Tag Archives: China

By Raphael Roettgen With almost US$550 million of announced space-related financing rounds, May has turned out to be the top space fundraising month so far in 2020. SpaceX, besides launching astronauts to the ISS on Crew Dragon, came in with over US$346 million by itself. The total amount does not …

The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) announced on 19 May 2020 the selection of  Dr. Miguel Román, Director of The Earth from Space Institute (EfSI) and his research team as recipients of a grant from NASA's Earth Sciences Division.

Japan’s establishment of the Space Domain Mission Unit, which is planned to become fully operational in 2023, reflects the country’s increasing reliance on space systems to meet its security needs. It could emerge as a key actor in the defence of space assets in the Indo-Pacific.

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and Ministry of Defense (MoD) stood up the country’s first Space Operations Squadron – the first component of Japan’s Space Domain Mission Unit (SDMU) – in a ceremony presided by the Japanese Minister of Defense Taro Kono on 18 May 2020.

Myanmar is to build and launch a small Earth observation satellite by 2021 with the assistance of Japan.

Iran is planning to develop and launch a satellite into geostationary orbit (GEO) – at an altitude of 36,000 kilometres – for the economic benefit of the country, according to Brigadier Ali Jafarabadi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Space Command.

China.org.cn released a news report about China's new planetary exploration mission on 9 May 2020, revealing "Tianwen" as the name of the mission:

More than fifty years after the first Apollo Moon landings, we are witnessing the rise of Lunapolitics, where the Moon’s topography - or ‘Lunography’ - from below its surface through to Cislunar space intersects with Earthly political and economic interests.

China scored a space double whammy on 5 May 2020 when its successfully launched its heavy Long March 5B launch vehicle carrying a new capsule designed for crewed missions.

Following the executive order on Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources signed by President Donald J. Trump on 6 April 2020, it has been reported by Reuters on 5 May 2020 that the United States is drafting principles it proposes can govern mining and other resource extraction operations on the Moon it calls the ‘Artemis Accords’.