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Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi may travel to Egypt and Jordan as well as meeting with the GCC

Japan’s foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia

Japan plans to hold a foreign ministers’ meeting with the six member states of the GCC in Saudi Arabia in early September. A free trade deal with the bloc is high on the agenda, said Kyodo news agency, citing diplomatic sources. Japan is aiming to strengthen relations with oil producers in the Middle East to […]

Yahsat satellites

Yahsat in Airbus talks to build new satellites

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) is in talks with Airbus to start work on two new satellites as it looks to build on a 5 percent rise in net profit for the first half of 2023.  Group CEO Ali Al Hashemi said the Abu Dhabi-listed company has signed an authorisation-to-proceed letter with the European […]

Japanese premier Fumio Kishida greets the UAE's president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in Abu Dhabi on Monday

GCC and Japan to restart talks on free trade deal

Japan and the GCC are to resume free trade talks, the pair have announced, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the region. Kishida is meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar this week as he seeks to build economic ties across the Gulf. The GCC announcement followed talks between the Japanese prime minister […]

Astronaut

Saudi Arabia signals intent with space sector shake-up

The launch of the Saudi Space Agency puts the kingdom on a trajectory to become one of the biggest players in the global space race, experts say. The agency has replaced the Saudi Space Commission and will focus on space science and exploratory missions, creating new opportunities and, according to its website, “empowering national cadres […]

People, Person, Man

Elon Musk denies UAE-Saudi investment in SpaceX

Elon Musk has denied speculation suggesting investors from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are preparing to participate in a funding round for his SpaceX venture. A report earlier this week, carried in US tech-focused publication The Information, said a unit of Saudi Arabia’s investment fund and an Abu Dhabi-based company are planning to invest in […]

Venture fund to invest in Israel’s ‘new space’ industry

Earth & Beyond Ventures, a new early-stage venture fund investing in Israel’s emerging commercial space ecosystem, has launched with commitments of $125 million to leverage Israel’s expertise in deeptech, aerospace, and satellite engineering. The fund is backed by manufacturer and Nasa supplier Corning Inc, Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corp, Israeli satellite firm SpaceCom and Samtec, […]

Boat, Vehicle, Transportation Video length: 00:46
  • EXCLUSIVE

US space balloon pioneer seeks Middle East partners

A company planning to launch commercial balloon flights to the edge of outer space in late 2024 is seeking partners in the Middle East. Space Perspective, which is headquartered at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, is looking to build “strong, longer-term, strategic partnerships” with regional tech firms and investors, according to Jane Poynter, founder […]

Solar panels power the International Space Station. Governments and space agencies are now studying the feasibility of providing Earth with clean energy from space

UK and Saudi eye investments in space-based solar power

The UK and Saudi governments are exploring closer collaboration to invest in what could be the next era of renewable energy: space-based solar power. Grant Shapps, Britain’s business and energy secretary, met Abdullah Al Swaha, chairman of the Saudi Space Commission and minister of communications and information technology, for talks last week. A potential collaboration […]

Kuwait forays into space with first satellite launch

Kuwait’s first satellite, ‘KuwaitSat-1’, was successfully launched into space onboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, state-owned Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported. The project, which has been in the works for three years, was undertaken by Kuwait University and funded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.  It comes as GCC […]

The Rashid Rover was launched into space on a Space X rocket

UAE-built Rashid rover blasts off towards the moon

The UAE-built Rashid rover, the first Emirati mission to the surface of the moon, lifted off on board a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday. The UAE is set to become the first Arab country and the fourth country in the world to make a soft […]

  • Analysis

Oil to outer space: the changing face of UAE-Japan trade

When the Emirates lunar mission is launched next month, the trade relationship between the UAE and Japan will be taken to a whole new level – approximately 384,400km higher. The Rashid rover will be transported to the moon on a lunar lander made by Japanese company ispace. The exact date has yet to be confirmed, […]

Clothing, Apparel, Person

Oman’s first satellite ‘Aman’ is set for launch this year

Oman-based International Emerging Technology Company (ETCO) has said that the first Omani satellite, ‘Aman’, was successfully prepared for its launch into Low Earth Orbit, at Newquay, Cornwall, in the UK. According to the state-owned Omani News Agency, the satellite is integrated into the launch rocket ‘LauncherOne’ and will be taken on its journey into space […]

Qatar issues licence to Elon Musk’s satellite broadband firm

Qatar’s telecom watchdog Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has issued an individual licence to Starlink Satellite Qatar, state-owned QNA reported. The licence authorises US-based Starlink’s Qatar unit to provide satellite broadband Internet services to individuals and enterprises via the low-earth orbit satellite constellation of SpaceX. Starlink will provide direct-to-consumer satellite Internet and premium services, targeting businesses […]

Oman to set up space research and settlement centre

Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic and Free Zones (OPAZ) has signed an agreement with Global Space and Technology Company to establish a space settlement centre for research, scientific and practical experiments, Oman News Agency reported. The centre will simulate astronauts’ conditions and conduct research on advanced technology and artificial intelligence over an area of […]

UAE likely to pioneer iPhone 14 emergency message service

The UAE is predicted to be at the forefront of adopting the iPhone 14 satellite message feature to send emergency messages from remote locations, according to a local retailer. “With the way Dubai Police and the Ministry of Interior work, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that here fairly soon,” Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer […]

Person, Human, Face

Abu Dhabi firms invest $25m each in Elon Musk’s SpaceX

Two Abu Dhabi-listed firms have invested $25 million each in California-based rocket manufacturer SpaceX, which was founded by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. International Holding Company first invested in SpaceX in 2020 through private equity fund Falcon CI IV and yesterday confirmed it had put in an additional $25 million. “We are pleased to […]

Sultan Bin Salman led the Arab world into space exploration
  • Analysis

Space tech gives Gulf nations a launchpad for local talent

Saudi Arabia aims to emulate UAE’s success In 1985, Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot, became the first Arab to go into space, flying aboard a US Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist. He was appointed chairman of the Saudi Space Commission in 2018 and although he […]