Policy and Law

Russian news outlets TASS and Pravda are reporting that the UAE Space Agency and Roscosmos have held talks at the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, Australia, about training Emirati astronauts and then launching them from Russian soil to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as 2019. Sergey …

Iran’s test launch of its Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) on July 27, 2017, caused significant yet unsurprising controversy throughout the international community. Two months later, with the dust literally settling, Natalie Fuchs – SpaceWatch Middle East’s contributing editor on all things Iranian space – argues that it is possible that the U.S., its …

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) will participate in the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, Australia, between September 25-29, 2017. The IAC is one of the leading space conferences worldwide, attended by presidents and CEOs of international space agencies, decision makers, researchers, academics, and professionals in the …

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has launched the first edition of Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre Science Event (MBRSC Science Event), that will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, …

The head of Iran’s Astronautics Research Institute (ARI), Fathollah Ommi, has stated that Iran is “conducting research to send a man to space,” with the intent to be able to act on this research within eight years. Iran’s human spaceflight programme has had a series of fits and starts, most …

As Earth’s orbits become more crowded due to more countries entering the space domain and the emergence of large commercial constellations, the challenge of sustaining space as an environment in which Earth can continue to derive all of the advantages of satellite increases. In a blog post originally authored for …

Orbital ATK, a global leader in aerospace and defence technologies, announced on September 11, 2017, significant progress on the industry’s first commercial in-space satellite servicing system. The Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV 1) spacecraft successfully completed its critical design review earlier this year and is now in production with about 75% …

A UAE Space Agency delegation, led by Chairman H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, met with the President of the International Astronautical Federation, Dr. Jean-Yves Le Gall, to discuss a range of opportunities for collaboration in space science, research and education. H.E. Al Falasi also highlighted the UAE’s interest in …

Senior UAE Space Agency officials have delivered speeches on issues related to the space and aerospace sectors at a joint event held by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Held in Vienna, Austria, from August 29 to 31, the three-day …

Moroccan press sources are reporting that the kingdom’s first high-resolution Earth observation satellite – currently designated as MN35-13 – is being readied for launch on an Arianespace Vega space launch vehicle from Kourou in French Guiana on November 7 or 8, 2017. The MN35-13 satellite has been built by French-based …