Entrepreneurship

A leading Australian rocket startup, Gilmour Space Technologies, has been awarded an AUS$3 million (US$2.01 million) federal research grant to work with the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and partners including Treakle Composites on a project to design, develop, and manufacture lightweight, flight ready rocket fuel tanks called cryotanks.

Spaceflight Industries, Inc. announced on 11 February 2020 that it has signed a definitive share purchase agreement with Japan's Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in partnership with Yamasa Co., Ltd. to sell its satellite rideshare launch business, Spaceflight, Inc.

U.S. microsatellite startup Astranis Space Technologies announced a US$90 million financing round to launch its first commercial satellite and build the foundation for the internet infrastructure of the future.

Along the sidelines of local and international events, my colleagues and I at the UAE Space Agency meet with a myriad of official delegations and representatives to discuss opportunities for cooperation and the state of the global space sector.

Germany is taking huge steps to foster the national New Space industry. The Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI – Federation of German Industries) and its Head of Security and Raw Materials, Matthias Wachter, are at the forefront of that process. SpaceWatch.Global’s Torsten Kriening talked with Matthias Wachter about Germany’s role in the global space sector, micro launcher, and spaceports.  

Aerospace firm Ananth Technologies has signed deals to build six foreign-owned satellites in India, a first for a private firm, leveraging the country's low cost base to attract global customers.

Japan is eyeing expanded space cooperation with Malaysia in a bid to deepen diplomatic and economic ties with the Southeast Asian country, and as part of an effort to balance against China's powerful influence through such programmes as its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the region.

Thaicom Public Company Limited has reported progress in its ongoing efforts to migrate customers from Thaicom 5 after the satellite suffered a technical anomaly.

The Indonesian government has appointed a consortium of local companies to operate a broadband telecommunication satellite that will provide comprehensive internet access across the vast archipelago.

Japan's Astroscale Holdings has been selected as the commercial partner for Phase I of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) first debris removal project, a groundbreaking step by Japan to commercialize space debris removal, the company announced 12 February 2020.