India spares slowing ISRO’s space missions

India spares slowing ISRO’s space missions
(Express News) May 12, 2010
The quality of home-grown electronic components, which are integrated to satellites and launch vehicles, is very poor and hence is hampering the process of indigenisation of the Indian Space programme, said Dr D Narayanamoorthy, senior scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was delivering the National Technology Day lecture on Indian Space Endeavour on Tuesday. He said that while the percentage of indigenous components in the launch vehicles was very high, the percentage of indigenous components integrated into spacecrafts was about 50 per cent. This, he said, was despite the very poor quality of home-grown electronic components.

Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite

Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite
(VOV News) May 12, 2010
The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the US aeronautical manufacturer - Lockheed Martin Corporation, signed a contract in Hanoi on May 11 to build and launch Vietnam’s second telecom satellite, Vinasat-2. Accordingly, Lockheed Martin will build the satellite and launch it into orbit within 24 months from the date of the contract. With the launch of the US$250 million Vinasat-1in April 2008, Vietnam became the 93rd country in the world and the sixth within the region to have its own satellite in orbit, according to VNPT. So far Vinasat-1 has leased out 80 percent of its capacity and is expected to operate at full capacity by 2011.

Qatar set to launch satellite in 2012

Qatar set to launch satellite in 2012
(Gulf News) May 12, 2010
Manama Qatar is set to launch its first satellite at the end of 2012 to provide superior coverage across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. The $300 million (Dh1.1 billion) deal to launch and operate the satellite, named Eshail, was signed in Doha by Qatar's Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar)Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar). Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabr Al Thani, who was present at the signing ceremony, said that Qatar's share of the deal was more than 50 per cent.

Naro ready for June 9 rocket launch

Naro ready for June 9 rocket launch
(Korea Times) May 10, 2010, By Kim Tong-hyung
South Korea's first space rocket launch was a dismal failure, although government officials insist on calling it a ``half-success.'' The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, doesn't intend to leave any doubts this time around as it prepares to light up the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) again for an optimistic retry on June 9. Yet it is difficult to pinpoint the areas required for improvement, when engineers and officials are still unsure what caused KSLV-1 to fail to place its payload satellite into orbit on its maiden flight last August.

Mexico to create its first space center on Yucatan Peninsula
(RIA Novosti) April 22, 2010
Mexico will create its own space center on the Yucatan Peninsula, deputy economy minister Francisco Pimentel said. "In the next few days, [U.S.] astronaut Jose Hernandez and engineer Fernando de la Pena will travel there to carry out an inspection, in order to study concrete details of the future construction," he said. Pimentel said the space center will be built near the city of Chetumal, on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The space center, to be located some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) away from residential locations, will built on about 30 hectares of land. In 2008, the Mexican parliament approved the creation of a Mexican space agency (Agencia Espacial Mexicana - AEXA). The initiative was put forward in 2007 by NASA's Hernandez, whose father emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. The structure of Mexico's space agency will be similar to that of NASA. The initial cost of the project is estimated at $80 million. Hernandez has said the Mexican space agency was ready to cooperate with all countries in peaceful space exploration. According to the astronaut, Mexico is technically unable to carry out rocket launches by itself at the moment, but will probably be able to in ten years or so. For now, he said, the country should obtain the necessary technology. Russia and Mexico signed an agreement on cooperation in space research and exploration for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers. After the talks, Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev said Russia was ready to help Mexico develop its national space program on a commercial basis.

Mexico enters the space race

Mexico enters the space race
(Wales Online) April 21, 2010
Mexican politicians approved the creation of a space agency that will seek to bolster research and raise Mexico’s scientific profile. The lower house of Mexico’s Congress voted to support the agency, which was endorsed by the Senate in 2008. The proposal will now go to President Felipe Calderon for final approval. Politicians said in a statement that if approved by Mr Calderon, the agency will have to convoke Mexican and foreign space experts to draft its space policy. Nasa astronaut Jose Hernandez volunteered to help start Mexico’s first space agency. Mr Hernandez is the US-born son of Mexican migrant farm workers.

