Tag Archives: Space Launch

Iranian press reports suggest that Iran is preparing a third satellite for launch within the next 12-18 months. The satellite in question is called Soha, a remote sensing satellite believed to have a resolution of 15 metres. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the head of the Iran …

Having completed its assembly, Israel parted from Venµs, the first Israeli-made satellite created for environmental research purposes. Within the next few days, the satellite will go on its way to the launcher located in French Guiana. At an official ceremony held at, May 25th, at Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) Space …

The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has submitted a formal proposal for the creation of an Egyptian Space Agency to the cabinet in Cairo. According to Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Scientific Research Essam Khamis, the ministry submitted text for a law that would establish the …

Inmarsat, the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, has confirmed on May 16, 2017, the successful launch of the fourth, high-speed broadband communications satellite in its transformational Global Xpress (GX) constellation. Inmarsat GX is the world’s first globally available, broadband connectivity service and was created to enable communities across the …

Mahmoud Vaezi, the Iranian Minister for Communications and Information Technology, announced on May 8, 2017, that two Iranian-made satellites are almost ready for launch. “Now, we have two satellites ready to be launched, one being Amir Kabir sensing satellite and the other being Nahid telecommunication satellite,” said Minister Vaezi to Iranian …

Thales Alenia Space has been chosen by TeamIndus to provide the Integrated S Band Transponder on board its Lunar Landing Spacecraft system to transmit video and images from the Rover. Thales Alenia Space is the world leader in space communications systems, with customers including space agencies and satellite manufacturers from around …

The Iran Space Agency’s Aerospace Research Institute (ARI) has announced that it plans to launch its Nahid-2 communications satellite sometime in 2018. According to Hassan Hadadpour, the head of the ARI, Nahid-2 will be the first Iranian satellite to feature a propulsion system powered by lithium-ion batteries, and is therefore …

Israeli satellite communications company Spacecom has formally backed away from buyout talks with China’s Beijing Xinwei Technology Group, according to Space News. “At the moment there are no talks with Xinwei,” said Spacecom’s Senior Vice-President for Sales and Marketing, Jacob Keret, to Space News. Spacecom and Beijing Xinwei Technology Group …

Middle Eastern oil powers are well-placed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by exploiting space resources such as water and preciois metal, according to an energy industry analyst based in Singapore. According to Bloomberg, Tom James, a partner with Singapore-based commodities and energy consultancy Navitas Resources, says that countries …

Ethiopia’s nascent space programme seems to be creating geopolitical ripples throughout northeast Africa, with reports emerging that both Sudan and Kenya are starting to pay attention to Addis Ababa’s space ambitions. SpaceWatch Middle East reported in January 2017 that the Ethiopian government announced its intention to design, build, and launch …