Moroccan press sources are reporting that the kingdom’s first high-resolution Earth observation satellite – currently designated as MN35-13 – is being readied for launch on an Arianespace Vega space launch vehicle from Kourou in French Guiana on November 7 or 8, 2017. The MN35-13 satellite has been built by French-based …
Read More »#SWMEThemes: China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East – What Is The Chinese Space Silk Road?
In Part One of this multi-week SpaceWatch Middle East Theme on the Chinese Space Silk Road and the Middle East, we invited Dr. Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) to provide an overview of the Space Silk Road for readers. The emergence of China’s Belt and Road …
Read More »#SWMEThemes: China’s Space Silk Road and the Middle East, Part One
Centuries ago, China and Europe were connected by a number of trade routes across the Eurasian landmass and the Indian Ocean that were later known as the Silk Road. These Silk Roads not only connected the ancient Chinese Middle Kingdom and Medieval Europe, but also connected regions of Eurasia that …
Read More »Pakistan’s Supernet Commitment on Intelsat EpicNG to Enhance Connectivity for Unserved and Underserved Remote Areas
Intelsat S.A., operator of the world’s first Globalized Network and leader in integrated satellite communications, has announced that Supernet Ltd., Pakistan’s leading satellite network service provider and systems integrator, is introducing new services provided via the Intelsat 33e satellite. Supernet, one of the first companies in the Asia-Pacific region to …
Read More »Israel Looking to Use Brazilian Alcântara Site for Space Launch
Israel, along with France, Russia, and the United States, is seeking to use the Alcântara Launch Centre (CLA) located on the northeast Brazilian coast close to the equator, according to the Brazilian Space Agency. The Alcântara Launch Centre is the closest launch site to the Earth’s equator anywhere in the …
Read More »Turkish Space Launch Ambitions Take Shape, But Strategy Still Vague
This is the second of three reports on Turkey’s space programme. Yesterday’s report looked at the efforts underway to establish a Turkish Space Agency; tomorrow’s report examines Turkey’s military space ambitions. As Turkey finally makes some progress in establishing a Turkish Space Agency and the contours of a national space programme …
Read More »China To Contribute Funds to Egypt’s Space Programme
China has agreed to contribute U.S.$64 million to the Egyptian earth observation satellite programme, EgyptSat, as part of a new cooperation agreement between the two counties signed on March 21, 2017. The funding will be contingent on a feasibility study on the EgyptSat programme, but is thought to be a …
Read More »Israel’s Netanyahu Visits China, Discusses Cyber, Science, and Technology Cooperation, Investments
Following immediately on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a delegation to China, arriving on March 19, 2017, in order to discuss and enhance strategic and economic ties between the two countries. Among the various topics to be discussed between Israel and …
Read More »SES and Israel’s Gilat Join Forces to Make Connectivity at Sea More Accessible
SES S.A. and Gilat Satellite Networks have announced a strategic collaboration focused on delivering affordable connectivity to a broad range of small ships and vessels left underserved at sea in the Caribbean and beyond. Set for commercial launch in April 2017, the plug-and-play platform is the latest offering within the …
Read More »Iran to build new Syrian mobile telephone network
As Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad consolidates his power over the reclaimed city of Aleppo and other parts of Syria, his closest ally, Iran, seems to be reaping the rewards of what many regard as a Phyrric victory with the announcement that an Iranian company with close links to the Islamic …
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