Middle East

Iran’s ICT Minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, and his Iraqi counterpart have called for broadening joint cooperation in space and information technology (IT) after a meeting on 22 January 2019. In the meeting, Iranian ICT Minister Jahromi pointed to the country’s achievements in the fields of space and the construction …

China has agreed to grant U.S.$72 million for the EgyptSat-2 Earth observation satellite programme under a contract signed on 21 January 2019. This is the third grant provided by China to Egypt for the satellite project, with an initial grant of U.S.$23 million given in 2016, and a second grant …

Officials from the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos have indicated that the first Emirati human spaceflight mission will take place in September to October 2019 and will last eight days, a change from the initial plan to send the UAE’s first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in April …

It has been announced that the UAE Space Agency is building three satellites that will help to address climate change and other scientific challenges. The news broke during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where the focus of the event is to further our understanding of the major social, economic and technology …

Sky and Space Global Ltd. (SAS), the Australian Stock Exchange-listed narrowband satellite communications company, announced on 21 January 2019 that it has signed a Reseller Memorandum of Understanding with Global Telesat SL and a Trial Service Agreement with Telespazio Brasil S/A. Global Telesat is a global communications company based in …

The UAE Space Agency (UAESA) has launched a National Plan for the Promotion of Space Investment aiming to increase domestic and foreign investment in the UAE space sector. The initiative promises to transform the nation into a regional hub for commercial space activities and advanced research and development. It also …

Days after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defiantly declared that Tehran will launch several satellites using indigenous launch vehicles over “the coming weeks,” Iran followed through on its promise by attempting to launch its Payam-e Amirabir-1 Earth observation microsatellite on 15 January 2019, using a Simorgh satellite launch vehicle. The launch …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant note on 11 January 2019 when he countered the U.S. threat of consequences should his government carry out the launch of two satellites using an Iranian satellite launch vehicle. “Today, our rockets are defensive means and a source of our pride. We will …

As Iran makes preparation to launch three satellites using Iranian launch vehicles, the United States has warned Tehran not to conduct the launches and condemned the Iranian space programme as a deceptive measure that in reality is designed to help build long-range ballistic missiles. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo …

Ben-Gurion University (BGU) researchers in Israel have developed a new satellite imaging system that could revolutionize the economics and imagery available from space-based cameras and even Earth-based telescopes. “This is an invention that completely changes the costs of space exploration, astronomy, aerial photography, and more,” says Angika Bulbul, a BGU …