Policy and Law

The passage of the UK Space Industry Act 2018 into law has not, as yet, seen any further developments, however crucial questions in relation to liability, insurance and charging still need to be addressed. There has been a call for evidence to inform on these crucial regulatory aspects and once these questions are addressed, then there will be something of a clearer picture as to the regulatory environment of UK Space Activity.

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) and Airbus Defence and Space have signed a statement of intent that commits the European satellite manufacturer to enhancing the capability and competitiveness of the Australian space and satellite industrial sector.

Singapore's National University of Singapore (NUS) and the United Kingdom's Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) RAL Space have signed an agreement that paves the way for the joint building of a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) test satellite to be launched by late 2021.

India and Morocco signed Memoranda of Understandings on space and cyber security cooperation in New Delhi on 25 September 2018, it has been announced.

Space activities are risky and challenging by their nature due to their reliance on highly sophisticated technologies, and the impact of a variety of factors on their successful conduct and significant investments at stake.

An event, held alongside the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, engaged world leaders to highlight the importance of space as a “driver for peace and sustainable development on Earth, as a driver for innovative space diplomacy and as the New Frontier for Peace on Earth”.

China's government is considering building a commercial space launch centre for the country's New Space private launch companies, a number of which will be attempting their first orbital flights by the end of 2018, according to a report by Andrew Jones in GBTimes.

The UAE Space Agency is preparing a comprehensive strategy for investing in the country's space sector, in cooperation with relevant UAE federal and individual Emirate authorities, and which will be released in October 2018.

Angola's National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN) has revealed that it is using capacity on third-party communications satellites paid for by Russia as part of a compensation package for the failure in orbit of AngoSat-1 four months after its launch in late 2017, according to a report in the French-language technology news service Agence Ecofin.

China's Institute of Aerospace Information Research has helped ten countries install virtual ground stations in order to receive remote sensing data, it was announced last week.