Government

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and the European Space Policy Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ESPI Briefs No. 38: ‘In-Orbit Servicing: Challenges and Implications of an Emerging Capability’, originally published in February 2020. 1. In-Orbit Servicing Capabilities In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) encompasses a …

The ESAIL microsatellite for tracking ships worldwide – developed under an ESA Partnership Project – has completed its accommodation on Vega’s new dispenser for small satellites and is ready for launch. The Vega launch campaign at Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, resumed three weeks ago, following an interruption caused …

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Friday selected Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders to be the agency’s next associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. Since 2014, Lueders has directed NASA’s efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft, which culminated in the successful launch of …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and the European Space Policy Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ESPI Briefs No. 37: ‘Rethinking the Assessment of the Value of Spectrum’, originally published in January 2020. 1. Electromagnetic spectrum – a shared and finite resource …

In an effort to digitize Philippine agriculture, the Department of Agriculture (DA) through Planters Products Inc. (PPI) and the Satsure AG signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on 8 June to provide better crop insurance in the country using satellite technology. The MOA signing was witnessed by Agriculture Secretary William …

Following the successful launch and operation of Saudi Arabia’s newest commercial communications satellite, SaudiGeoSat-1 (SGS-1), Lockheed Martin has been selected to develop a new ground system to control, manage and operate the satellite. The Saudi Technology Development and Investment Company (TAQNIA) and Lockheed Martin will develop and deploy the new …

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on 8 June 2020 that the team from Mahidol University, Thailand, is the winner of the 1st cycle of the HyperGES fellowship. The fellowship is part of the UNOOSA Access to Space 4 All …

Serbia and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on space technology cooperation on 5 June 2020. The MoU includes a provision for the joint development of a Sino-Serbian satellite. The MoU was signed for China by Zhang Kejian, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), and Nenad Popovic, …

The Sultanate of Oman’s Space Communication Technologies LLC (SCT) issued on 3 June 2020 an invitation for consultancy bids to help the company determine the requirements for Oman’s first communications satellite. SCT is mandated by the government of the Sultanate of Oman to oversee the all of the necessary work …

The Russian state space corporation Roscosmos is to develop a low-Earth orbit (LEO) space surveillance satellite that will help monitor space debris and should be launched by 2027, according to a senior Roscosmos official in remarks to the TASS news agency on 28 May 2020. The satellite will be part …