Space Missions

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 …

The Berlin, Germany-based start-up and Google Lunar X-Prize competitor, PTScientists , were invited on the evening of 14 July 2016 to the prestigious Volkswagen Forum, on Unter den Linden in the heart of Berlin, to present the ALINA lander to interested members of the press. Robert Böhme, CEO and Founder of …

The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Mohsen Bahrami, announced on 12 July 2016 that Iran will launch at least two indigenously built satellites by March 2017. Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Bahrami said, “At-Sat [also known as AUTSAT-1], Nahid 1, and Dousti are the satellites their design …

Virgin Galactic Ltd., the commercial space company founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, is set to resume test flights next month in a new spaceship that replaces the one that crashed in a fatal accident two years ago. Aabar Investments of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, owns a 37.8 …

The European Space Agency (ESA) is one of the largest space organisations in the world, and has established many formal and informal links with Middle East governments, agencies, research institutes, and universities. SpaceWatch Middle East re-publishes here the Foreword written by the ESA Director-General, Jan Woerner, to the 2016 European …

The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) completed its conceptual design for a manned spacecraft, including a human-rated space capsule and a launch vehicle, according to a report from Iranian news outlet, Tasnim News Agency. The human-rated space capsule will weigh one ton, and will be launched into space and safely returned …

PTScientists, the German team of scientists and engineers working with AUDI and the media agency Thjnk behind the first private Mission to the Moon have been awarded a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. As SpaceWatch Middle East reported the other week, the PTScientists team had been …

Where does the UAE Space Agency go after the Hope Mars Mission is achieved after 2021? Building and sustaining success, and therefore public and political support, is a challenge for all space agencies. The solutions to this challenge, however, can only be found in the United Arab Emirates. ThorGroup’s Chairman …

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) have agreed on 16 June 2016 to work together to develop the space capabilities of United Nations Member States via opportunities on-board China’s future space station. Following the signing of a Framework Agreement and …

The PTScientists, the Berlin, Germany, based team of scientists and engineers working with AUDI AG on the first private Mission to the Moon has been nominated for 3 Golden Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. On Monday, 20 June 2016, the team presented its mission, their technology, and …