China, Brazil sign document on satellite data sharing

China, Brazil sign document on satellite data sharing
(Xinhua) April 19, 2010
China and Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding which gives both countries direct access to data from the satellites the two countries jointly developed, launched and operated. The document was signed by the president of the China Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application, Xu Wen, and the general director of Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Gilberto Camara, in the Brazilian city of Sao Jose dos Campos, where the INPE headquarters are located. The INPE said on Monday the agreement has made the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite Program (CBERS) global.

NOAA, Taiwan Developing Plan for Weather Satellite Program

NOAA, Taiwan Developing Plan for Weather Satellite Program
(Space News) April 9, 2010, By Turner Brinton
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Taiwan have developed initial requirements for a collaborative weather satellite program, and will spend the rest of the year putting together an acquisition strategy with an eye toward launching the satellites starting in 2014, U.S. government officials said. The satellites will use a relatively new method for obtaining atmospheric data called GPS radio occultation, which has been used in operational weather forecasting since a demonstration constellation was launched in 2006.

Yahsat secures first-ever Shariah compliant space insurance

Yahsat secures first-ever Shariah compliant space insurance
(Emirates News Agency UAE) April 7, 2010
Al Yah Satellite Communications Company has successfully secured the first ever Shariah compliant space insurance policy. The insurance solution, which was specifically developed to meet Yahsat’s needs, covers the launch and in-orbit operations of Y1A and Y1B, the Yahsat scheduled to be launched in 2011. The uniquely crafted insurance solution was a seamless fit with the innovative technology, deep regional insights and fresh approach that Yahsat will bring to the markets and the customers that it will serve. "Insurance protection is an integral part of our satellite program. With firm roots in the region, we are proud to be the first organization to use a new Shariah-compliant insurance solution for space programs," said Jassem Mohamed Al Zaabi, CEO,

ISRO aims for the skies, targets space tourism

ISRO aims for the skies, targets space tourism
(Economic Times India) April 7, 2010
Even as countries are vying to grab a share of the tourism pie, ISRO is aiming at the skies, literally. They are seriously taking upthe challenge of pursuing space tourism in a big way. Newly-appointed chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr K Radhakrishnan says the space agency is exploring new strategies and technologies for human space flight programmes, low-cost access to space tourism and the colonisation of Mars and the Moon. As of 2009, space tourism opportunities have been limited and expensive, with the Russian Space Agency providing this facility. The price for a flight brokered by Space Adventures to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft is $20-35 million. Space tourists usually sign contracts with third parties to conduct certain research while in orbit. This helps minimise their own expenses. Countries like the US, Russia and Japan have already started work to have a habitat in Mars by 2030 and are devising a transportation system to reach Mars.

India: Climbing into space

Climbing into space

(Financial Express India) April 5, 2010, By Huma Siddiqui

Until now, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has used Russian-made cryogenic engines for putting its satellite launch vehicles into space. The polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) is used for launching remote sensing satellites into polar orbits and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) for launching communication and meteorological satellites into geo-synchronous transfer orbit. But later this month, if the Indian space agency’s attempt to launch its largest rocket, the GSLV-D3 with an indigenous cryogenic engine succeeds, then India will join the elite club of five nations in the world to have successfully developed such technology. For the country’s rocket scientists, the yet-to-be-achieved breakthrough is significant on two fronts—one, they will achieve self reliance and confidence in space technology. Two, India will emerge as a serious player in the $4 billion global satellite launch market.

U.S. mocks Venezuelan space plans

U.S. mocks Venezuelan space plans

(MSNBC) April 2, 2010, By Matthew Lee

The Obama administration on Friday dismissed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's suggestion that his country wants to set up a space program with Russian help. The State Department said that Venezuela and Russia are free to cooperate in any area they want but pointed out that the populist Chavez's government is dealing with potentially more pressing matters for its citizens than "space travel." "We would note that the government of Venezuela was largely closed this week due to energy shortages," spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters. "To the extent that Venezuela is going to expend resources on behalf of its people, perhaps the focus should be more terrestrial than extraterrestrial."

