Ian Christensen, Project Manager at the Secure World Foundation, reports for SpaceWatch Middle East, on the 12th Annual Ilan Ramon International Space Conference held in Herzilya, Israel, on 30-31 January 2017. The 12th Annual Ilan Ramon International Space Conference was held in Herzilya, Israel on 30-31 January 2017. Organized by the Israeli Ministry of …
Read More »Airbus supports EU security missions in Somalia, Mali, and Niger with SATCOM
Airbus Defence and Space is delivering satellite communications systems for EU military training missions in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) as well as for the EUCAP (European Union capacity-building mission) Sahel Niger and EUCAP Sahel Mali civilian missions. Led on behalf of the European Union, these missions aim to support the efforts …
Read More »Iran claims to be in talks with European, Japanese, and Chinese space agencies, international satellite operators
The head of the Iran Space Agency (ISA) has claimed that his organisation is in talks with several European countries and Japan, as well as China and Russia, to explore the possibility of space cooperation. Mohsen Barami also claimed that Iran is in discussions with several international satellite operators. “We …
Read More »Spacecom Orders Multi-Band High-Throughput Satellite From Boeing Satellite Systems International
Spacecom, the Israeli operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, announced on 21 December 2016 that it has entered into a satellite procurement agreement with Boeing Satellite Systems International. The deal for AMOS-17 is worth U.S.$161 million. The new satellite, AMOS-17, expected to be launched in 2019, will operate from 17°E …
Read More »Satellite communications for those in greatest need – a message from the Publisher of SpaceWatch Middle East
Anyone watching the news over the past few years cannot help but be moved by the desperate plight of millions of people – including many vulnerable children – fleeing to Europe from war and poverty in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. Many do not even make it to the European …
Read More »“Hello?…It’s me. I’m ok.” – a refugee story
With the tragedy of refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq and beyond continuing unabated, SpaceWatch Middle East contributing editor Helen Jameson writes about how satellites can, in a small way, ease the plight of those fleeing the most awful violence and desperate conditions. When did you last use your phone? Five minutes ago? An hour …
Read More »Middle Eastern Lunar Missions: the Role of the Moon in the Middle East’s Spacefaring Future
The Moon is rapidly becoming the destination of choice for space agencies and companies since it poses less technical and financial risk than going directly to Mars. ThorGroup GmbH’s intern in Washington, DC – Nickolas J. Boensch – explores the emerging ‘Moon Rush’ and the possible roles and opportunities for …
Read More »At the start of a new space age
The European Space Agency (ESA) is one of the largest space organisations in the world, and has established many formal and informal links with Middle East governments, agencies, research institutes, and universities. SpaceWatch Middle East re-publishes here the Foreword written by the ESA Director-General, Jan Woerner, to the 2016 European …
Read More »China and Arab states agree to promote BeiDou GNSS use in Middle East
China and the League of Arab States (LAS) agreed to promote the use of China’s BeiDou global navigation satellite system (GNSS) at the 7th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held in Doha, Qatar, on 16 May 2016. The BeiDou system is a rival to the US Global …
Read More »Israel’s Spacecom links up with Encompass for new European TV distribution system
Spacecom, the Israeli commercial satellite communications provider that operates the fleet of AMOS satellites, is linking up with Encompass, the global technology services company dedicated to advancing innovation between broadcast and digital media industries, to build a new European TV distribution platform. The new service will be distributed throughout Europe, …
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