Middle East

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, has announced that its subsidiary Wavestream received orders for over U.S.$7 million for the U.S. Army's WIN-T (Warfighter Information Network-Tactical) program.

The 18th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station from SpaceX delivered a historic mission for NanoRacks. NanoRacks, the leading provider of commercial access to low-Earth orbit, transported the materials for the science experiments that will be conducted by the first Emirati astronaut upon his arrival to the International Space Station (ISS) in late September 2019.

During the Space Generation Advisory Council Event in Kuwait, SpaceWatch.Global Editor Chaitanya Gopal had the chance to sit down with Dr. Bassam Alfeeli, the Founder of Orbital Space,  the first private company in the Middle East to provide access to space through CubeSat technology. Here, he talks about his ambitions for the company and his goal of building a space programme in Kuwait.

On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, we couldn't think of a better feature than SpaceWatch.Global's Editor, Chaitanya Gopal's interview with  Dr. John Mankins of the Moon Village Association (MVA) to discuss the ways in which this NGO is looking at the best ways of establishing a community on Earth's closest neighbour. Enjoy this insight!

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has put out a call for creative entries of poems, short stories and drawings to be selected to travel with Hazzaa Al Mansoori, the first Emirati Astronaut, on his mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The NSLSat-1 satellite was successfully launched on Friday 5 July by EXOLAUNCH on the Soyuz 2.1b launch vehicle from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia, into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). AAC Clyde Space has since made contact with spacecraft from their Glasgow based ground station, with spacecraft systems performing as planned.

The Vega rocket delivering the Falcon Eye 1 earth observation satellite to space for the UAE, has suffered what has been described as a "major anomaly", resulting in the loss of both the rocket and the satellite.

Firefly Aerospace has announced that it has signed an Intellectual Property and Engineering Support Agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for technology based on its Beresheet Lunar Lander. Firefly Aerospace is one of the nine companies selected by NASA to participate in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver science payloads to the surface of the Moon.

Virgin Galactic (VG) and Social Capital Hedosophia (SCH), a public investment vehicle sponsored by Social Capital and Hedosophia, announced that the boards of directors of each company have approved a definitive agreement under which the companies will merge,

The United Arab Emirates will launch the Falcon Eye-1 satellite into orbit on Saturday, 6 July 2019, at the French Guiana Space Centre at 05:53 UAE time (01:53:03 GMT).