Space

Over the course of this coming week, SpaceWatch Middle East is running the first part of a multi-week theme on China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East. Today, as a scene setter, Benjamin Habib and Viktor Faulknor of LaTrobe University in Australia, provide an overview of China’s Belt and Road …

Centuries ago, China and Europe were connected by a number of trade routes across the Eurasian landmass and the Indian Ocean that were later known as the Silk Road. These Silk Roads not only connected the ancient Chinese Middle Kingdom and Medieval Europe, but also connected regions of Eurasia that …

Blockstream, the leader in blockchain and financial cryptography, today announced the availability of Blockstream Satellite, a new service that broadcasts real-time Bitcoin blockchain data from a group of communication satellites in space to almost everyone on the planet. Blockstream Satellite enables further participation in Bitcoin, including the billions of people …

The small satellite is enjoying what has been a re-birth over the past five years and this is culminating in a plethora of new constellations and technological developments that could literally see the satellite industry move onto a new trajectory. Helen Jameson, SpaceWatch Middle East Senior Contributing Editor, takes a …

STATEMENT BY SIMONETTA DI PIPPO DIRECTOR UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS (UNOOSA) Sixtieth session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Vienna, 7-16 June 2017 Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, On behalf of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, I warmly welcome you all to the sixtieth …

For All Moonkind, Inc., announced on July 30, 2017, the formation of an International Advisory Council which will develop and implement the nonprofit organization’s plan to obtain United Nations protection of the six Apollo Lunar Landing Sites and related artifacts. One of the key members of the Advisory Council is …

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has launched its first science summer camp, under the title “Like a Scientist.” The camp targeted students from grade 9 to 12 at UAE schools, who had the opportunity to explore how planetary scientists work through a series of interactive activities, workshops, and …

The Iranian government minister responsible for the space portfolio has stated that he will step down before the start of President Hassan Rouhani’s second term. Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, has been responsible for Iran Space Agency activities as well as negotiations with Russia and other …

On July 13, 2017, Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies passed a law, with near unanimity, regarding the exploration and utilisation of space resources. The new law will enter into force on August 1, 2017. Luxembourg is the first European country to have a legal framework recognising the right to space-based resources that …

Iran launched its Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) into space on Thursday, July 27, 2017, from the Imam Khomeini Space Centre. The Simorgh SLV (Farsi for ‘Phoenix’) was not thought to have carried a payload. The U.S. Air Force’s Joint Space Operations Centre (JSpOC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in …