Space

Addvalue, the Singaporean mobile satellite communications company, has announced that it is partnering with U.S. company Network Innovations Inc. to jointly market Addvalue’s iFleetOne TM maritime satellite communications terminal along with its proprietary Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), the Addvalue iFleetOne VMS TM, to the Northwest American fisheries sector.

Israel’s Space Agency (ISA) and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology announced on 10 October 2018 that they will support the Lunar projects of the SpaceIL organization with up to U.S.$2 million in funding.

Astroscale Japan Inc., an affiliate of Singaporean-Japanese New Space company Astroscale that aims to utilise technology top remove space debris in Earth orbit, has contracted with Russian satellite launch provider Glavkosmos/GK Launch Services to launch its End of Life Services by Astroscale –demonstration (ELSA-d) spacecraft on a Soyuz-2 cluster mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome in early 2020.

Uzbekistan and France have signed a framework agreement on space cooperation during a state visit to Paris by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on 9 October 2018.

A team from the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has successfully completed pre-launch tests in Japan of the Earth observation system KhalifaSat, the first satellite to be entirely built in the UAE by Emirati engineers.

Space industry startup, Space Impulse, has assembled a team of veteran technologists and orbital-class aerospace leaders with a mission to lower costs and accelerate times to orbit by streamlining supply chain integration on a comprehensive, global business-to-business (B2B) platform.

Rocket Lab, the U.S. headquartered New Space launch company with a launch complex in New Zealand, has now also established an assembly facility for its launch vehicles in Auckland, New Zealand. The facility was officially opened by Star Trek actor William Shatner.

The Virgin Group, the parent company of Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, has withdrawn from all discussions over a U.S.$1 billion investment in its space activities with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) following the alleged torture and murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on 2 October 2018.

NASA’s Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway is set to be a staging post in space – a science lab, communications hub, and holding area for robots and rovers and a jumping off point for future deep space transportation.

Pioneering NewSpace company, Satellite Vu, will take part in GITEX Future Stars, the fastest growing start-up event in MENA and Southeast Asia.