Space

Alba Orbital Limited, a Glasgow based pioneer of miniaturized satellites, announced on 15 January 2019 the sale of the first two Unicorn-2 PocketQube spacecraft platforms to U.S.-based stealth mode startup, Stara Space. Stara plan to use these two satellites as a proof of concept for an eventual constellation to service other space users with high speed real-time data connection, storage, and computation

Monday 14 January in Dakar, Mary Teuw Niane, Senegal’s Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and Jean-Pascal Le Franc, CNES’s Director of Programming, International and Quality, signed an agreement to step up cooperation between France and Senegal in space.

The UAE Space Agency (UAESA) has launched a National Plan for the Promotion of Space Investment aiming to increase domestic and foreign investment in the UAE space sector.

Thaicom Public Company Limited (Stock Exchange of Thailand: THCOM), a leading Asian satellite operator and provider of integrated satellite end-to-end solutions, today announced that True Visions Group Co., Ltd. one of Asia’s leading pay TV providers, signed a long-term transponder capacity contract for continuing its pay TV service to audiences in Thailand.

Satellogic, the world’s first vertically integrated geospatial analytics company, announced on 15 January 2018 a Multiple Launch Services Agreement (MLA) with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). CGWIC will launch 90 of Satellogic’s spacecraft from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

Sky and Space Global Ltd, the Australian Stock Exchange-listed company specializing in narrowband satellite communications, is pleased to announce it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arycom Capacidade Satelital Ltda. and a MoU with Cobbosseecontee Communications, LLC.

SIAP, the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food - part of the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA) - has signed a declaration of intent with the UK Space Agency to provide historic, statistical and satellite data to support Rezatec's development of a crop yield optimisation tool for Mexican farmers and other supply chain stakeholders.

The head of the Russian Roscosmos state space corporation, Dmitry Rogozin, has approved the timetable and budget for the development of Russia's super-heavy launch vehicle called Yenisei. It is expected that Yenisei will be developed and operational by 2028 at an overall cost of U.S.$15 billion (approximately 1 trillion rubles).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant note on 11 January 2019 when he countered the U.S. threat of consequences should his government carry out the launch of two satellites using an Iranian satellite launch vehicle.

As far as we know, Mars is the only planet populated entirely by robots! Due to the time taken for commands to travel to Mars (eight minutes each way), hand guided robots are limited to travelling only a few dozen metres a day.