NASA tech could help find Mideast water

NASA tech could help find Mideast water

(UPI) April 3, 2010

NASA technology used to hunt for water on Mars could be used in the huge deserts of the Middle East and North Africa, a NASA scientist says. NASA planetary scientist Essam Heggy, a member of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told a U.N. water conference in Alexandria, Egypt, the scarcity of water could trigger water-related conflicts throughout the region, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. But the NASA technology could detect water up to more than half a mile beneath the dense deserts that cover much of the Middle East and North Africa, he said. As global warming continues, the technology could eventually help ward off conflict, Heggy said.

Bolivia, China team up on communications satellite

Bolivia, China team up on communications satellite
(Reuters) April 1, 2010, By Eduardo Garcia
Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales signed an agreement on Thursday that paves the way for the acquisition of a $300 million Chinese telecommunications satellite, the latest sign of deepening ties between the resource rich Andean country and commodity-hungry China. The satellite, which will be named after an Indian who led an uprising against the Spanish conquistadors in the 18th century, will improve Internet access and communications in remote rural areas, Morales said. Public Works Minister Walter Delgadillo said the accord signed on Thursday lays out the technical details of the project and the next step is to secure financing from China.

South Korean Rocket Will Launch Again in June

South Korean Rocket Will Launch Again in June
(Space.com) April 1, 2010, By Stephen Clark
South Korea plans another flight of its small satellite launcher in June, nearly a year after the rocket's first mission was doomed when its payload shroud did not separate, according to the rocket's Russian contractor. The first stage of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle is about to be shipped from Russia to South Korea, the program's Russian industrial partner said in a statement Wednesday. The 93-foot-long first stage was transported by train from Khrunichev to an airfield Wednesday. The vehicle will next be loaded into a cargo plane to fly to Busan, South Korea.

Singapore space industry nascent but progressing

Singapore space industry nascent but progressing
(ZDNet Asia) April 1, 2010, By Liau Yun Zing
Despite being in a fledgling phase, developments in the Singapore space industry have been "encouraging and progressive" in recent years, said the country's space association. The first locally built micro-satellite will launch later in the year. "Singapore's space industry is still in its nascent stages, particularly when compared with regional and global counterparts," said a spokesperson from the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) in an e-mail. However, the association feels developments in this area "have been encouraging and progressive in recent years". SSTA is a non-profit association focused on developing the space technology industry in Singapore. It works with partners from the commercial industry, government agencies, academia, and research and technological institutes. Among the recent developments, said SSTA, are the completion of a micro-satellite at the Centre for Research in Satellite Technologies (CREST), as well as an ongoing research study collaboration by the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI).

Fujitsu's New Disaster-Management System for JAXA Goes Live

Fujitsu's New Disaster-Management System for JAXA Goes Live
(Asahi) April 1, 2010
Fujitsu today announced that the Sentinel Asia STEP-2 system, which it built under the auspices of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), became fully operational on March 31, 2010. The system supports disaster-prevention activities using Earth observation satellites operated by government agencies in Asia, including JAXA, to acquire satellite imagery. The images are then distributed via the Internet and communications satellites to countries throughout Asia, including those that do not own satellites. With an increasing number of typhoons, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other large-scale natural disasters occurring in Asia in recent years, the new system will help countries to quickly respond to disasters. During a trial run held from October 2009 through March 2010, the system was used to track the volcanic eruption of Mt. Mayon in the Philippines on December 25, 2009, where it proved capable of providing useful information. To support the transmission of information to countries lacking an adequate Internet infrastructure, Fujitsu has integrated its high-speed file transfer solution, BI.DAN-GUN, to the Internet and satellite delivery functions of the system, increasing the speed by as much as 20-fold.

Tactical Satellite-3 supports Haiti and Chile earthquake relief efforts

Tactical Satellite-3 supports Haiti and Chile earthquake relief efforts

(Air Force) March 30, 2010, By Michael Kleiman

When the United States Southern Command requested for imaging collection to assist with rebuilding and humanitarian relief efforts after an earthquake struck Haiti and Chile, the Tactical Satellite-3 program team here and at Hanscom AFB, Mass. answered the call. Employing the spacecraft's primary payload, the Advanced Responsive Tactically-Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer project has provided 30 -plus data collects to the Miami - based Unified Combatant Command. The UCC is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, as well as in Central and South America.

