Entrepreneurship

Rocket Lab, a commercial space launch company, successfully completed its 10th launch on 6 December 2019 from its launch complex in New Zealand, placing seven small satellites in orbit as well as returning its Electron booster back to Earth.

The team from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala have completed the development of their first satellite under the KiboCUBE programme run by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

As it readies for its first satellite launch next week, Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) announced on 6 December 2019 that it has closed credit facilities totalling U.S.$160 million with a group of financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and GuarantCo.

The UAE has great ambitions in space and is advancing rapidly, reaching impressive milestones all the time. This year, the UAE sent Hazza Al Mansouri, their first astronaut into space and the UAE Space Agency is developing a hyperspectral satellite as well as planning the Emirates Mars Mission.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $50 million financing package on 2 December 2019 with Kacific Broadband Satellites International Limited (Kacific) to provide satellite-based, low cost, high-speed, wholesale broadband internet connections to countries in Asia and the Pacific, especially in remote areas of small island nations in the Pacific, and larger island nations like Indonesia and the Philippines.

On 3 December 2019 the Australian Space Agency (ASA) signed with French aerospace giant Thales Group an agreement to develop Australian space capabilities.

In a world where change is the only constant, leadership is more important than ever. European ministers have strongly endorsed ESA to take this lead, increase its organisational agility,

The ministers responsible for space policy in the European Space Agency (ESA) Member States met in Seville, Spain, on 27-28 November to decide on the priorities of the Agency’s strategy and programmes for the coming years.

Nanoracks, the commercial leader in low-Earth orbit utilization, has sparked accelerated growth for numerous startup companies since 2009, provided educational opportunities, and driven the market for commercial access to space. And this week Nanoracks-Italy is announcing their expansion of this leadership.

The UK Space Agency on 28 November 2019 announced it will invest £374m per year with the European Space Agency (ESA) to deliver international space programmes over the next five years.