Asia Pacific

Good morning from day two of the Space for Island Nations Conference at Maldives. Today we start by looking at what it takes to develop a space economy in emerging space nations. We will also look at the unique geography of Maldives, zooming into the opportunities offered by the equatorial location of the country. Then after lunch which we will take a sneak peek to the future of deep space exploration, under the theme 'From Sand to Stars', supported by Breakthrough Initiatives director Dr. Pete Worden. Keep following this unique event here at SpaceWatch.Global and on your favourite social media channels! #SINC2023

We have reached the end of day one of the Space for Island Nations Conference 2023, and what a day it has been! The theme today was the challenges of island nations and solutions from space. We were honoured to learn about these challenges firsthand from carbon-neutral advocate and former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed. The following keynotes and panels highlighted different topics related to these challenges and the solutions that space can provide, like spatial planning, food and water security, disaster preparedness, the climate crisis, and biodiversity. We are looking forward to day two of the conference tomorrow! Keep following our Remco Timmermans here and on your favorite social media channels under the hashtag #SINC2023!

The MSRO brought the space community to the Maldives to learn about the challenges of island nations and the solutions that space can provide. We talked to Mariyam Shizna, the director of the National Disaster Management Authority of the Maldives, who gave us some unique insights of how space can support her work in disaster risk assessment and recovery on 128 vulnerable, inhabited islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

The Maldives Space Research Organisation (MSRO) has inaugurated the first day of the Space for Island Nations Conference (SINC), taking place from 2 to 5 May 2023 at Crossroads Maldives. SINC is a 4-day event that welcomes around 150 delegates from around the world to discuss climate resilience, the blue ocean economy, and space policy development for island nations.

Welcome to the first edition of the Space for Island Nations Conference, the first-ever space conference in the Maldives! Today we’ll look at the solutions that space can bring to the challenges of island nations like the Maldives. Follow us here on SpaceWatch.Global for live impressions, interviews, and highlights throughout the week! #SINC2023

Welcome to our special reports from a special space event: the inaugural Space for Island Nations Conference, held here at the Maldives, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Starting tomorrow, we will look at how space benefits the people of the world's island nations. Space supports these often vulnerable parts of the world in their fight against the effects of climate change. Space also provides opportunities for these nations, to develop a space economy and reap the new benefits that the new space economy can offer to students, entrepreneurs and businesses alike. The #SINC2023 conference provides a unique, new angle to space. Follow us this week to find out what this means.

Exotrail has disclosed a new contract with the satellite manufacturer Satrec Initiative to embark on a spaceware™ electric propulsion system for a Korean governmental mission. As a result, within a year, Exotrail will deliver a spaceware™ - micro XL propulsion system engineering model, as well as a flight model for a proof-of-concept mission for an innovative earth observation service aiming to validate the use of Satrec Initiative’s Earth observation platform in LEO.

ispace, inc. has issued an update on the status of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander. The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was scheduled to touchdown on the surface of the Moon at approximately 1:40 a.m. JST. As of 8:00 a.m. JST, April 26, 2023, the communication between the lander and the Mission Control Center is lost, despite expecting it even after the touchdown. As a result, ispace has determined that Success 9 of the Mission Milestones is not achievable.

Kacific has, through its CommsBox, a transportable, all-in-one satellite communications product, received recognition at the 10th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. Kacific won the Gold Stevie® Award for “Achievement in Product Innovation” with CommsBox, which addresses the challenges faced by disaster-prone areas. Users can quickly and easily deploy CommsBox to create a self-contained wireless communication network.

Southern Launch and the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation have partnered and will begin work on permanent world-class space facilities after the Australian Federal Government awarded almost $4.5 million in funding to the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.