Space

Kazakhstan has revealed that it intends to stand up and establish its own satellite manufacturing capabilities and industry with the aim of being able to build and launch its own communications and Earth observation satellites, as well as scientific and technological testbed spacecraft.

The first satellite of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), named Napa-1, is expected to be launched on board an Arianespace Vega satellite launch vehicle on 24 March 2020.

The cover on the CHEOPS space telescope was opened successfully on 29 January 2020. It is now being tested for precision and its first images are being produced.

Edinburgh-based satellite launch company Skyrora held successful ground tests on its 3D printed 30kN (kilonewton) liquid bi-propellant rocket engine in late January 2020.

OneWeb, the UK-headquartered global satellite communications company, is scheduled to launch its second batch of 34 satellites on 6-7 February 2020 on board a Soyuz 2.1B satellite launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket with Sun Explorer Solar Orbiter is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 7-8 February 2020. RUAG Space is supplying the thermal insulation, the structure of the satellite, and the on-board computer.

By Raphael Roettgen - We are only one month into the new decade and, while we have not yet seen the SpaceX/BlueOrigin/OneWeb type mega financing rounds of 2019, this month has brought over U.S.$280 million in disclosed financing transactions in the space sector.

The space agencies of the United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), convened the UAE/Luxembourg Space Investment Forum on 29 January 2020 in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE.

Eutelsat Communications’ EUTELSAT 7C satellite has entered full commercial service and is ready to support broadcast customers across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Turkey.

Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall was in Athens for the France-Greece space industry day organized by CNES, the French Embassy in Greece, and the Greek authorities, on 31 January 2020.