Middle East

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (1), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Emma Gatti spoke in this first episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Olivia Haider, Board Member of OeWF (Austrian Space Forum) and member of the Mission Support team about the mission, the setup and the goals.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Remco Timmermans, Social Media Specialist for Space, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global. Live from the International Astronautical Congress 2021 in Dubai. Remco is an experienced space business professional, with 15+ years of experience in business analysis, process improvement, corporate

September did not bring us any SPAC merger announcements nor blockbuster triple-digit private financing rounds. On the SPAC front, though, it is worth noting that several previously announced mergers (ArQit, BlackSky, Redwire) secured shareholder approval.

Yahsat has chosen SpaceX to launch its Airbus Defence and Space-built Thuraya 4-NGS next-generation mobile connectivity satellite, the companies announced. The terms of the contract have not been disclosed by either side. Yahsat selected Airbus to develop Thuraya 4-NGS last year. The preliminary design review in June found that the development of the satellite was on schedule.

Nanoracks partnered with Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and launched a new Space AgTech company, StarLab Oasis, Nanoracks announced. The aim of the project is to accelerate the growth of Abu Dhabi’s AgTech ecosystem. The multi-year economic development will grant a commercial space and farming research centre in the city.

From pearl diving to the discovery of oil and gas to exploring space, the UAE has emerged as a force to be reckoned with all its endeavours. The exemplary vision of the nation’s forefathers has been shouldered by its citizens and has in turn catapulted the UAE to reinforce its ability to excel across all domains.

SPAC mergers with space companies made a comeback, with Planet’s and Satellogic’s announced transactions raising almost US$900 million*. Purely private rounds added another US$366 million. Also noteworthy were two public listings in the sector: (1) Seraphim Space Investment Trust raising GBP178.4 million for acquiring stakes held by Seraphim Capital in 15 space companies;

LEOcloud and Ramon.Space partner to build a satellite-hosted cloud, the companies announced. They entered into a partnership to develop satellite-hosted cloud edge computing capabilities for commercial, government and military customers, the companies said.

They will try again: Israel’s SpaceIL, the company that lost the Beresheet satellite on the Moon two years ago, raised $70 million for its second mission in 2024, media reports and SpaceIL said. SpaceIL estimates the total cost of the mission at $100 million.

Yahsat offers 976 million shares for € 0.63 per share, the company said, representing 40% of the company’s share capital; it expects a market capitalization of € 1.54 billion upon listing, the company said. The offering was multiple times oversubscribed, Yahsat said, with “significant demand” from institutional investors, individuals and others in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).