Category Archives: Space Today

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is forging ahead with building its MBZ-SAT Earth-observation satellite. This will be the region’s most advanced high-accuracy, high-resolution imaging satellite. It is designed to monitor environmental changes, water quality, and assist in agricultural development. MBZ-SAT will be equipped with an automated system for arranging images around the clock,Read More

The UAE is planning a second attempt to land a lunar rover on the moon after the first failed to land successfully. Work in now under way on Rashid 2, a replacement lunar rover. The Japanese Hakuto-R Mission One lander, which carried the Emirati rover and many other international payloads, was launched aboard a SpaceXRead More

Azerbaijan signed up to China’s International Lunar Research Station project recently, on the sidelines of a major international space conference. The agreement, as with a statement released on South Africa joining the ILRS last month, does not provide specifics of the cooperation. The statement said the agreement will see CNSA and Azercosmos carry out extensiveRead More

Serco has entered a partnership with Starburst, the aerospace accelerator, to drive innovation in the UAE space industry and to foster the growth of space ecosystems worldwide. The partnership builds on a well-established and successful European-wide collaboration between two key players in the field. Through this partnership, Serco and Starburst aim to support the UAERead More

Operating under a veil of secrecy reminiscent of a national security launch, Virgin Galactic performed its third commercial suborbital spaceflight recently with three private astronauts on board. The “Galactic 03” flight was the third commercial mission for Unity, after the Galactic 01 research mission in June and the Galactic 02 private astronaut flight in August.Read More

Open Cosmos has raised $50 million to expand the company and develop larger satellites and constellations focused on Earth observation. The company, based in the United Kingdom with offices in Spain and Portugal, announced recently the Series B round. The round was led by ETF Partners, Trill Impact and A&G, three funds from “impact investors”Read More

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity selected four vendors to develop technologies and new approaches for tracking small debris objects in space. A-Tech, Advanced Space, SRI International, and West Virginia University Research Corporation won four-year contracts of undisclosed value for the Space Debris Identification and Tracking (SINTRA) program. The four vendors were selected through aRead More

Serco, which recently launched its Saudi Space Division based out of Riyadh, has opened applications for its Graduate Space Program. The program is aimed at recruiting young national engineers. With the growth of its international reputation in the space industry a key pillar in Vision 2030, the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) is taskedRead More

A group founded by European air traffic controllers has signed a deal to bring improved airspace-tracking capabilities from Viasat’s constellation to market next year. The European Satellite Services Provider group, or ESSP, said recently that it will be responsible for leading the commercialization of Iris, an air traffic modernization program the European Space Agency developedRead More

Plasmos, the Los Angeles-based startup developing rocket engines, is pivoting to become an artificial intelligence-driven venture capital firm. Plasmos officially changed its business model in late May after struggling to attract investors and strategic partners due in part to the background of Plasmos CEO Ali Baghchehsara. Born in Iran, Baghchehsara moved to Germany as aRead More