Space

Intelsat S.A. and Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) have announced that Intelsat has made a strategic investment in AMN. The purpose of the investment is to accelerate the deployment of mobile connectivity to unserved communities across multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the economic and geographic complexities of expanding mobile connectivity …

The Japanese New Space sector has never had it so good, though no one denies that there is much more to do. Investments are up, a robust ecosystem is emerging, and the Japanese government and large trading houses are now supportive of the sector: significant progress when compared to just …

Sky and Space Global (SAS), the New Space narrowband satellite communications company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), has announced that its Pearl nanosatellite has passed a Critical Design Review (CDR) and is now ready for construction and integration. The CDR concluded that the design presented by GomSpace to …

The Indian government’s Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the creation of the Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency, and the Special Operations Division as part of ongoing defence reforms designed to deal with emerging and new threats, according to government sources quoted in the Indian media. All three …

Russian launch provider Eurokot has suggested that its Rokot-2 light launcher could resume service in 2021 now that the launch vehicle uses Russian-made control systems. The last Rokot-2 launch occurred in April 2018 using the last launcher that used Ukrainian-made control systems. SpaceWatch Russia & CIS reported in August 2018 …

The Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has announced that it is postponing the planned engine test of its Korean Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II) rocket engine after a pre-test check found a problem with the engine’s propellant pressurization system. The single-stage rocket with South Korea’s first home-made booster engine was scheduled …

Vietnamese and Japanese officials revealed last week that they expect the Vietnamese radar Earth observation satellite, LOTUSat-1, to be launched sometime in 2019 after years of regulatory and diplomatic delays. The LOTUSat-1 system, estimated to be worth U.S.$301 million, is being paid for using official Japanese development assistance funds and …

The South Korean government announced on 18 October 2018 that the country’s Chollian-2A geostationary meteorological satellite, is expected be launched on 5 December 2018. The multipurpose satellite, developed by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), is set to lift off aboard am Ariane-5 launch vehicle made by Arianespace from the …

Chinese New Space satellite launch company LandSpace is expected to attempt the maiden orbital launch of its Zhuque-1 launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC) in China’s Gobi Desert on 27 October 2018, according to a report by Andrew Jones in GBTimes. If successful, the Zhuque-1 launch will …

Thai New Space entrepreneur James Yenbamroong, the founder and CEO of mu Space, is emerging as perhaps the preeminent New Space advocate, investor, and role model in Southeast Asia. He has articulated an exciting and bold space vision, is building a solid and cutting edge venture in the form of …