Earth observation

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a large constellation of Earth observation nanosatellites to provide persistent overhead reconnaissance and ballistic missile early warning over countries and areas of concern to Israeli national security, as a supplement to Israel’s existing satellite reconnaissance capabilities and U.S. ballistic missile early warning satellites. According …

The Australian Space Agency has formally entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with counterpart agencies in Canada and the United Kingdom, as part of the Australian coalition government’s plan to launch a vibrant new space industry in Australia. These MoU’s will help all three nations develop their respective space programs …

By Dr. Vasilis Zervos and Christopher Gorham The benefits of space to the Middle East and North Africa region are undeniable, yet there is no single representative body to champion the sector. The near total inexistence of coordination or even collaboration has resulted in calls for the creation of a …

Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has released its space exploration roadmap that sets out a path for Australian space industry and research organizations to more fully support and participate in international space science and exploration initiatives, particularly international efforts to reestablish a human presence on the Moon. …

France hopes to sell a high-resolution Earth observation satellite to Uzbekistan when President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on 9 October 2018. If the satellite deal is made, then it will be the culmination of many months of effort by French satellite …

Russia will launch the EgyptSat-A Earth observation satellite on a Soyuz-2.1B space launch vehicle on 27 December 2018, according to Russian press reports. The December date is a month later than the one cited in earlier reports in early September, though no reason has been given for the revised date. …

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) and Airbus Defence and Space have signed a statement of intent that commits the European satellite manufacturer to enhancing the capability and competitiveness of the Australian space and satellite industrial sector. This is the first statement of intent signed between the ASA and an industry …

Arianespace has announced that it will launch THEOS-II, the very-high-resolution Earth observation optical satellite for Thailand, and KOMPSAT-7 for the Korean Aerspace Research Institute (KARI), in two separate launches on the new Arianespace Vega-C launch vehicle in 2021. The THEOS-II launch agreement is part of a turnkey contract between Airbus …

China’s Institute of Aerospace Information Research has helped ten countries install virtual ground stations in order to receive remote sensing data, it was announced last week. A virtual ground station (VGS) is a suite of computers, software, and communication links that connect a remote user to the physical ground stations …

The governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are considering the joint construction and operation of a communications satellite, and are also looking at proposing a Central Asian Earth observation satellite constellation consisting of five satellites. The Kazakh Ministry of Defense and Aerospace Industry revealed the joint communications satellite proposal at a …