Middle East

Yahsat has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the mobile satellite services operator Thuraya, also based in the UAE, subject to final pre-closing conditions being met. The acquisition of the UAE’s first home grown satellite operator, Thuraya, will significantly expand Yahsat’s current satellite solutions portfolio for both commercial and government verticals, as well as its global footprint.

A new satellite Earth observation company which promises to deliver real-time video of the Earth ‘enhanced by machine intelligence’ has received the backing of Bill Gates, OneWeb’s Greg Wyler, Airbus and Japan’s Softbank.

The small satellite revolution is in full swing. It is on the menu at every conference. It is on our newsfeeds. It is the talk of the industry. The last couple of years have heralded a true breakthrough for the small satellite as news has poured in of new constellations in development and emerging operators looking to use small satellites to drive innovation and cater for emerging applications. With manufacturing prices tumbling and increasingly sophisticated technology and propulsion systems becoming reality for the smallsat, this is a phenomenon that is surely set for longevity. However, there is one rather large problem looming and that is the shortage of rides into space. Yes, you have a satellite but how do you find a vehicle to get it where it needs to go?

Algeria's ALCOMSAT-1 communications satellite is operational in its orbital slot four months after its launch from China. A handover ceremony was held earlier in April 2018 at the Algerian satellite control centre that will handle all ALCOMSAT-1 operations between Algerian officials and engineers and executives from China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) who built and launched the satellite.

Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at MBRSC and Head of the Higher Committee of the UAE Astronaut Programme, also commented, “The UAE Astronaut Programme is a unique programme carefully crafted to establish the UAE as one of the frontrunners in the global race for space. Through this programme, we are hoping to inspire a new generation of Emirati nations through space exploration and innovation and enable them to contribute to the future of our great country.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France have entered into an executive programme space agreement signed in France during the visit to Paris by Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Nasser Saidi, one of the Middle East's preeminent economists and a former government minister for economics and finance in Lebanon, has said that Arab countries should embrace China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to include participation in and contributions to China's Tiangong space station as well as the Space and Digital Silk Roads.

PTScientists has signed Red Bull Media House as the exclusive media partner for Mission to the Moon, enabling them to bring the world on their journey to the Moon. The announcement was made at MIPTV in Cannes, one of the largest trade shows for TV and media.

Earth-i has released the first video taken by VividX2, the technology prototype for its Vivid-i constellation. Launched on 12 January 2018, VividX2 is the world’s first commercial satellite able to provide full-colour video of life on earth. Weighing 100kg and measuring approximately 1 cubic metre, VividX2 is orbiting at 505km above the Earth and travelling at approximately 7km per second. At the heart of the satellite is an Ultra High Definition (UHD) camera that captures high-resolution images for any location on Earth – and also films up to two minutes of video at a time as it passes over each target location.

China has opened its first overseas centre to promote its Beidou satellite navigation system (BDS) in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, on 10 April 2018.