News Mails - 2015

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ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL SPACE AGENCY FORUM (APRSAF)
News Mail No. 134 Oct/30/2015
http://www.aprsaf.org/
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- * CONTENTS

• 1. News on APRSAF: APRSAF-22 Registration to Close This Week
• 2. News on APRSAF: APRSAF Newsletter No. 21 Published
• 3. News on APRSAF: SAFE Call for Proposals
• 4. Event Calendar
• 5. Kazakh Small Earth Observation Satellite, KazSTSAT, under Development
• 6. First Cansat Competition Held in the Philippines
• 7. Kompsat-2 Completes Its Mission
• 8. VAST, WRD, and JAXA Sign MoU on Disaster Management

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* 1. News on APRSAF: APRSAF-22 Registration to Close This Week
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The preliminary deadline for registration for ARPSAF-22, held from December 1 to 4, 2015, in Bali, Indonesia, is set for Saturday, October 31, 2015. In order to complete all of the necessary preparation for organizing the event and welcoming guests, the APRSAF Secretariat would like those who intend to participate in APRSAF-22 and have not yet registered to complete the online registration by Saturday, October 31, 2015.

The overview of the APRSAF-22 program, concept notes of working groups and initiatives, and travel information are included in the Second Announcement of APRSAF-22, which is available online at:
http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf22/registration.php

To check the updated meeting details, including the latest program, please visit:
http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf22/meeting_details.php

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* 2. News on APRSAF: APRSAF Newsletter No. 21 Published
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APRSAF Newsletter No. 21 has been published and the PDF version is now available here:
http://www.aprsaf.org/newsmails_newsletters/letters.php

In this issue, focusing on the upcoming APRSAF-22 in Bali, the general co-chairs give their welcome messages to the expected participants, and four working group co-chairs provide the scope of their sessions at APRSAF-22.

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* 3. News on APRSAF: SAFE Call for Proposals
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One of the APRSAF initiatives, Space Applications for Environment (SAFE), is accepting proposals for prototype projects. The submission deadline is Monday, November 2, 2015.

All of the proposals to be received by the secretariat will be reviewed in a review board meeting. This will be held at the next SAFE Workshop in APRSAF-22, Bali, Indonesia on November 30, 2015.

For details, please visit the SAFE portal:
http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/SAFE/events/call_for_proposals_aprsaf22.html

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* 4. Event Calendar
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- Global Space & Technology Convention (GSTC) 2016
(February 11-12, 2015, Singapore)
http://www.gstcsingapore.com/

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* 5. Kazakh Small Earth Observation Satellite, KazSTSAT, under Development
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The development status of a Kazakh Earth observation satellite, KazSTSAT, has been published by the UK Space Agency. KazSTSAT has been jointly developed by Ghalam LLP in Kazakhstan and Surrey Satellite Technology LTD of the United Kingdom under UK's International Partnership Space Programme (IPSP).

KazSTSAT will have a standard SSTL SLIM6 imaging camera, which is capable of providing over 70GB of image data per day. The project also provides the Kazakh engineers from Ghalam LLP with experience of managing Earth-observation data from a SSTL satellite, UK-DMC2. KazSTSAT will be launched in 2016.

References:
- GOV.UK UKSA Case study
https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/enabling-kazakhstans-earth-observation-capability
- SSTL, EO & Science Platforms - SSTL-X50 series
http://www.sstl.co.uk/getdoc/daabd0b6-e8a6-4172-9317-0b785f8e409a

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* 6. First Cansat Competition Held in the Philippines
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From October 5 to 7, during World Space Week, the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) of the Philippines held the country's first ever Can Satellite Competition. A total of 12 high-school teams participated, with Grace Christian College winning the competition.

The competition was conducted as part of the Philippine Space Science Education Program (PSSEP), and the 12 participating teams attended a five-day development and training workshop in August. At the opening of the workshop, Dr. Carlos Primo David, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) stated that the Cansat contest was a first step toward promoting space science in the Philippines and the country's first micro-satellite was expected to be launched in 2016.

Meanwhile, Filipino representatives for APRSAF-22's Water Rocket Event and Poster Contest have been selected.

References:
- DOST News
http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news-archive/140-1st-ph-can-satellite-competition-launched
http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news-archive/143-grace-christian-wins-1st-ever-cansat-plum-rizal-nshs-regains-water-rocket-title

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* 7. Kompsat-2 Completes Its Mission
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On October 5, 2015, the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that the committee for the promotion of multi-purpose satellite development had decided on October 2 that the Earth observation satellite, Kompsat-2, would not extend its mission.

According to an article in the Chosun libo, the intended lifespan of the satellite was three years, but it has been operating for nine years, a three-fold extension in the length of its intended mission. It has acquired images of the Korean Peninsula and other major parts of the world, contributing to land management, disaster monitoring, and other analysis. For the remainder of its operational lifespan, Kompsat-2 will be utilized to study technologies for next-generation satellites, such as the improvement of payload performance and orbital-change technology.

References:
- KARI News (in Korean)
http://e-policy.kari.re.kr/sub0401/articles/view/tableid/default_news/id/4609
- The Chosun libo (in Korean)
http://biz.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/10/05/2015100501510.html

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* 8. VAST, WRD, and JAXA Sign MoU on Disaster Management
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On September 1, 2015, the Water Resources Department (WRD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (MARD), the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that ensures cooperation in regard to disaster reduction and prevention through the use of space technology and geographic information systems. In the MoU, the three parties agreed on cooperation in several areas, including the development of a database system that features satellite images of Vietnam, which will facilitate disaster prevention and the exchange of satellite data when disasters occur.

References:
- VAST News
http://www.vast.ac.vn/en/news/activities/1717-mou-on-application-of-space-technology-for-prevention-and-mitigation-of-natural-disasters
- STI News
http://www.sti.vast.ac.vn/en/news/80-memorandum-concerning-cooperation-on-disaster-reduction-and-prevention-by-space-technology-and-geographic-information-system

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Copyright 2015 The APRSAF Secretariat

APRSAF News Mails are distributed to update the readers on
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We welcome your updates on space-related activities and also your
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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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