IMAGING

Rocket Lab launches private Japanese ‘Strix’ satellite

Rocket Lab launched an Earthobserving radar satellite for the Japanese company Synspective on March 20. An Electron rocket topped with one of Synspective’s Strix satellites lifted off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Friday at 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT; 7:10 a.m. on March 21 local New Zealand time), on a mission called “Eight Days a Week.” This launch is the eighth that Rocket Lab has conducted for Synspective, which helps explain the mission name. www.space.com

China puts satellites into space via Smart Dragon 3 rocket

China placed 10 satellites into orbit with the launch of a Smart Dragon 3 carrier rocket from off the coast of Haiyang in Shandong province on March 22, 2026.

The Smart Dragon 3 is a solid-propellant rocket model with a height of 31 meters and a diameter of 2.65 meters. It can carry a liftoff weight of 140 metric tons. The rocket is capable of sending multiple satellites with a combined weight of 1.5 tons to a typical sunsynchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers. www.chinadaily.com.cn

Aditya-L1 mission invites proposals for second AO observation cycle

The Aditya-L1 Mission marks a major milestone in India’s space science programme, enabling continuous and comprehensive observations of the Sun from the Sun–Earth L1 point. Scientific data from the mission are regularly released in public domain for global scientific utilization. At present there are more than 27 TB data in public domain and several important scientific results have been published in International peer reviewed journals. To further maximize the scientific return from this unique mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the second Announcement of Opportunity (AO) inviting proposals from the Indian solar physics community for Aditya-L1 observation time. www.isro.gov.in

UAE charts ambitious fiveyear space roadmap

The UAE will safeguard its achievements and emerge stronger, with all sectors working in lockstep to deliver on a national pledge to the world, according to Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. He underscored the country’s resilience and institutional strength amid evolving challenges.

Recently, the Cabinet approved the UAE’s five-year space sector strategy, as the country accelerates its ambitions in the field. The sector is now valued at more than Dh44 billion and includes over 170 scientific, national and economic entities,” Sheikh Mohammed continued.

The UAE has developed and launched 30 satellites, established a national astronaut programme, and carried out a scientific mission to Mars, with a new mission planned to Venus and the asteroid belt. gulfnews.com

G20 satellite set for 2027 launch

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said that the G20 satellite, designed to study climate, air pollution and monitor weather, is expected to be launched in 2027. According to Dr Narayanan, India is the first country to succeed in placing 104 satellites, more than 100 satellites using a single rocket without any collision. The ISRO chief further said a lot of commercial missions were carried out, including 433 satellites of 34 countries, and the heaviest satellite lifted from India was again a commercial satellite. He said ISRO is working towards sending a human to the moon by 2040. theprint.in

Ethiopia and Japan strengthen space business collaboration

Ethiopia has taken a significant step toward developing its commercial space sector following the signing of a MoU between the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) and Japan’s space business platform Cross U.

The agreement formalises cooperation between the two institutions to accelerate the growth of Ethiopia’s space technology ecosystem and promote space-based business initiatives through international collaboration.

The collaboration outlines key areas of focus, including identifying marketdriven use cases for satellite data solutions, supporting the incubation of space startups, and strengthening human capital development through training, internships, and research partnerships. techreviewafrica.com

Updated GNSS Interference Resource Guide

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has updated its GNSS Interference Resource Guide with updated information on GNSS vulnerabilities and general edits throughout. The FAA’s Flight Technologies and Procedures Division (AFS-400) developed the guide to provide U.S. operators and pilots with the most current information regarding GPS and GNSS jamming and spoofing. It can be downloaded at www.faa.gov

South Korea funds to boost private space sector

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has increased the size of its New Space Fund, which supports private sectorled space development, by 25 times in just one year. By drastically expanding the fund from ₩8.1 billion to ₩200 billion and pursuing the creation of a global fund for the first time, KASA is reshaping the domestic aerospace investment ecosystem.

KASA announced recently that it has officially begun the process of selecting a professional fund manager with the goal of establishing the ₩200 billion 4th New Space Fund by September this year, aiming to foster leading companies to spearhead the ‘K-aerospace’ era. www.dongascience.com