Russia&CIS

The Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos, and the Turkish Space Agency are reported to be in advanced discussions over a formal bilateral space cooperation agreement, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The Chinese government has started an initiative to promote greater use of its BeiDou global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in Central Asian countries for applications such as precision farming, transportation, and disaster relief and management.

Kazakhstan has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with Turkey in order to collaborate on space launch out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, according to an official from the Aerospace Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry.

Azerbaijan's state space company, AzerCosmos Open Joint Stock Company (OJSC), posted revenues of U.S.$30.2 million for the period January-September 2019, an increase of 81 per-cent for the same period in 2018, according to Azerbaijani press reports.

In its new survey titled, “Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Prospects to 2028”, Euroconsult forecasts that the market for data and services derived from Earth observation (EO) satellites is expected to grow by 9.4 percent each year for the next ten years for a total upside market value of $12.1 billion by 2028.

During an intense week of the 70th annual International Astronautical Congress in Washington D.C. in which all space players gathered to discuss the development and progress of space in its various features, SpaceWatch.Global’s Ksenia Synkova had the chance to interview Dmitry Loskutov, Director General of Glavkosmos about its key activities, international collaborations, and future plans.

Glavkosmos, the Russian launch services and satellite company, has expressed an interest in building and launching Bangladesh’s second communications satellite, Bangabandhu-2, according to several Bangladeshi press reports.

Kazakhstan and Belarus have extended their 2017 space cooperation agreement, and have committed to exchanging satellite imagery with each other.

Government ministers from Armenia and Georgia met recently to discuss a range of economic and technical cooperation proposals, among them satellite communications.

Azercosmos and CaspianSat, the company that offers offshore telecommunication services, signed a partnership agreement.