Space Economy

SpeedCast, a global satellite communications and network service provider, has been appointed by NEDA Telecommunications to build a satellite-connected secured private network for one of the ministry offices of the Government of Afghanistan. Founded in 2003, NEDA is the first licensed Internet service provider in Afghanistan. Under this multi-year service agreement, SpeedCast …

OSN, a pay-TV provider in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed a contract with Eutelsat in order to ramp up capacity for new High Definition (HD) channels as well as the introduction of Ultra HD services. Under the agreement, signed on the first day of Dubai’s annual Cabsat event, …

ABS has been granted landing rights from the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to operate its first satellite in Brazil. Operating on both C and Ku bands, the ABS-3A satellite will serve a range of verticals including mobile backhaul, rural broadband, video, oil and gas, and mobility applications. ABS-3A, an all-electrical propulsion …

The Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organisation (DOS/ISRO) and the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. This MOU will enable the pursuit of potential areas of interest in both cooperative …

SkyFi, an Israel-based technology start-up, has raised US$3 million in its first round of fundraising to create worldwide internet access through a network of 60 satellites which cost, in total, less than one conventional satellite. SkyFi has developed patented technology to reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit and …

Proliferation of military satellite applications breeds dependency which, in turn, leads to adversaries developing counterspace capabilities. With the Middle East pushing ahead with space ambitions, a flurry of space weapons seems inevitable. As the space arms race peaks, how long will it take before warfare in space begins? By John …