Satcoms

Dr. Roger Tong was appointed the new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat on 16 April 2018 after Andrew Jordan, who held the company’s top spot since late 2016 stepped down. Mr. Jordan will stay on as a senior advisor until the end of October 2018. “On behalf …

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France have entered into an executive programme space agreement signed in France during the visit to Paris by Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The executive programme agreement was signed by Prince Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al …

Dr. Nasser Saidi, one of the Middle East’s preeminent economists and a former government minister for economics and finance in Lebanon, has said that Arab countries should embrace China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to include participation in and contributions to China’s Tiangong space station as well as the Space …

Bangladesh’s first satellite, the Bangabandhu-1 communications satellite, is set to be launched on board a SpaceX Falcon-9 space launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 4 May 2018, according to Mohammed Mezbahuzzaman, project director of the satellite programme. Bangabandhu-1 was originally supposed to be launched from Florida in December 2017 but …

Japan’s Sony Corporation is seeking to enter the New Space sector by manufacturing optical communication devices for small satellites, based on Sony’s decades-long experience in manufacturing compact disc (CD) players. This marks a diversification of Sony’s business empire, and it is also a strong signal that Japan’s great trading houses …

UAE’s Thuraya Telecommunications Company has announced the launch of its X5-Touch satellite phone, the world’s smallest, in its attempt to become a market leader in the satellite communications user market. The Thuraya X5-Touch is the first Android-based satellite and GSM phone in the industry. The new device is aimed at …

Israel’s Spacecom plans to pay for its AMOS-8 communications satellite by raising U.S.$110 million through collateral bonds and bond options, just as the bid by IDB Development Corporation Ltd. to buyout Spacecom’s parent company has expired. Announced in a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange filling on Sunday, Spacecom said it will …

A Japanese military satellite payload, DSN-1, a dedicated military communications payload for the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD), was successfully launched into orbit on-board a SKY Perfect JSAT Superbird-8 communications satellite by Arianespace on 5 April 2018. DSN-1/Superbird-8 is the 19th satellite launched by Arianespace for SKY Perfect JSAT. SKY …

Intelsat, the world’s largest satellite communications provider, has signed a deal with Vodacom Business Nigeria to help bridge the digital divide throughout West Africa, expanding its enterprise broadband networks and enabling new and enhanced services throughout the region. Under a new multi-year agreement, Vodacom Business Nigeria will utilise the satellite …

The U.S. military’s Africa Command (USAFRICOM) has contracted with SES-owned O3B to provide commercial satellite communications to better support its widespread operations across the African continent. SES Government Solutions will provide USAFRICOM with high throughput, low-latency managed satellite communications services in the areas of their operations. It is described as …