Space Exploration

The head of the Iran Space Agency (ISA), Morteza Barari, has said that Iran is looking to open discussions with Russia about the possibility of sending an Iranian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), according to Iranian press reports. Barari’s announcement echoes a similar statement made in early October …

Rocket Lab, the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch, unveiled on 21 October 2019 at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington, DC, plans to support extended range missions to medium, geostationary, and lunar orbits with the company’s Photon satellite platform. Less than two years after opening access to …

The head of the Egyptian Space Agency announced that Egypt intends to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) during a visit to Cairo by a delegation from the UAE Space Agency (UAESA) on 16 October 2019. Mohammed El-Qousy, the Director-General of the Egyptian Space Agency, said that …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Prof. Andrew Dempster, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. This is “Australia: well placed to join the Moon mining race … or is it?”, originally published 15 February 2019 at The Conversation. It’s 50 years since man …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. This is “Behind the Second Modi-Xi Informal Summit, the Wuhan Spirit Is Fraying”, originally published 10 October 2019 at The Diplomat. In this week’s column for The …

Following his successful visit to Saudi Arabia, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, on 15-16 October 2019 where UAE-Russian space cooperation featured prominently on the diplomatic agenda. President Putin’s visit to Abu Dhabi comes weeks after the first Emirati astronaut, Hazza …

The UAE Space Agency, UAESA, has announced the details of its National Space Strategy 2030 and National Space Investment Plan, complementing the regulatory and legislative framework of the UAE’s national space sector and in line with the strategic objectives of the Agency. The announcement was made during an official ceremony …

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia on 13-15 October 2019 has put space cooperation between the two countries back in the spotlight following the landmark Saudi-Russian space cooperation agreement signed in October 2017. The visit to Riyadh by President Putin has revealed several interesting space projects believed to …

Dymon and Astrobotic proudly announced at the CEATEC 2019 their signing of a joint agreement to send the first Japanese lunar rover onboard the Peregrine lunar lander to the Moon in 2021. This agreement comes after Dymon surveyed the field of commercial lunar delivery providers around the world and determined …

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Saturday, 12 October 2019, welcomed Hazza Al Mansoori, the UAE’s first astronaut, as he returned to the UAE after eight days in space. Al Mansoori, accompanied by …