Africa bids to host mega radio telescope

Africa bids to host mega radio telescope

(Reuters) March 30, 2010, By Wendell Roelf

Africa stands a good chance of beating Australia in a race to host the world's most powerful radio telescope able to peer back billions of years in time, a South African minister said on Tuesday. An international panel is expected to announce the winner from the two shortlisted continents in 2012, enabling the victor to host the 1.5 billion euro Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, which will be 50 times more sensitive and 10,000 times faster than any other radio imaging telescope built. "It is a huge endeavor we are undertaking," Naledi Pandor, South Africa's minister of science and technology, said at the Northern Cape location identified as the core site for the new telescope if the African bid succeeds.

Watch this empty space

Watch this empty space

(The Australian) March 31, 2010, By Cheryl Jones

NASA's Honeysuckle Creek tracking station near Canberra received the world's first images of the Apollo 11 moonwalk in 1969, but staff at nearby Orroral Valley tracking station enjoyed a private viewing of the event. They swung their 26m dish antenna on to the moon and got their own pictures, according to a former staff member. "We weren't actually tracking anything, so we had a look at it," Philip Clark tells the HES. He was an electronics and radio communications technician at Orroral, 50km south of Canberra in Namadgi national park, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps outside the lunar module.

India plans to launch 10 satellites every year

India plans to launch 10 satellites every year

(Deccan Herald India) March 31, 2010

Indian space scientists and engineers are bracing up to launch an average of 10 satellites per year to meet the rising demand for various space applications, including communications and remote sensing, a top space scientist said. "We are planning to launch 10 satellites per year, beginning fiscal 2010-11. We have a series of satellites and launch vehicles at various stages of preparation," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan told reporters. Though this fiscal (2009-10), it could launch only three -- Oceansat-2, Risat-2 (radar imaging satellite) in association with Israeli Aerospace Industries, and Anusat, a micro-satellite.

Kids look beyond blockaded Gaza and into the heavens

Kids look beyond blockaded Gaza and into the heavens

(Arizona Daily Star) March 28, 2010, By Karin Laub

Suleiman Baraka's journey could be measured in light-years: the eldest of 14 children of a butcher, he rose from humble beginnings in violence-wracked Gaza to become an astrophysicist, space weather expert and researcher for NASA, the U.S. space agency. Now, at 45, he is back home with a new mission - to teach kids to look up from their blockaded, beaten-down surroundings and into the limitless beauty of the universe. He has procured the first known telescope in Gaza, a donation from the International Astronomical Union, and plans to introduce astronomy in Gaza's three universities.

Singapore to have 1st locally-built satellite in space

Singapore to have 1st locally-built satellite in space

(Xinhua) March 29, 2010

Singapore will have its first self-made satellite sent to the space in the middle of this year, local media reported on Monday. According to local English newspaper the Straits Times, the X-Sat, a 120 kg micro-satellite about the size of a refrigerator, will be launched in June or July from India's Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh, 100 km north of Chennai. The estimated cost of the satellite is about 40 million Singapore dollars (about 29 million U.S. dollars). The newspaper said that Singapore is believed to be the first Southeast Asian country that will have its own locally built satellite in space with the launch of the satellite.

Vietnam to build national space centre

Vietnam to build national space centre
(Nhan Dan Vietnam) March 25, 2010
Vietnam will build a National Space Centre to maximize the application of space technology in service of the nation’s socio-economic development. With Japan ’s assistance in design, construction of the US$400 million facility will start within this year at Hanoi ’s Hoa Lac Hi-tech Zone, according to the Vietnam Science and Technology Academy , which oversees the project. By its completion in 2018, the centre will entail a satellite assembly, integration and test facility, a satellite signal transmission station, a research center, a space museum and an observatory, said the project manager, Dr. Pham Anh Tuan.

