Space

Spare a thought this Christmas for researchers hunkered down on their Polarstern icebreaker, adrift in the frozen Arctic Ocean. Subjected to temperatures as low as -45 C and the perpetual darkness of the polar winter, they are willing participants in MOSAiC - the world's largest and longest polar research expedition.

Plastimo, a major international player in the boating industry, and Sigfox, the world's leading IoT service provider and first global 0G network operator, have joined forces to offer total geolocation coverage across all oceans from 2020.

Ethiopia’s first Earth observation satellite, the Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS-1), was successfully launched on board a Chinese Long March 4B satellite launched vehicle from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on 20 December 2019.

CGI announced on 18 December 2019 the completion of the previously announced acquisition by its wholly owned indirect subsidiary CGI Group Holdings Europe Limited of the entire issued and to be issued share capital of SCISYS.

Japanese satellite and space industry giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced that an MHI H-IIA satellite launch vehicle will send Japan's eighth Intelligence Gathering System (IGS) reconnaissance satellite into orbit from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwest Japan, on 27 January 2020.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announced on 17 December 2019 that Gilat’s In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA) is the first-ever to operate during flight on a commercial aircraft, thus well positioning Gilat to win the vast opportunities in the fast changing market of ESA.

Argentinian commercial Earth observation company Satellogic announced on 19 December 2019 that it has raised U.S.$50 million in at least its second investment round.

By Ralph Thiele Part One of this essay was published on 21 December 2019 and can be found here. … open for business Large companies and start-ups are using space as a business model, as it enables them to offer new services or generate key data for processing and commercialisation …

At the 74th UN General Assembly on 5 November 2019, Germany voted on four draft resolutions on arms control in space. This commentary provides information on how and with what intention the vote was taken, and why space weapons play a central role in this matter.

Satellites are a critical infrastructure. They enable television, internet, telecommunications, energy, trade, and financial networks to function. As access to space gets cheaper, the commercial sector continues to grow its presence in space.