Russia&CIS

Russia and other independent republics of the former Soviet Union enjoy a proud and impressive space heritage, from Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin to the Mir Space Station and the unparalleled launch record of Baikonur Cosmodrome.

In what might be an election ploy or a signal of a growing space race, President Vladimir Putin announced plans for Russia to go to Mars in 2019 despite funding difficulties and a poor Russian track record for Martian exploration. Plans for this Mars mission come after 15 unsuccessful and …

A media collective called Kloop Media in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, has started a Cubesat programme exclusively for Kyrgyz girls and women. Kloop Media started the programme in an effort to address widespread discrimination, misogyny, and even physical abuse against women in Kyrgyzstan by raising awareness …

The Russian military plans to modernise its operations with the use of satellites. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement just two weeks after the U.S. Air Force announced that America must be prepared for space warfare. In his remarks last week speaking on a conference call with representatives of the Russian rocketry and space industries, Shoigu stressed that Russia must deploy a modern orbital constellation of military satellites to support its army and navy. "Only with support from space will it be possible for the Armed Forces to reach maximum effectiveness,” he said. “Therefore, we are paying special attention to this area,".

Facing financial problems and an uncertain future, Israel’s Spacecom is now looking abroad to expand its satellite communications business. An announcement posted by the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) reports that talks were held between its head, Pavlo Dehtiarenko, and David Pollack, Spacecom CEO, in Kyiv late last month. …

A source within the Iranian communications industry revealed to Trend News in late December 2017 that Iran would continue to utilize Azerbaijan’s AzerSky satellite. The source further stated that the two countries have discussed the possibility for increased cooperation regarding satellite operations during 2018. The AzerSky satellite was sold to …

Angosat-1, Angola’s first communications satellite has re-established contact with its ground station in Luanda. The contact was confirmed by ANGOP (Agencia Angola Press) via a telephone call with the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information technology, Manual Homan. Homan said that it was normal for such an event to …

Russian satellite manufacturer, RSC Energia, has confirmed via its website that contact has been lost with Angosat-1, Angola’s first communications satellite. The satellite was successfully launched on 26 December on a Zenit rocket from Baikonour and contact was initially established but then lost as it made its way to its …

The satellite launch industry is making great strides and advancements, but as a market sector is riddled with inefficiencies that are a drag for both the launch industry and for satellite manufacturers. Enter Andrey Maksimov, based in the UAE, and Andrei Rebrov, based in New York, who have created the company Precious Payload that promises to erase these market inefficiencies, revolutionise the launch industry, and help kick-start the New Space Economy.