The Nigeria Communications Ltd. (NigComSat) company, the operator of the NIGCOMSAT-1R communications satellite, is set to receive U.S.$550 million equity investment from the satellite's manufacturer, China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), the Nigerian Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu told Nigerian newspaper Punch on 2
Read More »Saudi Crown Prince Visits Virgin Galactic in California
The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, visited the facilities of Virgin Galactic at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on 2 April 2018. The Crown Prince and his delegation, which included the Saudi ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, were hosted by Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group, and by George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic.
Read More »Ukraine’s Space Agency Proposes Building Launch Site in Western Australia
The Ukrainian national space agency, the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU), is proposing to build a space launch centre in northwest Australia according to a report published in The West Australian newspaper. The SSAU is proposing that the Western Australian State and Australian Federal Government provide a commercial lease …
Read More »Ukraine Seeks to Build High-Resolution Earth Observation Constellation, Subject to Funds
The proposed national space programme of Ukraine for 2018-2022, and prepared by the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU), could be submitted to the government for consideration in April 2018, according to a source in the Ukrainian space and rocket industry, reports Interfax-Ukraine. “At present, the agency has completed the …
Read More »Thaicom Appoints Anant Kaewruamvongs As New CEO
Thai satellite operator Thaicom announced that it has appointed Anant Kaewruamvongs as its new Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Board.
Read More »Saudi Arabian Delegation Visits UAE Space Agency in Abu Dhabi
The UAE has become a trailblazer in the Arab world in the field of space and satellite technology, an effort that is a part of a wider economic diversification initiative by the UAE government to ween the Gulf Arab state off of its economic dependency on hydrocarbons. It appears that neighbouring Gulf Arab countries are taking note, as a recent visit to the UAE Space Agency by a prominent delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia demonstrates.
Read More »India’s ISRO Loses Contact With GSAT-6A 48Hrs After Launch
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed on 1 April 2018 that it had lost contact with the GSAT-6A communications satellite that had just been launched on 29 March 2018.
Read More »Israel Space Agency Cooperating to Build ULTRASAT In Search of Supernovas
The Israel Space Agency is collaborating with NASA, CalTech, and the Weizmann Institute to develop ULTRASAT in the search for supernovae. The ULTRASAT, or Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite, is a mission which will launch a small satellite carrying a telescope with an unprecedentedly large field of view.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Interviews: Andrei Rebrov of Precious Payload
Precious Payload, the brain child of Russian entrepreneurs Andrei Rebrov and Andrey Maskimov, is aiming to transform the way in which small satellite operators secure their launches. As we heard at Satellite 2018 this year, small satellites are being hit by a launch bottleneck and are mostly reduced to piggybacking on larger satellite launches and settling for what they can get. This can impact negatively on schedules and revenues.
Read More »Bangladesh’s Bangabandhu-1 Communications Satellite Shipped to Florida for Launch Preparations
Bangladesh’s space ambitions are closer to reality. The Bangabandhu-1 communications satellite has been shipped to Florida for its upcoming launch. The satellite’s manufacturer, Thales Alenia Space of France, has sent it from its warehouse in Cannes for arrival on 30 March 2018.
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