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.