Military sites could help launch SA into space

Military sites could help launch SA into space
(South Africa Times) March 21, 2010, By Bobby Jordan
The government is considering reopening apartheid-era space rocket launch sites to fast-track a national space programme. The move coincides with a major breakthrough for the country's space science industry - the first detailed images from the national space satellite launched last year and now orbiting 500km above the earth. Naledi Pandor, the minister of science and technology, this week told the Sunday Times that the aim of the programme was to turn South Africa into a regional space hub. Recommissioning old launch sites would be a major step forward for the country's space ambitions, she said.

India Forestry satellite by 2013: Jairam Ramesh

Forestry satellite by 2013: Jairam Ramesh

(The Hindu) March 8, 2010, By A. D. Rangarajan

Union Minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh has announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a dedicated forestry satellite in all likelihood in the year 2013. Against the biennial exercise in vogue, the facility will help to continuously monitor the forest cover, health and diversity. Similarly, efforts are on to launch an indigenous satellite for monitoring greenhouse gases and aerosol emissions next year, which will place India on a rung occupied by a select few in the world. Speaking to journalists after inaugurating the Indian Climate Observatory Network (ICON) at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) campus near here on Sunday, Mr. Ramesh called the satellite a major afforestation initiative — a key player in tackling climate change issues.

UAE: Brush off your Failure folder and get innovative

Brush off your Failure folder and get innovative

(UAE National) March 7, 2010, By Rehan Khan

Being an innovator can be a risky endeavour. Sometimes you get it right, most times you get it wrong. For starters, I have created a folder on my hard drive called “Failure” and in it I’ve been serendipitously archiving all of the business failure stories I come across. My first entry was Teledesic, a programme in the 1990s to launch a constellation of 840 active satellites in a low earth orbit, with the ability to provide uplinks of as much as 100 megabytes per second and downlinks of up to 720MB/s anywhere on the planet. It was marketed as an internet in the sky and would be the end of all fixed-line telecommunications operators. It even attracted funding from such luminaries as Craig McCaw, Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The project was officially closed in 2002.

President-elect looks to boost Costa Rica into space

President-elect looks to boost Costa Rica into space

(Costa Rica Tico Times) March 8, 2010, By Chrissie Long

At the top of President-elect Laura Chinchilla's agenda for her meeting with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on last Thursday was convincing her that Costa Rica's should be a part of international space programs. Costa Rica's own Franklin Chang, a retired NASA physicist and astronaut, is developing new plasma engines for space travel from a plant in Liberia, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, and Chinchilla wants to ensure that his products are incorporated into worldwide projects. “We want recognition for Costa Rica, so the country can enter this special industry,” Chinchilla said, seeing in the space industry an opportunity to stimulate more high-paying jobs and international prestige for the Central American country. “We hope that Costa Rica is the first Latin American country (to enter the space industry.)”

South Korea: New Satellites to Improve Daily Life

New Satellites to Improve Daily Life

(Korea Times) March 8, 2010, By Kim Tong-hyung

The hit-or-miss weather forecasts are on everyone's list of the most annoying things in everyday life here. But Korea's space agency claims to have a remedy ready when about $314 million state-of-the-art meteorological satellite is launched next month. The Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS-1), which will be strapped to a European rocket and blasted into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) next month, is the first in a series of new Korean satellites to be launched from this year to 2013. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said that the wealth of satellite images, data and communications functions provided by the new fleet of craft will have visible effects in science research, industry and the daily lives of people. This would also help establish the country as a provider of quality space data and contribute to finding a niche in the heated Asian space race.

Moon and beyond - India's space programme in take-off mode

Moon and beyond - India's space programme in take-off mode

(Earth Times) March 8, 2010

As the United States winds down its space shuttle programme, emerging economy India is developing its own reusable launch vehicle that it hopes will make it a space power. The Avatar, a reusable launch vehicle (RLV), would be capable of delivering a 500 to 1000-kilogramme payload into orbit at a fairly low cost. The Aerobic Vehicle for Hypersonic Aerospace Transportation (Avatar) is just one example of how far India's space programme has travelled since it first launched a sounding rocket in 1963 from a fishing village Thumba in southern Kerala. India's space scientists have, over four decades, slowly but steadily developed a mature capability despite small budgets and an embargo on high technology transfers because of its nuclear tests.

