Asia Pacific

HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced today it has received a $12.25 million contract from the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to share satellite RF data, analytics and training with partner nations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. HawkEye 360 will use SeaVision, a multinational data-sharing platform, to share unclassified information to improve maritime domain awareness.

Qosmosys has announced a seed funding round of US$100 million to expedite its strategic goals and fortify its position as a premier private player in the burgeoning Moon economy. As a result, the Company will leverage the funding for the development of its lunar transportation vehicle, ZeusX, along with complementary technologies aimed at serving a range of lunar applications.

The Karman Project is partnering with the Maldives Space Research Organization (MSRO) and Six Senses Laamu to organize the Karman Week 2023 from November 1st to 5th, 2023. The annual Fellowship Week will feature 15 global space leaders and will consequently mark an important milestone in the Maldives' journey towards establishing a first national space ecosystem.

A special moment took place at the SPACETIDE conference in early July 2023 in Tokyo and online. When Takeshi Hakamada and Masayasu Ishida sat down together to reminisce their humble beginnings, the sentiment was palpable. Both had come a long way: Hakamada-san, Co-Founder & CEO of iSpace (2010), recovering from a Moon hard landing, yet looking forward confidently to the success of their next lunar mission. And Ishida-san, Co-Founder, President & CEO, member of the Board of Directors of the SPACETIDE Foundation (2015) , taking stock of the Foundation’s growth experienced in less than a decade. 

ICEYE, a Finnish microsatellite manufacturer announced on the 26th of October a partnership with Suhora Technologies, an Indian software and geospatial intelligence company. The partnership will allow Suhora access to ICEYE’s satellite imagery of any location on the planet. It will play a role in providing Suhora’s users with advanced monitoring and analytical geospatial solutions. 

China has successfully launched its Shenzhou-17 mission, carrying three astronauts to its Tiangong space station for a six-month-long mission. The flight crew comprised astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, with Tang Hongbo serving as the commander aboard the Long March 2F Yaoqiu 17 rocket.

The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) and the China National Space Administration have signed a joint declaration on cooperation on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program. The signature, reported by the Belarusian Telegraph Agency, saw the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Vladimir Gusakov, and the Administrator of the China National Space Administration, Zhang Kejian, sign the document for both parties. 

ispace, Inc. has announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has selected it for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant worth up to approximately $80 million (12 billion Yen). The SBIR Project is a large-scale technology demonstration for startup companies in Japan conducting innovative research and development with the purpose of implementing these new technologies. 

The 74th International Astronautical Congress, organized by the IAF and hosted in Baku by Azercosmos, the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was a resounding success, IAF said. After 50 years, the IAC returned to the city of Baku, where it first hosted the 24th International Astronautical Congress in 1973. During the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, warmly welcomed the IAC delegates.

The Airbus-built THEOS-2 Earth observation satellite has been successfully launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) selected Airbus as a partner for its next-generation national geo-information system in 2018.