Region

Chinese private launch company OneSpace successfully carried out the maiden launch of its rocket, marking the first entry of a private launch company from China into the increasingly crowded global small satellite launch market.

7–8 May 2018, Geneva, Switzerland played host to this years’ Space Security Conference. Entitled ‘Space Security: The Next Chapter’, the events explored the existing framework for space governance in the context of a growing and evolving space industry and with an increasing number of private actors moving into the space domain. Is the current framework sufficient to deal with the new generation of space activities or do changes have to be made? Our very own Torsten Kriening attended the event and caught up with Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and organiser of the event.

The UAE Space Agency's influential Advisory Committee met in late April 2018 to review and assess the activities and developments of the Emirati space programme. This third annual meeting, held in Abu Dhabi, included discussion of current and future space projects, along with methods of further developing the sector’s capabilities in scientific research, space technology, and human capacity.

The US space agency, NASA, has officially launched a project to provide remote sensing data to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, aiding regional environmental and population monitoring as part of a wider effort for sustainable resource management and planning in these countries.

Pakistan has revealed plans for its expanded space programme that includes a second high-resolution Earth observation satellite, a satellite navigation system, and telecommunication links with China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project.

Following its recent £8.4 million contract win from the European Space Agency, Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd has secured its second phase investment of £24 million. Joining the growing club of billionaires such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Greg Wyler who have demonstrated their passion for the high-growth space sector, UK businessman Peter Hargreaves, founder of leading finance and investment services company Hargreaves Lansdown, is investing the money, taking a stake in the iconic Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd. in Cornwall, whose rich 56-year history of achievement in satellite communications is matched by an ambitious future-looking roadmap.

International experts and major space players will converge upon Luxembourg from May 15-16 to attend the 2018 Space Forum. A gathering of European Space Clusters and Tech Valley representatives, space business angels, satellite operators, manufacturers and suppliers, will discuss the latest trends and developments in this dynamic industry. Organized in parallel of ICT Spring, the European tech summit, Space Forum will take place at the European Conference Center Luxembourg, at the very heart of Europe. The organizers have announced an impressive list of international speakers, companies and innovative startups, who will participate to the event.

Inmarsat, a leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced on 9 May 2018 that it, in conjunction with Tillman Digital Cities and CivicConnect, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Smart Africa secretariat to accelerate the development and implementation of public-private partnerships (PPP) with the Smart Africa Alliance.

DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of commercial high-resolution satellite imagery and a subsidiary of Maxar Technologies, has announced the launch of its Rapid Access Program, a service that allows clients to task DigitalGlobe satellites to high-priority targets.

The infrastructure boom across Eurasia is creating its own demand for satellite data and services. In this essay, Dr. John B. Sheldon of ThorGroup GmbH looks at the growing interconnections between satellites and the expanding rail networks across Eurasia. The transformation of the geopolitical and geoeconomic order of Eurasia is perhaps the greatest phenomenon of our time, even with headlines pounding out the steady drumbeat of imminent war in the Middle East and elsewhere.