Asia Pacific

Japan’s Space One has declared that it will begin commercial launch operations in 2022, revealing an ambitious agenda for a company entering a very crowded regional and international market.

On Friday, 29 June 2018, Filipino Cubesat, Maya-1, started its journey to orbit when it was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Falcon-9 CRS 15 rocket. The cubesat will be deployed into orbit from the ISS in early August 2018.

In order to accelerate its priorities, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) has selected Airbus as partner for its next-generation national geo-information system.

Filipino company Bambu Wireless will use the Eutelsat-172 Satellite to provide broadband, maritime, and government connectivity services throughout the Philippines.

Taking the best of both company offerings, Planet and Airbus have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new range of satellite imagery products.

Pakistan is set to have its indigenously-built Earth observation satellite, PakTES-1A, as well as its Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS)-1, launched by China in July 2018 in a bid to catch up with its geopolitical rival, India.

Cyber security company Symantec has identified a Chinese hacking group (also called an Advanced Persistent Threat – APT) known as Thirp, which the company believes has the ability, potentially, to take over the computers of satellite communications operators in Southeast Asia and the United States that control their satellites.

Thai New Space company, mu Space Corporation, has approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a manufacturer to build the company’s satellite with coverage spanning across Asia-Pacific.

Sky and Space Global (SAS), the UK-Israeli New Space company registered on the Australian Stock Exchange, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese company Beijing Commsat Technology Development Co. in order to tap the massive Chinese Internet of Things (IoT) market.

Thailand’s mu Space has announced that it has secured an orbital slot and spectrum for its proposed communications satellite, planned for launch in 2020 by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The mu Space satellite is expected to provide satellite broadband throughout Southeast Asia.