Asia Pacific

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has launched its 45th Electron rocket, successfully deploying a fourth synthetic aperture radar satellite to Synspective’s Earth-observation constellation. "Owl Night Long", a dedicated mission for Synspective, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The mission delivered a single spacecraft, the StriX-3 satellite, to a 561km Sun Synchronous Orbit, where it joined Synspective’s growing constellation.

ispace Technologies U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.) has signed a payload services agreement with Rhea Space Activity (RSA) to deliver autonomous guidance and navigation technology to lunar orbit aboard ispace-U.S.’s Mission 3 scheduled for 2026. The agreement will consequently foster collaboration to test RSA’s Jervis Autonomy Module (JAM), a novel autonomous navigation technology which recently received funding through a grant from NASA’s TechFlights Program.

China has turned in its submission to the Working Group of Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS). The Working group invited member states to submit their inputs towards the Group's mandates and purposes. The submission emphasized the importance of the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty in directing any member-state activity regarding the lunar surface, particularly lunar space resources. 

Thaicom Public Company Limited (Thaicom) has selected Astranis to provide THAICOM-9, the newest addition to Thaicom’s fleet of high-throughput satellites at 119.5 degrees East. Thaicom’s subsidiary, Space Tech Innovation Limited (STI) and Astranis have signed an agreement for an Astranis MicroGEO satellite to provide Ka-band services over Asia, with an option for expanded coverage through future satellites.

If the space-tech industry was lumbering towards the launchpad in January ($475m globally), then February was liftoff: space-tech startups raised a whopping $1.7b in funding in February.The month was bolstered by a massive $932m public-private investment into China’s Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), but also featured a $355m investment into RocketLabs (US) and a €85m investment into UnseenLabs (France). These megadeals join 30 smaller deals in a historically strong month for spacetech startups worldwide.

On the 26th of January 2024, 118 marine conservation and environmental organizations signed a petition asking Iridium to stop producing their Short Burst Data (SBD) modules, real-time GPS tracking devices, because such service is used in dFADs, short for drifting fish aggregating devices, fishing tools scientifically proven to be environmentally harmful. Iridium’s answer acknowledged the potential issue, but declined the criticism. Whether the responsibility lies in the hands of the satellite tracking service providers, or with wholesale satellite network operators such as Iridium, it’s the first crack in a canvas painted by a domain that refuses to accept and take action upon a bitter reality: Space-based technology is dual-use in every sense, and the extreme efficiency and power of our services can, is and will be used for crimes against the environment, if not thoroughly regulated.

Iridium Communications Inc. has announced that the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of Defense (MOD) has adopted Iridium connectivity for strategic use within its military operations. The ROK Army will consequently leverage a full suite of Iridium products and services to enhance operations, including real-time position-tracking capabilities for soldiers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has disclosed the four Indian astronauts that will fly to low-Earth orbit as part of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan mission, which will be the first crewed Indian space mission. The Gaganyaan mission envisages the demonstration of Indian human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth by landing in Indian sea waters. The Prime Minister made the announcement while visiting the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Airbus Defence and Space SAS ("Airbus") and mu Space and Advanced Technology Co, Ltd ("mu Space") have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on potential future Thailand small satellite missions. This MoU outlines the terms and conditions for their cooperation and the key principles that would govern their relationship for the establishment of the Project. Both parties consequently believe that their combined expertise can lead to successful collaboration in the field of advanced space technology.

In this Space Café Radio Geopolitics, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Prof Kazuto Suzuki about Japan's SLIM mission, which landed on the moon successfully. They discuss the purpose and challenges of the mission, as well as the geopolitical implications and future plans for Japan's involvement in lunar exploration.