Earth observation

There are no borders seen from space…that such beauty can be discerned from a part of the world – the Cradle of Civilization – where so much tragedy and suffering occurs is perhaps the cruelest of ironies. From space the political unrest in Egypt, the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians …

A senior US government official has announced that the United States should like to enter in to space security dialogues with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in the coming months. Speaking at the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on 14 April 2016, the US Assistant Secretary of …

With an imminent satellite deal with Egypt, France is set to become the satellite manufacturer of choice for Middle East countries. John B. Sheldon, Chairman and President of ThorGroup GmbH, analyzes the geopolitical implications of this important deal. French President Francois Hollande and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi are expected to …

The first Disrupt Space summit was held on 7-8 April 2016. Over the course of two days, 200 top entrepreneurs and decision makers from across the world came to Bremen, Germany, to solve global industry and sustainability challenges using space proposed by select international organizations and participated in high-level workshops …

Reports suggest that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to announce the creation of the Turkish Space Agency within the next three months. The Turkish Space Agency will be located in the town of Kazan near the capital Ankara, and will be a joint responsibility of the Turkish military’s …

During a press conference on 12 April 2016 with journalists on his flight to the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, United States, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said that Daesh are being hit hard by coalition operations, to include so-called “cyber bombs” and by the use …

Shared views on the Muslim Brotherhood and Syria’s civil war saw the two countries join sides. But now a new interest binds them: reconnaissance capabilities – and Turkey’s earth observation satellites have never been as attractive. But does this defence cooperation have a space component? And what does such a …

By John B. Sheldon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is expected to sign a US$1.2 billion arms deal with French President François Hollande when the leader of France visits Cairo on April 18, according to French newspaper La Tribune. Among the items in the deal is a military communications …

In recent weeks, the Russian Government has provided Algerian and Tunisian authorities with intelligence and military aid to strengthen counterterrorism efforts in the fight against Islamic State terrorists operating in the region. The counterterrorism aid package includes the supply of Russian high-resolution satellite imagery of key Algerian border crossings with …

A Russian press report dated March 16 suggests that Roscosmos, the Russian state corporation responsible for space activities, has offered launch services to Morocco’s Royal Centre for Remote Sensing, should the North African country seek to “resume” its remote sensing satellite programme. The Russians launched Morocco’s Maroc-TubSat from the Baikonur …