The Moscow, Russia, headquartered Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia) revealed on 28 July 2016 that it has signed a deal worth U.S.$100 million to help build the Egyptsat-A, the replacement for Egyptsat-2 that in April 2015 failed in orbit after only a year after its launch. Egyptsat-A is …
Read More »The Necessity of Coherent Space Policy in the Shadow of the Iranian Resurgence
Are Middle East governments ready to counter a resurgent Iran in space? American space law expert and policy consultant, Michael J. Listner, makes the case for more countries in the region to develop comprehensive national space policies so that their defence establishments can adequately prepare defensive measures in the space domain. …
Read More »Intelsat-33E readied for late August launch and Middle East coverage
Intelsat S.A., operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, announced today that Intelsat 33e, the second of the Intelsat EpicNG series of high throughput satellites (HTS), arrived at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, where it will undergo final preparations before its …
Read More »Kuwait mulling development of a national satellite capability
The Kuwaiti cabinet, the Council of Ministers, is considering the acquisition and launch of a satellite, according to local reports in Kuwait City. Draft legislation has been submitted to the cabinet from the Communications and Information Technology Commission. The reports say that the cabinet has formed a committee to examine …
Read More »Airbus launches ‘One Tasking’ satellite imagery acquisition and delivery system
Airbus Defence and Space launched its latest development in satellite imagery acquisition and distribution, One Tasking. Representing a major step change, One Tasking offers customers the most intuitive and cost-effective way to rapidly task an Airbus Defence and Space’s satellite – all from the comfort of their own desk. The …
Read More »Gilat to provide network support for Brazil’s RuralWeb broadband VSAT network
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., the Israeli company that is a leading provider of satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announced on 20 July 2016 that Ruralweb Telecomunicações LTDA (Ruralweb), a Brazilian company providing fixed satellite Internet and IP services throughout the country, has deployed Gilat’s solution for its rural broadband …
Read More »Current issues in Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management
The geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite belt is a unique location above the earth affording a continuous line-of-sight to satellite uplink and downlink stations. The volume defined by this belt is large, but available slots are limited. During the last fifty years of the space age, this volume has become …
Read More »Arabsat to exclusively broadcast Mauritanian TV bouquet
Arabsat has announced the launch of the Mauritanian TV bouquet exclusively in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe on board its satellite Arabsat Badr-4. This will contribute to the delivery of Mauritanian broadcasting to its large section of viewers in Europe, because of Arabsat BADR-4’s excellent footprint over North …
Read More »Failed Turkish coup’s TÜRKSAT attack and other space implications
The attempted coup by elements of the Turkish military on Friday, 15 July 2016, in an attempt to depose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP Party, included an attack against the main campus of TÜRKSAT located in Gölbaşı, just outside of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The TÜRKSAT headquarters …
Read More »SmallSats Play Growing Role in $29 Billion Remote Sensing Satellite Market
With demand for Earth imagery increasing, manufacturers are expected to produce some 1,935 remote sensing satellites over the next 10 years, according to Forecast International. The company’s new study, “The Market for Civil & Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites,” reports that during the 2016-2025 forecast period, the value of production will …
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