Asia Pacific

As this exciting year comes to an end, we would like to thank you, our Readers, for all your interest, feedback and the trust you have placed in us. Thank you to all the existing and new partners! When we started our journey at SpaceWatch.Global four years ago, we did …

Japanese satellite and space industry giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced that an MHI H-IIA satellite launch vehicle will send Japan’s eighth Intelligence Gathering System (IGS) reconnaissance satellite into orbit from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwest Japan, on 27 January 2020. The IGS satellite will carry …

Argentinian commercial Earth observation company Satellogic announced on 19 December 2019 that it has raised U.S.$50 million in at least its second investment round. The latest investment will allow the company to build out more of its planned constellation of a total 90 satellites. Existing Satellogic investors Tencent, of China, …

Taiwan Innovative Space Inc. (TiSPACE) has become the latest company to enter the increasingly crowded, and technically challenging, small satellite launch market.  TiSPACE was established in 2016 by Chen Yen-sen, a 21-year NASA veteran, who was employed by Taiwan’s semi-official National Space Organisation (NSPO) for over a decade. Chen joined …

The newly-appointed French ambassador to Bangladesh has stated that his country is interested in assisting Bangladesh launch its second communications satellite, Bangabandhu-2, during an audience with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in late November 2019. Ambassador Jean-Marin Schuh made the offer at his meeting with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, and …

The U.S. Congress has formally acknowledged India’s NAVIC global navigation satellite system (GNSS) to be an “allied system” in its finalized 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the legislative bill that outlines the U.S. Department of Defense’s budget, policies, and priorities for the coming fiscal year. The acknowledgement of NAVIC …

Kacific1 was launched successfully into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 7.10 pm Eastern Standard Time  (UTC-5) on 16 December 2019 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. It was placed into its target geostationary transfer orbit 33 minutes following initial ignition. Owned by Kacific Broadband …

Recently established Australian ground segment operator Capricorn Space and Japanese Ground Segment as a Service provider Infostellar have signed an agreement that will enable Infostellar customers access to their satellite constellations from the Australian Ground Network – West (AGN-W) site near Mingenew in Western Australia. Established by Capricorn Space to …

The member states of the BRICS economic bloc – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – are in the midst of negotiating a mutually beneficial framework that will allow each country to access certain Earth observation satellites from each other, according to various press reports. The aim, according to …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Prof. Mai’a K. Davis Cross, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Why we don’t understand what a space race means ”, originally published on 7 December 2019 in International Affairs by Oxford …