Policy and Law

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 …

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 …

In the fifth installment of our #SWMEThemes on Space Resources and the Middle East, UAE space lawyer Humaid Al Shamsi explores the opportunities and legal and policy challenges for Middle Eastern states seeking to exploit space resources. Humanity relies heavily on natural resources and continued human development currently remains dependent …

The fourth part of our #SWMEThemes on the Middle East and Space Resources is an interview with Andrey Maximov and Raghu Das of Ramaspace, and explores their view on space resources, asteroid mining, and the impact of the new Luxembourg space resources law. SWME: Can we begin by talking about the …

The third part of our #SWMEThemes on the Middle East and Space Resources is an interview with space law attorney Michael J. Listner of Space Law and Policy Solutions, and author and publisher of space law and policy briefing-letter The Précis. Michael – a friend of SpaceWatch Middle East –provides readers with …