09 October 2019
South Africa on 09 October moved closer to establishing the world's largest radio telescope observatory, the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory, as the national parliament ratified the convention for its creation. The parliament's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology approved the convention signed by officials in Rome this year to create the inter-governmental governing body for the SKA. South Africa is a founding member of the SKA Observatory by signing the convention in March, along with six other countries, including China, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Britain.
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09 October 2019
China's first polar observation satellite, the BNU-1, has successfully obtained data on polar regions, according to the satellite's chief scientist. After nearly one month of in-orbit testing, the satellite is working normally and conducting full-coverage observation of the Antarctic and the Arctic every day, Cheng Xiao, the Chief Scientist, said at the China Symposium on Polar Science 2019. Cheng said the satellite data connection system launched on 08 October allows scientists around the world to obtain polar observation data acquire by the satellite. Registered users can also propose new observation requirements. The satellite continuously monitored a gigantic iceberg breaking away from the Amery Ice Shelf in east Antarctica in September, helping limit its impact on submerged buoys and investigation ships in the surrounding area.
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10 October 2019
Thaicom Public Company Limited (THCOM) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). The companies will cooperate in the area of application development for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and BeiDou - China’s proprietary Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The deal is part of Thaicom’s ambition to diversify its business and enter the emerging next technology markets through the integration of space, air, ground and maritime networks.
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12 October 2019
The China Aerospace Technology Corporation unveiled the first picture of the country's Mars explorer, a spacecraft set to be launched into Mars in 2020. "The mission is going smoothly. If no surprise, the Mars explorer is going to be launched in 2020, and land before 2021," said Ye Jianpei, Chief Scientist of Space Science and Deep-space Exploration with the Chinese Space Technology Academy.
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