Eutelsat Communications has acquired Noorsat, one of the leading satellite service providers in the Middle East, from Bahrain’s Orbit Holding Group. Established in 2004, Noorsat is the premier distributor of Eutelsat capacity in the Middle East, serving blue-chip customers and providing services for over 300 TV channels almost exclusively from …
Read More »Arabsat Reaching 78% Of Gulf Cooperation Council Households, Report Finds
A recent analysis by Frost & Sullivan, a global research and consulting company, finds that Arabsat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, reaches 86% of satellite TV households in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and nearly 78% in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, KSA, …
Read More »#SWMEThemes: China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East, Part One
Centuries ago, China and Europe were connected by a number of trade routes across the Eurasian landmass and the Indian Ocean that were later known as the Silk Road. These Silk Roads not only connected the ancient Chinese Middle Kingdom and Medieval Europe, but also connected regions of Eurasia that …
Read More »Military Satellites Included In Massive U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal; Pressure Is On For France
Details are emerging about the U.S.$110 billion arms deal struck between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the visit of President Donald J. Trump to Riyadh in May 2017. The main focus of the massive arms package on offer to Saudi Arabia are precision strike and …
Read More »Analyst: Iran’s Cyber Warfare Capabilities Of Concern, But Hardly Sophisticated or Dangerous
A prominent U.S. cyber warfare expert has admonished other cyber security experts for exaggerating the danger posed by Iran’s cyber warfare and espionage organisations and entities. Dr. Brandon Valeriano, a Reader at Cardiff University in Wales and author of Cyber War versus Cyber Realities published by Oxford University Press in …
Read More »Calls Grow for the Creation of a Kuwaiti Space Agency
The case for the creation of a Kuwaiti space agency is growing with prominent Kuwaiti scientists advocating that the Gulf kingdom consider the merits of establishing a formal entity to deal with space issues. Quoted in the English-language newspaper Kuwait Times, scientist Dr. Hala Al-Jassar, an Assistant Professor in the …
Read More »Lebanese judge orders Arabsat to put Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV back on the air
A Lebanese judge has ruled that Al-Manar TV – a satellite television channel closely affiliated with Hezbollah – should be put back on the air by its former satellite broadcasting provider Arabsat. In December 2015 Arabsat dropped Al-Manar TV claiming that the channel had violated the terms of its agreement …
Read More »Challenges and Opportunities for a Kuwaiti Space Programme, Part II
Several weeks ago SpaceWatch Middle East contributor Ghanim Alotaibi, a Kuwaiti engineer and Space Generation Advisory Council member, wrote of the need for a Kuwaiti space programme, but that such an endeavor faces several challenges, starting with the challenge of ‘Kuwaitisation’. This week, Ghanim address the other three challenges Kuwaiti leaders will …
Read More »When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut too…why Iran and NASA will not be cooperating anytime soon
Recent press reports quote the head of the Iranian Space Agency, Mohsen Bahrami, as saying that he would like to see Iran cooperate with the American space agency, NASA. ThorGroup’s Chairman and President, Dr. John B. Sheldon, argues that while Mr. Bahrami’s sentiments are noble, political realities mean space cooperation …
Read More »Innovation in outer space, it’s not rocket science – Part 2: The case for Australian space
Australia’s space industry needs to catch up with the rest of the world. Andrea Boyd, Flight Operations Engineer for the International Space Station in Germany, explained why at the recent GAP Summit in Part Two of her case for a more proactive Australian space policy and programme. Part One can be …
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