China Studies Moon Rocket

China Studies Moon Rocket

(Aviation Week) March 5, 2010, By Bradley Perrett

China is studying the design of a Moon rocket in the class of the Saturn V, as the Obama administration proposes canceling the U.S. successor to the Apollo launcher, Ares V. The country also is developing another new rocket, the “medium thrust” Long March 7, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology says. This new launcher joins the Long March 5 heavy rocket and the Long March 6, which was mentioned last year and is now defined as a “small-thrust” launcher. Long March 5, 6 and 7 will form a family of rockets, it says. Chinese space officials have said that the Long March 6 was based on the side boosters of the Long March 5.

South Africa to return to space: Pandor

SA to return to space: Pandor
(Defense Web) February 23, 2010, By Leon Engelbrecht
Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor says her department is looking at the possibility of reactivating and re-establishing space rocket launch facilities in South Africa, confirming a statement by an official in Parliament last year. Nomfuneko Majaja, the government`s Chief Director Advanced Manufacturing Space Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry told the National Assembly last July that "it was hoped that SA would be in a position to be a launching state in five to ten years time." Pandor was speaking at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) Satellite Applications Centre (SAC) at Hartebeeshoek, west of Pretoria, at an event at which a live video feed from South Africa’s SumbandilaSat microsatellite was publicly shown for the first time, the Engineering News and other media this morning reports. “We intend to strengthen the technological and space skills in South Africa,” Pandor said. “Sumbandila is a very significant development for us. Our new satellite provides us with a number of cost and competitive advantages.” Pandor added SA has previously spent more than R60 million a year buying images from other satellite owners.

Global space business leaders to converge in Dubai for inaugural World Space Risk Forum

Global space business leaders to converge in Dubai for inaugural World Space Risk Forum
(Business Intelligence Middle East) February 23, 2010
UAE. The World Space Risk Forum, a bi-annual conference that brings together professionals in the space business, will be held, in association with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), in Dubai from 1 - 3 March 2010. Over 280 delegates, 85% of whom are from overseas, will come together at the forum to exchange ideas on space risk management and insurance. Delegates attending the event will include CEOs and CFOs of satellite manufacturers, satellite operators and launch service providers, in addition to all the major global insurance brokers and underwriter companies. Over the course of the three day forum, they will discuss key topics such as Technical Developments in the Space Industry; Impact of the Global Economy on the Space Industry; Legal and Regulatory Environment within the Space Industry; and the outlook for the sector over the next three decades.

Bolivia to create space program, launch satellite

Bolivia to create space program, launch satellite

(Washington Post) February 10, 2010

Bolivia says it has created a space agency to build and launch the poor South American country's first satellite. Public Works Minister Walter Delgadillo Terceros says the government will initially invest $1 million in the Bolivian Space Agency. He says Chinese experts have arrived in the country to take charge of the satellite's construction and launch. Construction of the third-generation DFH-4 satellite is slated to begin in March. The satellite will be named Tupac Katari, after an Aymara Indian who led indigenous rebellions against the Spanish colonial government in the 16th century.

SES to Develop Orbital Slot for Andean Nations

SES to Develop Orbital Slot for Andean Nations

(Space News) February 8, 2010, By Peter B. de Selding

Satellite fleet operator SES of Luxembourg will move an in-orbit satellite to an orbital slot over South America by September to preserve access rights there held by the Andean Community of Nations in South America SES announced Feb. 8. In return for placing a satellite at the slot before the September deadline set by international frequency regulators, SES has secured a long-term agreement with the Andean nations to develop the slot. SES spokesman Yves Feltes said the company had not decided which satellite would be moved to 67 degrees west longitude. The Andean slot, which has been the subject of numerous debates among regulators at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been reserved for Ku-band frequencies and has a good angle of view on the Americas and the Caribbean.

