The head of Iran’s Astronautics Research Institute (ARI), Fathollah Ommi, has stated that Iran is “conducting research to send a man to space,” with the intent to be able to act on this research within eight years. Iran’s human spaceflight programme has had a series of fits and starts, most …
Read More »#SpaceWatchME Forecast: INTERGEO 2017, Berlin, Germany
The INTERGEO is evolving. What have been the most important milestones of the trade fair in the last few years and what areas does the event focus on? Since the inaugural event in 1995, INTERGEO has been designed with a view to maintain continuity and further development. From the outset, …
Read More »NASA’s International Internship Programme Offers Opportunities for Israeli, Jordanian, and Emirati STEM Students
The U.S. national space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has announced that its NASA I2 international internship and fellowship programme is offering opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students from 13 countries, including Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. The internship and fellowship programme is an opportunity for …
Read More »#SpaceWatchME Op’Ed: Why the New Space Race Must Focus On Sustainability
As Earth’s orbits become more crowded due to more countries entering the space domain and the emergence of large commercial constellations, the challenge of sustaining space as an environment in which Earth can continue to derive all of the advantages of satellite increases. In a blog post originally authored for …
Read More »#SpaceWatchME Interviews: Meir Moalem of Sky and Space Global
It is just over two months since SpaceWatch Middle East last spoke to Meir Moalem, CEO and Managing Director of Sky and Space Global (SAS). In that time, the company has come through a period of in-orbit testing of its 3 Diamonds satellites and, just last week, achieved a successful …
Read More »UAE Space Agency Discusses Collaboration With The International Astronautical Federation
A UAE Space Agency delegation, led by Chairman H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, met with the President of the International Astronautical Federation, Dr. Jean-Yves Le Gall, to discuss a range of opportunities for collaboration in space science, research and education. H.E. Al Falasi also highlighted the UAE’s interest in …
Read More »Breakthrough Listen Detects Repeating Fast Radio Bursts from the Distant Universe
Breakthrough Listen – the initiative to find signs of intelligent life in the universe – has detected 15 fast radio bursts emanating from the mysterious “repeater” FRB 121102. Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are brief, bright pulses of radio emission from distant galaxies. First detected with the Parkes Telescope in …
Read More »UAE Space Agency Discusses Challenges and Solutions On First Day of ICAO/UNOOSA Aerospace Symposium
Senior UAE Space Agency officials have delivered speeches on issues related to the space and aerospace sectors at a joint event held by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Held in Vienna, Austria, from August 29 to 31, the three-day …
Read More »#SpaceWatchME Op’Ed: UAE’s Mars Ambitions – A Middle East Trailblazer
The UAE’s mission to Mars and its proposed Martian colony to be established by 2117 have garnered many headlines around the world. What is less known, however, are the critical economic and societal drivers behind these ambitious projects that are vital to the prosperity of the UAE well into the …
Read More »Angola Enacts Its First Space Strategy for 2016-2025
Angola published its first space strategy in May 2017 containing highly ambitious measures to make use of space technologies, services, and products for the social and economic development of the country and reinforce Angola’s regional and international positioning. Angola’s space strategy establishes the main pillars and measures for state activities …
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