News Mails - 2015

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ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL SPACE AGENCY FORUM (APRSAF)
News Mail No. 127 Mar/27/2015
http://www.aprsaf.org/
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- * CONTENTS

• 1. News on APRSAF: Date and venue for APRSAF-22 decided
• 2. News on APRSAF: Newsletter No. 20 released
• 3. News on APRSAF: 7th SAFE Workshop to be held in June
• 4. Event Calendar
• 5. Space Environment Cooperative Research Centre opened in Australia
• 6. Turkish Space Agency establishment bill was approved by the Council of Ministers
• 7. ICIMOD held a workshop on the Rapid Response Mapping and Information System
• 8. The Philippines will launch two microsatellites by 2017

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* 1. News on APRSAF: Date and venue for APRSAF-22 decided
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Following the previous issue of News Mail, we are happy to announce that the date and venue for the 22nd Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-22) have been decided as follows:
Date: December 1-4, 2015
Venue: Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel, Bali, Indonesia

Further details will be posted on the following website:
http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf22/meeting_details.php

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* 2. News on APRSAF: Newsletter No. 20 released
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APRSAF Newsletter No. 20 has been published. This issue features the results of APRSAF-21 held last December in Tokyo. To read the PDF version, please visit:
http://www.aprsaf.org/newsmails_newsletters/letters.php

Hard copies have been sent to those who participated in APRSAF-21 and registered their postal address, as well as existing subscribers.

If you wish to receive a hard copy from the next issue, Newsletter No. 21, please fill out the following form:
https://www.aprsaf.org/newsmails_newsletters/form/

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* 3. News on APRSAF: 7th SAFE Workshop to be held in June
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The 7th Space Application For Environment (SAFE) Workshop will be held on June 17, 2015, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The workshop is jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Resources Geography (HCMIRG) of Vietnam and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

For further information, please visit the SAFE Portal:
http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/SAFE/events/7th_ws.html

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* 4. Event Calendar
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- Joint Conference: 30th ISTS, 34th IEPC, & 6th NSAT
(July 4-10, 2015, Kobe, Japan)
http://www.ists.or.jp/2015/

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* 5. Space Environment Cooperative Research Centre opened in Australia
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The Australian Minister for Industry and Science, Ian Macfarlane, announced the launch of the Space Environment Management Cooperative Research Centre (SEMCRC) in last December. Joined by international experts, SEMCRC intends mainly to monitor, analyze, and manage space debris and to develop technologies for space environment preservation. It is located at Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra and will be managed by the Space Environment Research Centre (SERC).

References:
- Australian Government Space Portal News
http://www.space.gov.au/Pages/SEMCRC-Launch.aspx
- Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry and Science, Media Release
http://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/macfarlane/media-releases/australia-host-global-space-research-group-keep-satellites

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* 6. Turkish Space Agency establishment bill was approved by the Council of Ministers
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On March 2, 2015, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Government Spokesman Bulent Arinc announced at a press briefing after the Council of Ministers that a bill for the establishment of a Turkish space agency was approved. At the council, Minister for Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Lutfi Elvan explained the bill that the Ministry had drawn up. According to Egitim Ajansi's website (egitimajansi.com), the bill will be deliberated by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, after which it will be ratified and will take effect.

References:
- Turkish Government Publication Agency News (in Turkish)
http://www.bik.gov.tr/selahattin-demirtas-iyi-niyetli-degil-haberi-84610/
- Egitim Ajansi News (in Turkish)
http://www.egitimajansi.com/haber/turkiye-uzay-kurumu-icin-dugmeye-basildi-haberi-38213h.html

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* 7. ICIMOD held a workshop on the Rapid Response Mapping and Information System
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On March 4, 2015, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) conducted a workshop on the Rapid Response Mapping and Information System. The workshop was held under the framework of SERVIR-Himalaya and in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Asian Institute of Technology, and the Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal.

The workshop was organized especially to address the lack of real-time data and use of space based-information in disaster prone countries such as Nepal. During the event, JAXA introduced activities of one of the APRSAF Initiatives, Sentinel Asia, and the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.

Reference:
- ICIMOD News
http://www.icimod.org/?q=17273

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* 8. The Philippines will launch two microsatellites by 2017
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The Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines (DOST) has announced that the country will launch two microsatellites in 2016 and 2017, under the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-Satellite (PHL-Microsat) program. The two satellites will be used for disaster management programs, weather forecasting, and other purposes, developed in collaboration with two Japanese universities, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University.

References:
- UN SPIDER News
http://www.un-spider.org/news-and-events/news/philippines-will-launch-two-micro-satellites
- Hokkaido University Press Release (in Japanese)
http://www.hokudai.ac.jp/news/2015/03/post-340.html

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Copyright 2015 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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To subscribe/unsubscribe, or update your contact information,
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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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