Iran launches space probe

Iran launches space probe

Tehran has successfully launched a probe into space - with two turtles, a hamster and a worm on board. The Islamic republic also plans to unveil three new satellites on Wednesday - all part its ambitious independent space programme - which coincides with celebrations of the country's 31st Islamic revolution anniversary. The development is a great concern to the US who fears that the country's nuclear programme is at a threateningly advanced stage. Some experts think the Iranian nuclear programme and space programme are linked.

Bulgogi goes into space

Bulgogi goes into space
(Straits Times) February 2, 2010
Astronauts could soon be eating seaweed soup and spicy, garlic-laden meat dishes after South Korea won approval to send several national dishes into space. The science and technology ministry said a prestigious Russian laboratory has approved ready-to-eat bulgogi, bibimbap, seaweed soup and mulberry juice as suitable fare for astronauts. Bulgogi is a flavoured beef dish and bibimbap is a mixture of rice, meat and vegetables, infused with chilli and garlic. The ministry said the approval came this month from the Institute of Biomedical Problems, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences, following tests. 'The tests showed the foods helped improved digestion and allowed the growth of beneficial micro-organisms in the intestines,' a statement said. The move to send the dishes into space is the latest step in a campaign to promote South Korean food around the world. South Korea has already sent its iconic national dish kimchi - pickled cabbage soaked in chilli and garlic - into orbit along with its first astronaut, aboard a Russian launch vehicle in April 2008. She shared the potent mixture with the crew of the International Space Station.

Malaysia Can Become Global Player in Space-Based Technologies

Malaysia Can Become Global Player in Space-Based Technologies
(Bernama) February 2, 2010, By R.Ravichandran
Malaysia which is a small player in the space industry can become a global player in space-based technologies through innovation by setting up data processing centres, said Dr Harold J. Raveche, president of the privately-run United States-based Stevens Institute of Technology. He said this was possible by Malaysia venturing into making arrangements to buy data, information and images from space players having satellites like the United States, Russia, China, European Union countries and others and establish data processing centres in this country to process these materials which could then be sold to other countries. Dr Raveche said that despite satellites also being used for sensitive purposes such as for defence and security, there was also much non-sensitive data collected, which could be bought through proper arrangements and reprocessed using innovation for sale to other countries. "There is no need for Malaysia to spend huge sums of money for space technologies...through innovation, Malaysia can process and develop data for multiple uses namely humanitarian, civil and commercial applications," he told Bernama in an interview here today.

Iran to unveil five space projects

Iran to unveil five space projects
(RIA Novosti) February 1, 2010
Iran will unveil five space projects at ceremonies starting on Monday to celebrate the victory of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Fars news agency said. On the third day of the festivities, known as the "Ten Days of Dawn", Iranian authorities will hold on Wednesday a presentation of the Tolou (Rise) satellite, the Mesbah-2 and Mehdi research satellites, and the engine for the Simurgh booster rocket, all of which were domestically built. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's defense officials will also attend the opening of a mission control designed to process data from the satellites.

Singapore To Be Catalyst For Space Industry In Asia

Singapore To Be Catalyst For Space Industry In Asia

(Singapore Government Monitor) January 28, 2010

Today, more than half of the global space industry’s revenues come from the purchases of commercial space products and services. In 2008, the Space Foundation estimated the global space industry to be worth US$257 billion and growing at an impressive Compounded Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.4 per cent since 2006. In Asia, the space industry is poised to grow rapidly as many Asian nations set ambitious targets for their national space programs. Singapore can potentially contribute to the rapidly developing space industry in Asia in several ways.

Europe's booming spaceport and its Amazon neighbours

Europe's booming spaceport and its Amazon neighbours

(BBC) January 29, 2010

The European rocket launch site in French Guiana may have become the world's most important commercial satellite spaceport, but Sue Nelson finds that its boom is alienating the locals. No-one forgets their first rocket launch. Mine was an Ariane 4 in the Amazonian Basin. The rocket rose breathtakingly and unexpectedly slowly - and in complete silence. Sound is a tortoise compared to the speed of light and it takes time before a deep rumble accompanies the visuals. On my return to the Guiana Space Centre, the first immediate difference I notice is Cayenne's Rochambeau airport.

