Tag Archives: Remote Sensing

Australia’s Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission Cubesat, a joint mission between the Australian Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has performed according to plan since its launch in late 2017 and is paving the way for follow-on Buccaneer missions.

Japanese company Canon Electronics has outlined its plan to become a turnkey space venture that builds and launches rockets from its own space launch site, and building and operating its own Earth observation satellites and selling the satellite imagery on the open market.

Japan is considering building a constellation of microsatellites for maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations over the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan to monitor Chinese maritime and naval activities, especially around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands.

China's Hainan Earth observation satellite constellation that is designed to "reinforce national sovereignty" over the South China Sea and other disputed territories is set to start launching its first satellites in 2019, according to Chinese state media reports.

Pakistan has taken over control of its Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS)-1 and the PakTES-1A experimental satellite from Chinese operators just over a month after the two satellites were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China.

The Chinese government has provided Egypt with a U.S.$45 million grant for the completion of the EgyptSat-2 Earth observation satellite.

Singapore’s AddValue Technologies has signed an agreement with New Space Earth observation satellite company Open Cosmos for the provision of AddValue’s Inter-Satellite Data Relay System (IDRS™) that will link the Open Cosmos constellation in orbit in real time.

Spire Global, the New Space company that provides meteorological, maritime, and aviation awareness data from low-Earth orbit, has selected Arianespace’s Vega launch vehicle to loft its LEMUR-2 Cubesats.

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) is teaming up with leading U.S. commercial satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe to launch the South Africa Earth Observation Challenge that will seek innovative satellite applications idas from South African startups.

The Turkish minister for Science, Industry, and Technology, Mustafa Varank, said on 7 August 2018 that the Turkish government will establish the Turkish Space Agency this year in order to coordinate the country's space activities and manage international cooperation and relations.