Earth observation

These personal reviews are being published during the holiday season. This is Carla Sharpe of South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Maxar Technologies, a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, announced on 30 December 2019 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell MDA to a consortium of financial sponsors led by Northern Private Capital (NPC), for CAD$1 billion (U.S.$765 million), subject to customary adjustments.

Chinese researchers have improved the accuracy in detecting space junk in earth's orbit, providing a more effective way to plot safe routes for spacecraft maneuvers.

The World Radio Conference 2019 (WRC-19) in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, took place on 28 October to 22 November 2019. The conference brought together 3500 participants from the ITU membership representing the world of frequency management on this planet. The following commentary is a quick overview of satellite-related WRC-19 decisions.

Beyond space launches, India and the U.S. have started cooperating in the area of Satellite Navigation.

The aim of the OPS-SAT mission, which is being controlled from ESA's European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, is to carry out low-risk tests on space software directly in the course of flight. Until now, such in-orbit tests have been avoided for reasons of reliability.

exactEarth Ltd., a leading provider of satellite-AIS data services, has announced that it has renewed its contract with Antrix Corporation Ltd., the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to provide satellite-AIS data services to the Indian Navy.

Apple is reported to be working on unspecified satellite solutions that could provide direct connectivity to Apple devices around the world, and could improve the accuracy of Apple maps and geolocation services, according to a 20 December 2019 report published by Bloomberg.

Spare a thought this Christmas for researchers hunkered down on their Polarstern icebreaker, adrift in the frozen Arctic Ocean. Subjected to temperatures as low as -45 C and the perpetual darkness of the polar winter, they are willing participants in MOSAiC - the world's largest and longest polar research expedition.

Ethiopia’s first Earth observation satellite, the Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS-1), was successfully launched on board a Chinese Long March 4B satellite launched vehicle from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on 20 December 2019.