In a ceremony witnessed by H.E the Minister Eng. Abdulla Al-Sawaha and Sir Richard Branson, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and OneWeb have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the development of solutions in 2020 which should help to connect 237,000 homes throughout the country …
Read More »Saudi Arabia and Virgin Announce Partnership on Spaceflight, Satellite Launch, and Space-Centric Entertainment Industry
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and Virgin Group (Virgin), have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a partnership under which PIF intends to invest approximately $1 billion into Virgin Galactic, The Spaceship Company and Virgin Orbit, with an option for $480 million of future additional …
Read More »Saudi Arabia Partners With Northrop Grumman for CyberArabia
Saudi Arabia’s King Saud University and the Northrop Grumman Corporation are joining hands for CyberArabia to foster innovation in cyber security among Saudi university students. The third annual cyber security workshop and competition, CyberArabia, held October 11-12, 2017, is part of the company’s global commitment to cyber education and workforce …
Read More »Ethiopia and India Raise Prospect of Space Cooperation
Ethiopia and India have raised the possibility of space cooperation with each other after a state visit to the Horn of Africa country by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on October 5-7, 2017. The Ethiopian government announced in early 2017 that it intends to build its own medium-sized space launch …
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 »Pakistan to Launch First Earth Observation Satellite in 2018
Pakistan’s national space agency, the Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission (SUPARCO), announced on October 4, 2017, that it expects the first Pakistani dual-use Earth observation satellite, Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite 1 (PRSS-1), and an experimental satellite, will be launched in March 2018. The launch of PRSS-1 has a potential …
Read More »Saudi Arabia and Russia Deepen Space Cooperation, Agree on Joint Space Exploration Projects
H.M.King Salman of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday, October 5, 2017, committing both countries to space exploration cooperation. The agreement was one of many signed between the two leaders as King Salman made a state visit to Russia on October 4-6, 2017. …
Read More »Talia to Provide Arabsat With 10 Channel Video Uplink and Monitoring Service on Badr-7 Ku Band
Talia Limited, a leading communication provider serving the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, announces its partnership with Arabsat of a new 10-channel video uplink to the Arabsat Badr-7 satellite located at 26°E. The service will offer both SD and HD channel uplinks and will form the basis of …
Read More »#SWMEThemes: China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East – The Indian Perspective
In Part Four of the SpaceWatch Middle East multi-week theme on China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East, Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi, India, offers an Indian perspective on China’s Space Silk Road, and points out that despite the rhetoric from Beijing, …
Read More »Saudi Arabia’s TAQNIA Space Signs Agreement With Bank Albilad for Satellite Financing
A joint cooperation agreement has been signed between Bank Albilad and TAQNIA space which includes a long-term financing process to provide satellite Internet communications, voice communication, and satellite TV reception services. TAQNIA Space aims to transfer and market satellite technology, support the sustainable development of GDP, diversify the economy, create …
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