Policy and Law

The UAE Space Agency is participating in the high-level SpaceOps 2018 conference, hosted by the French space agency, to exchange detailed technical and mission data for the upcoming Emirates Mars Mission. Space Ops is a biannual international forum for discussing advanced and technical areas of space exploration. The 2018 event, hosted by the French Centre National d'études Spatiales (CNES), takes place 28 May - 1 June 2018 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseilles.

The Thai Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to take on national security space missions, and incorporate military space concepts of operations and their associated threats and opportunities in its defence strategy, operations, tactics, techniques, and procedures. According to Thai media reports, the MoD in Bangkok is considering options that include the leasing of an Earth observation satellite from a U.S.-based company and the introduction of space principles, operations, and concepts of operations throughout all Thai defence-related training and education in order to create a space savvy military.

China has issued an open invitation to all countries interested in participating in its planned orbital station in a bid to establish itself as a leading international space power and expand its influence. This step is especially significant at a time when NASA, the U.S. space agency, and its partners are trying to decide how long to maintain the International Space Station (ISS). The China Space Station is due to become operational as soon as 2022.

Israel’s Spacecom, the troubled operator of the AMOS fleet of communications satellites, has postponed its U.S.$112 million contract with Space Systems Loral (SSL) to build the AMOS-8 satellite. Instead, Spacecom has come to an interim agreement with SSL and has a 30 day extension to raise the necessary funds for the initial down payment that will see the contract reinstated and work begun on the satellite.

Mongolia and France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 18 May 2018 in order to carry out space cooperation at the institutional level between the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) and the Mongolian communication and information technologies authority (ACTI). The MoU was signed by Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of …

It’s amazing to think that humanity is actually about to take its first true foray into space tourism. Achieving weightlessness is a reality through Zero Gravity flights, but now travelling around Moon and even a stay in a space hotel appears to be well within reach. Helen Jameson, Editor-in-Chief, SpaceWatch Global takes a look at just some of the developments in space tourism that could eventually see many of us foregoing our Earthly holiday for an experience that is truly out of this world.

The decision by the board of Israeli satellite communications company Spacecom to buy its AMOS-8 satellite from US satellite manufacturer Space Systems Loral (SSL) over Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unleashed political controversy in Israel and revealed a potential corruption scandal within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.

A Russian media report is claiming that the first astronaut from the United Arab Emirates is to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft as soon as April 2019, even going as far as apparently bumping a wealthy U.S. businessman who is paying U.S.$45-50 million to visit the ISS as a space tourist.

Chinese private launch company OneSpace successfully carried out the maiden launch of its rocket, marking the first entry of a private launch company from China into the increasingly crowded global small satellite launch market.

7–8 May 2018, Geneva, Switzerland played host to this years’ Space Security Conference. Entitled ‘Space Security: The Next Chapter’, the events explored the existing framework for space governance in the context of a growing and evolving space industry and with an increasing number of private actors moving into the space domain. Is the current framework sufficient to deal with the new generation of space activities or do changes have to be made? Our very own Torsten Kriening attended the event and caught up with Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and organiser of the event.