Space

The United States National Space Council was re-established by President Donald J. Trump in 2017 after ceasing operations in 1993. The Council works to develop a strategy for national space activities and also to foster co-operation with other countries and space agencies in order to advance the U.S. space agenda and to share information.

Britain has officially withdrawn from the European Union’s (EU) Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) because of fears that the UK will have no influence over the technological and policy direction of the satellite project after the country leaves the EU early in 2019.

Yahsat, the UAE’s leading commercua satellite communications operator, officially launched its Ka-band satellite broadband service in Brazil in November 2018. The arrival of Yahsat in Brazil will assist in addressing the country’s shortage of reliable Internet connectivity that traditionally relies on terrestrial Internet connectivity.

Konnect Africa, an initiative of the satellite operator Eutelsat dedicated to satellite broadband on the African continent, announced on 28 November 2018 the launch of its Internet access offers throughout the Congolese territory.

China’s leading WiFi Internet sharing company, LinkSure announced that it will build its LinkSure Satellite Network Project comprising the LinkSure Swarm Constellation System, and said that the company’s first satellite, LinkSure-1, is to be launched in 2019.

The United States National Space Council was re-established by President Donald J. Trump in 2017 after ceasing operations in 1993. The Council works to develop a strategy for national space activities and also to foster co-operation with other countries and space agencies in order to advance the U.S. space agenda and to share information.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announced on 26 November 2018 that it is designing a low cost 35 kilogram lunar communications satellite mission called DoT-4, targeted for a 2021 launch.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV-C43 lifted off at 0957 hrs (IST) on 29 November 2018 from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, and successfully launched India’s Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) and 30 international co-passenger satellites.

Azerbaijan and Australia are reportedly in ongoing discussions regarding collaborative satellite projects, according to a report from Trend News Agency, an Azerbaijani news outlet.

The China Commercial Aerospace Forum (CCAF) 2018, held in Wuhan in late September, was significant for a variety of reasons. Occurring in the latter part of the most dynamic year in Chinese commercial aerospace history, the conference was buzzing with activity and optimism, and saw representatives from both private and government space companies in attendance exchanging ideas and discussing trends.