News Mails - 2014
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ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL SPACE AGENCY FORUM (APRSAF)
News Mail No. 124 Dec/24/2014
http://www.aprsaf.org/
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- * CONTENTS
- 1. News on APRSAF: APRSAF-21 held successfully
- 2. News on APRSAF: APRSAF questionnaire available
- 3. News from APRSAF Community
- Report on APRSAF-21 (LAPAN, ANGKASA)
- 2nd Annual Global Space Balloon Challenge (GSBC) - 4. Event Calendar
- 5. ASEAN workshop on EO satellites and stations held in Vietnam
- 6. SAARC to apply space technology for development
- 7. VNREDSat-1 contributes to international disaster mitigation
- 8. Singapore to launch first climate satellite by the fourth quarter of 2015
- 9. ISRO's experimental flight (GSLV Mk-III/CARE) successful
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* 1. News on APRSAF: APRSAF-21 held successfully
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The 21st session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-21) was successfully held December 2 to 5, 2014, in Tokyo, Japan.
Details of the meeting, including the overview, the final program (presentation materials), and photos are available here:
http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf21/meeting_details.php
SAFE workshop report is available here:
http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/SAFE/events/aprsaf21_report.html
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* 2. News on APRSAF: APRSAF questionnaire available
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As noted earlier, the APRSAF online questionnaire is now available. Your cooperation in responding this questionnaire on how to further improve APRSAF activities is highly appreciated.
The APRSAF questionnaire (Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2015), can be accessed via the link below:
https://www.science-event.jp/aprsaf-21/questionnaire/
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* 3. News from APRSAF Community
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<APRSAF-21 reports>
We are happy to share with you reports on ARPSAF-21 posted by participant organizations:
- LAPAN (in Indonesian)
http://www.lapan.go.id/index.php/subblog/read/2014/1034/Lapan-Ikuti-APRSAF-ke-21/berita
- ANGKASA, Water Rocket Event (in Malay)
http://www.angkasa.gov.my/?q=en/node/1039
- ANGKASA, Poster Contest (in Malay)
http://www.angkasa.gov.my/?q=en/node/1046
<2nd Annual Global Space Balloon Challenge (GSBC)>
Global Space Balloon Challenge will organize the 2nd Annual Global Space Balloon Challenge (GSBC), the world's largest high altitude balloon event, which will take place April 10 to 27, 2015. This challenge is specifically designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
For details and inquiries, please visit:
http://balloonchallenge.org/
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* 4. Event Calendar
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- IAA-IISL International Conference on Climate Change and Space-Based Disaster Management
(26-28 Feb 2015, Trivandrum, India)
http://www.iislweb.org/docs/kovalam.pdf
- Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR)
(14-18 Mar 2015, Sendai, Japan)
http://www.wcdrr.org/home
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* 5. ASEAN workshop on EO satellites and stations held in Vietnam
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The third workshop on ASEAN earth observation satellites and stations was organized by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); the workshop took place November 13 to 14, 2014. During the workshop, experts from ASEAN countries shared their experiences and ideas on how to operate remote sensing satellites, and discussed cooperation opportunities in the fields of remote sensing satellites, ground station networks, and human resources development. The participants of the workshop included representatives from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam, as well as a French company, Airbus Defense and Space, who attended as a supporter.
Reference:
- VAST News
http://www.vast.ac.vn/en/news/activities/1674-3-workshop-asean
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* 6. SAARC to apply space technology for development
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The 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit was held November 26 to 27, 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The representatives of SAARC's eight member countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, agreed to develop the capacity for member countries to apply space technology to sustainable development in the region. In this regard, India proposed to develop and launch a SAARC satellite by 2016.
References:
- 18th SAARC Summit Declaration, SAARC Press Release
http://www.saarc-sec.org/press-releases/18th-SAARC-Summit-Declaration/121/
- UN-SPIDER News
http://www.un-spider.org/news-and-events/news/saarc-strengthen-use-space-based-technology-disaster-management
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* 7. VNREDSat-1 contributes to international disaster mitigation
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According to a VAST News report dated December 8, since its launch on May 7, 2013, VNREDSat-1, Vietnam's first earth observation satellite, has been operating stably and has provided thousands of high-resolution optical images. These images have contributed internationally to monitoring and managing the environment and natural disasters such as Cyclone Hudhud in October 2014 in India, the August 2014 floods in India and Pakistan, the "Lundian" earthquake in August 2014 in China, and the Rammasun storm in Vietnam in May 2014.
Reference:
- VAST News
http://www.vast.ac.vn/en/news/science-and-technology-news/1675-international-cooperation-in-applying-vnredsat-1-images-in-the-prevention-and-mitigation-of-natural-disasters
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* 8. Singapore to launch first climate satellite by the fourth quarter of 2015
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The Nanyang Technology University (NTU) of Singapore will launch the country's first climate satellite, VELOX-CI, funded by Singapore's Economic Development Board, by the fourth quarter of 2015. The 130-kg satellite will adopt some of the technologies of two other satellites, VELOX-PII and VELOX-I, both of which were constructed by NTU students and research staff.
References:
- UN-SPIDER News
http://www.un-spider.org/news-and-events/news/singapore-first-climate-satellite-be-launched-2015
- NTU Press Release
http://media.ntu.edu.sg/NewsReleases/Pages/newsdetail.aspx?news=b9e74a64-8a3a-4ea3-8130-41e3bafb0163
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* 9. ISRO's experimental flight (GSLV Mk-III/CARE) successful
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The first experimental flight of GSLV Mk-III, India's next generation launch vehicle, successfully launched on December 18, 2014. The vehicle carried the 3775 kg payload, Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE), with the intention of testing the vehicle's performance during the critical atmospheric phase of its flight. As planned, CARE separated from the passive C25 cryogenic upper stage of GSLV Mk-III and landed in the Andaman Sea.
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Copyright 2014 The APRSAF Secretariat
APRSAF News Mails are distributed to update the readers on recent developments in space-related activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
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We welcome your updates on space-related activities and also your comments and suggestions to the APRSAF secretariat.
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APRSAF Secretariat
c/o Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
ochanomizu sola city, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
Tel: +81-50-3362-5880 / Fax: +81-3-5209-3208
E-mail: secretariataprsaf.org
Web: http://www.aprsaf.org
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