Policy and Law

Blockstream, the leader in blockchain and financial cryptography, today announced the availability of Blockstream Satellite, a new service that broadcasts real-time Bitcoin blockchain data from a group of communication satellites in space to almost everyone on the planet. Blockstream Satellite enables further participation in Bitcoin, including the billions of people …

The small satellite is enjoying what has been a re-birth over the past five years and this is culminating in a plethora of new constellations and technological developments that could literally see the satellite industry move onto a new trajectory. Helen Jameson, SpaceWatch Middle East Senior Contributing Editor, takes a …

STATEMENT BY SIMONETTA DI PIPPO DIRECTOR UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS (UNOOSA) Sixtieth session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Vienna, 7-16 June 2017 Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, On behalf of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, I warmly welcome you all to the sixtieth …

For All Moonkind, Inc., announced on July 30, 2017, the formation of an International Advisory Council which will develop and implement the nonprofit organization’s plan to obtain United Nations protection of the six Apollo Lunar Landing Sites and related artifacts. One of the key members of the Advisory Council is …

Andre Kearn, Radiant Senior Director, Commercial Services, of DigitalGlobe, writes on how satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence can be used to map the human dimension of conflict. Using the Syrian Civil War as a case study, Kearn demonstrates the utility of DigitalGlobe’s Human Landscape. Political unrest and religious disputes have led …

The Iranian government minister responsible for the space portfolio has stated that he will step down before the start of President Hassan Rouhani’s second term. Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, has been responsible for Iran Space Agency activities as well as negotiations with Russia and other …

On July 13, 2017, Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies passed a law, with near unanimity, regarding the exploration and utilisation of space resources. The new law will enter into force on August 1, 2017. Luxembourg is the first European country to have a legal framework recognising the right to space-based resources that …

Iran launched its Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) into space on Thursday, July 27, 2017, from the Imam Khomeini Space Centre. The Simorgh SLV (Farsi for ‘Phoenix’) was not thought to have carried a payload. The U.S. Air Force’s Joint Space Operations Centre (JSpOC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in …

The satellite launch industry is making great strides and advancements, but as a market sector is riddled with inefficiencies that are a drag for both the launch industry and for satellite manufacturers. Enter Andrey Maksimov, based in the UAE, and Andrei Rebrov, based in New York, who have created the company Precious Payload that promises to erase these market inefficiencies, revolutionise the launch industry, and help kick-start the New Space Economy.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has joined Sentinel Asia, an international initiative among space agencies, disaster management agencies, and international agencies for applying remote sensing and Web-GIS technologies to support disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre joined the initiative as part of its support to disaster …