India, South Korea Sign Space Agreement

The Beginning of Something Big

(IT News) January 22, 2010

Continuous and remarkable economic growth has allowed India to emerge as a global power, increasing its presence in the world economy. Unlike most economies to post negative growth at the height of the global crisis, India is actually expected to achieve an impressive growth rate exceeding five percent in 2009. Korea has world class competitiveness manufacturing devices or equipment. Plus, Korea is the 12 largest economy in the world. Space technology is also a new avenue for India and Korea to develop commercial space launch, remote sensing, mapping and GPS based navigation. In addition biotechnology and green technology these are other areas of potential interest in Korea. Counselor Rajasekhar made another insightful comment by stating, “By working together sky is the limit. Seize the opportunity – now when the Korean government and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are additional facilitating factors.

South Korea upbeat on n-pact with India, signs IT and space pacts (Roundup)

(Thaindian) January 25th, 2010

New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Keen to give their growing economic ties the shape of a strategic partnership, India and South Korea Monday agreed to create a framework for bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and also signed pacts in areas ranging from peaceful uses of outer space to cooperation in IT. The two countries set a target of nearly doubling their $16 billion bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2014 and accelerate cooperation in areas like combating maritime piracy and joint development of military hardware. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Monday evening on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including the intensification of economic ties, UN reforms and cooperation in civilian nuclear energy, defence and civilian space technologies. The two sides inked four accords after the talks - related to cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, IT, science and technology for the year 2010-12 and transfer of sentenced persons.

NASA Launches Effort for Closer Cooperation with Israel

NASA Launches Effort for Closer Cooperation with Israel

(Isreal National News) January 25, 2010, By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator and former astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. is in Israel and on Sunday urged closer cooperation with the Jewish State, which he cited for its expertise in space technology. Bolden is guest of honor at the annual the International Ilan Ramon Space Conference, in memory of the late Israeli astronaut who fell in the Colombia space shuttle disaster. He said, “Israel is connected to NASA in many ways including the memory of the unforgettable Columbia disaster and the heroic Ilan Ramon who lost his life together with his team.

India launches rockets to study eclipse

India launches rockets to study eclipse
(CNN) January 14, 2010, By Harmeet Shah Singh
India is launching a series of rockets to study the impact of Friday's solar eclipse, a rare occurrence that will briefly reduce the sun to a blazing ring. The Indian Space Research Organization has already sent up three rockets, and at least five others are scheduled for launch during the eclipse, its spokesman, S. Satish, told CNN. Astronomers term the Friday phenomenon an annular eclipse, when the moon covers the center of the sun and not its edges. The Indian rockets will record changes the eclipse causes in the lower and middle atmosphere as it races from Africa to Asia, he said.

Iran to Unveil Military Satellite in February

Iran to unveil military satellite in February
(RIA Novosti) December 23, 2009
Iran will present a new-generation military satellite in early February, the country's defense minister said on Wednesday. Ahmad Vahidi was quoted by Press TV that the satellite, called Toloo, was designed and built by Iranian scientists and experts at Iran's Electronics Industries Co. "The great achievements made by Iran's defense ministry in the electronics field has both increased Iran's deterrent power and ended the monopoly of some countries in this complex field," he said. The minister said Iran's armed forces will now be able to identify enemy software and hardware components, and track their movement. He did not elaborate.

Vietnam to Launch Second Satellite in 2012

Vietnam PM Approves Plan To Launch Second Telecom Satellite By 2012
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed in principle to launch the country's second telecommunications satellite by 2012, the government said Monday in a statement. The government said Dung has assigned the state-run Vietnam Posts and Telecoms Group to be the sole investor of the satellite called Vinasat-2. It said the satellite will cost between $290 million and $350 million. "The new satellite is aimed at boosting the development of the country's telecom market," the government said. Vietnam launched its first satellite from a space port in South America in April 2008. The $300 million Vinasat-1, built by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, is expected to have a lifespan of between 15 and 20 years.