Policy and Law

According to Euroconsult’s newly released research report, Government Space Programs: Benchmarks, Profiles and Forecasts to 2026, global space budgets totaled $62.2 billion in 2016, down 2% from the previous year. Governments launched 75 satellites, less than the historical peak of 2015 but in line with the last five year average. …

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, UAE-based satellite operator, Yahsat and the UAE Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, hosted a one-day forum in Geneva, to discuss Yahsat’s initiative to support humanitarian …

Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are close to cementing a free trade deal that would see Tehran join the trade bloc built around former Soviet republics by the end of 2017. Once this happens, Iran will also be poised to participate in the EAEU’s nascent space activities. The …

China and Middle Eastern states are working together to promote the use of China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System in the region, according to a statement following an industry forum on May 24, 2017. All parties concerned have pledged to strengthen their communication and collaboration in satellite navigation and to bring …

Roketsan, one of Turkey’s leading company’s in the aerospace industry, have recently announced their plans going forward with the Turkish Satellite Launch System (SLS) project they signed with the Turkish government in 2013. A Rocketsan press release that came out right before the Turkish International Defence Industry Fair held May …

In an unsurprising move, the Iranian government has officially abandoned Tehran’s ambitions to send humans into space. According to Iranian news agency ILNA, Mohammad Homayoun Sadr, the deputy head of the Iran Space Agency (ISA), made the announcement citing the extremely steep cost of a human spaceflight programme that he …

Iranian press reports suggest that Iran is preparing a third satellite for launch within the next 12-18 months. The satellite in question is called Soha, a remote sensing satellite believed to have a resolution of 15 metres. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the head of the Iran …

Having completed its assembly, Israel parted from Venµs, the first Israeli-made satellite created for environmental research purposes. Within the next few days, the satellite will go on its way to the launcher located in French Guiana. At an official ceremony held at, May 25th, at Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) Space …

The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has submitted a formal proposal for the creation of an Egyptian Space Agency to the cabinet in Cairo. According to Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Scientific Research Essam Khamis, the ministry submitted text for a law that would establish the …

On May 9-10, 2017, over 5,000 space and satellite professionals gathered at the European Convention Center in Luxembourg to discuss the latest digital, tech and space trends, the increasing use of data, and planetary defence and space mining, with experts from all over the world sharing their knowledge and vision. The …