Australian New Space narrowband satellite communications company Sky and Space Global (SAS) has signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cendrawasih Teknologi Nusantara (CTN) to provide SAS’s nanosatellite connectivity services to CTN’s individual and small business customers across Indonesia.

KhalifaSat, the UAE Earth observation system that is also the first Emirati-built satellite, will be launched from Japan on 29 October 2018.

The Japanese government has issued the 2018 policy guidelines for national defence that emphasises the growing threats emanating from China, North Korea, and Russia in the cyberspace and space domains.

As part of a whole-of-government effort, the Japanese government is considering building and launching space-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites to better monitor space debris and anti-satellite threats against Japanese satellites, according to a report in Japan News.

Japanese company Canon Electronics has outlined its plan to become a turnkey space venture that builds and launches rockets from its own space launch site, and building and operating its own Earth observation satellites and selling the satellite imagery on the open market.

Japan is considering building a constellation of microsatellites for maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations over the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan to monitor Chinese maritime and naval activities, especially around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands.

Japanese New Space satellite launch company Interstellar Technologies Inc. is developing the main engine for its Zero launch vehicle and expects to complete that development this year, with the aim of conducting the first engine test in early 2019.

A Japanese government white paper submitted to the Japanese cabinet on 3 August 2018 claims that Japanese companies that invest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that develop employee skills, and result in labour-saving innovations, stand to out-compete their non-AI competitors by up to 20 per-cent in terms of productivity.

Prelaunch preparations are underway to ready KhalifaSat for launch into orbit before the end of the year from a launch facility in Japan aboard a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H-IIA satellite launch vehicle, according to the Director-General of the UAE Space Agency.

Astroscale has reached a key milestone in its quest to develop space debris removal services in order to secure long-term spaceflight and sustainability.