on defence and military applications of aerospace and maritime is no stranger to displays of missiles, gun and automatic weapon prototypes and drones.

Nelco, an Indian satellite communications provider, has invested around $122 million in Piscis Networks, a network equipment start-up based in Mumbai, to bolster its services amid a growing competitive threat from international players. Nelco said in a stock exchange filing that it had bought an initial stake of just over 9% in Piscis Networks. Under the deal, Nelco can increase its stake to 30%. 

Black Ops is our bi-monthly appointment with space geopolitics. This new series sees as visitor guest Dr. Namrata Goswami in dialogue with chief editor Dr. Emma Gatti. 

Arianespace has announced the signature of a launch contract for the Earth observation satellite Kompsat-6 (KOrean Multi-Purpose SATellite-6) for the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The launch company will subsequently deliver the satellite to orbit with the European light launcher Vega C from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in December 2024.

The Maldives hosted its first ever space conference last month. The Space for Island Nations Conference 2023, or ‘SINC’ for short. Of course the name ‘SINC’ was chosen with a wink. Small island nations are in trouble. As the flattest country on Earth (an average of 1.2 metres above sea level and only 0.4% of land area), the threat posed to the Maldives by climate change has been known for decades.

New Zealand has launched its national space policy, outlining the increasing geopolitical risks associated with space and the urgency to work with like-minded partners to protect the country’s national security. The Policy also set out New Zealand’s values and high-level objectives for space activities. The policy outlines the New Zealand Government’s objectives for growing an innovative and inclusive space sector, protecting and advancing its national security and economic interests.

China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station on Tuesday, putting a civilian into orbit for the first time as it pursues plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade, according to Times of India. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has successfully completed the second of two dedicated Electron launches to deploy a constellation of tropical cyclone monitoring satellites for NASA. The "Coming To A Storm Near You" launch lifted-off on May 26 at 15:46 NZST (03:46 UTC) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula, deploying the final two CubeSats of NASA’s TROPICS constellation to orbit.

Black Ops is our bi-monthly appointment with space geopolitics. This new series sees as visitor guest Dr. Namrata Goswami in dialogue with chief editor Dr. Emma Gatti

ispace, inc. has announced today that it has reviewed and completed the analysis of the flight data from its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 landing sequence on April 26, 2023.