Iranian and Azerbaijani officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for space cooperation between the two countries, days before Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visits the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on 8 August 2016. Iranian Minister for Communication and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi and Azerbaijani Minister Communications and High Technologies Ramin Namigoglu …
Read More »Israel’s ImageSat to provide satellite imagery for Rio Olympics security
ImageSat International N.V., the Yehuda Or, Israel-based commercial satellite imagery company, has been selected by the Brazilian Ministry of Defence to provide Brazilian authorities with high-resolution satellite imagery to provide security monitoring of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro beginning on 5 August 2016. ImageSat operates the …
Read More »Iran and Russia to jointly build a remote sensing satellite for Tehran
Iranian press reports claim that Iranian industry and as yet unnamed Russian satellite manufacturers are to jointly build a National Remote Sensing Satellite for Iran. Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology, recently completed an official visit to Moscow where he met with several Russian government officials and …
Read More »Russia’s RSC Energia to help Egypt build EgyptSat-A remote sensing satellite
The Moscow, Russia, headquartered Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia) revealed on 28 July 2016 that it has signed a deal worth U.S.$100 million to help build the Egyptsat-A, the replacement for Egyptsat-2 that in April 2015 failed in orbit after only a year after its launch. Egyptsat-A is …
Read More »Intelsat-33E readied for late August launch and Middle East coverage
Intelsat S.A., operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, announced today that Intelsat 33e, the second of the Intelsat EpicNG series of high throughput satellites (HTS), arrived at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, where it will undergo final preparations before its …
Read More »Arabsat to exclusively broadcast Mauritanian TV bouquet
Arabsat has announced the launch of the Mauritanian TV bouquet exclusively in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe on board its satellite Arabsat Badr-4. This will contribute to the delivery of Mauritanian broadcasting to its large section of viewers in Europe, because of Arabsat BADR-4’s excellent footprint over North …
Read More »SmallSats Play Growing Role in $29 Billion Remote Sensing Satellite Market
With demand for Earth imagery increasing, manufacturers are expected to produce some 1,935 remote sensing satellites over the next 10 years, according to Forecast International. The company’s new study, “The Market for Civil & Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites,” reports that during the 2016-2025 forecast period, the value of production will …
Read More »The New Asian Space Race
Asia is home to three established space powers – Japan, China and India – and there are several new players, some with rising aspirations of reaching the Moon, thus giving way to a new competition in Asia. The fact that six of the ten countries – China, India, Iran, Israel, …
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 »The Spectacular Rise of the UAE Space Agency and the Challenges Ahead
Where does the UAE Space Agency go after the Hope Mars Mission is achieved after 2021? Building and sustaining success, and therefore public and political support, is a challenge for all space agencies. The solutions to this challenge, however, can only be found in the United Arab Emirates. ThorGroup’s Chairman …
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