Space is the next environment that has to be protected against the impact of human development, a panel of top experts has warned at the UK Government’s GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong. The group of academics said that international investment and regulation needs to happen urgently or space risks being as damaged as our oceans are by human development. Development on the Moon and other planets is a ‘virtual certainty’ as new resources are sought from outside the Earth. And, if not properly regulated, development will impact vital functions, such as enabling worldwide communications and vital observation of Earth.
Read More »Israel’s Spacecom Announces AMOS-17 Successfully Passes Critical Design Review
Spacecom, operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, announced today that its AMOS-17 communication satellite has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) and entered full production. Specifically designed for the African continent and scheduled for launch in early 2019, AMOS-17 will operate from 17°E to expand and strengthen Spacecom’s coverage …
Read More »#SWMEThemes: The Middle East and the New Space Resource Economy
In the first of our week-long #SWMEThemes on the Middle East and Space Resources, Dr. Tom James of Navitas Resources LLP argues that with its heritage in extracting oil and gas from harsh environments and recent investments in space programmes, many Middle Eastern countries are well-placed to take advantage of the …
Read More »Inmarsat confirms successful launch of the fourth Global Xpress satellite
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 …
Read More »PTScientist’s Audi Lunar Quattro Hits the Hollywood Green Carpet
Over the past few years, space has had some notable moments on the Hollywood red carpet and we’ve seen films such as Gravity and The Martian do well at the box office. Here at SpaceWatch Middle East, we have been particularly excited by the new Alien movie, Alien Covenant, because …
Read More »Israel’s Spacecom Hangs Tough, Signals End of Xinwei Attempted Buyout
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 …
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 »#SpaceWatchME Review: Twelfth Annual Ilan Ramon International Space Conference Emphasizes International Cooperation
Ian Christensen, Project Manager at the Secure World Foundation, reports for SpaceWatch Middle East, on the 12th Annual Ilan Ramon International Space Conference held in Herzilya, Israel, on 30-31 January 2017. The 12th Annual Ilan Ramon International Space Conference was held in Herzilya, Israel on 30-31 January 2017. Organized by the Israeli Ministry of …
Read More »SpaceX cites technical failure in AMOS-6 launch blast
SpaceX announced on 2 January 2017 that it had identified the cause of the catastrophic explosion of its Falcon-9 space launch vehicle (SLV) containing Israeli company Spacecom’s AMOS-6 communications satellite on 1 September 2016. SpaceX and U.S. government and space industry experts believe that the explosion occurred due to the …
Read More »Israel’s great space recovery? IAI engineers fixing Ofek-11 in orbit, first images transmitted
Israeli press outlets are reporting that Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) engineers are resolving many of the technical faults discovered on its latest reconnaissance satellite – Ofek-11 – launched last week on 13 September 2016 from Palmachim Air Base in Israel. Further, IAI engineers are quietly confident that the remaining problems …
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