News Mails - 2016

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ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL SPACE AGENCY FORUM (APRSAF)
News Mail No. 145 November 2, 2016
http://www.aprsaf.org/
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- * CONTENTS

• 1. APRSAF-23 Updates
  - Final Announcement released
  - Overall Program Updated
• 2. News on APRSAF Activities
  - APRSAF's First Attendance at the GEO Plenary
• 3. News on APRSAF Community
  - H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 31 (H-IIA F31) with the Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite "Himawari-9" was Successfully Launched
  - Return of the Soyuz Spacecraft MS-01 with Anatoly Ivanishin (ROSCOSMOS), Takuya Onishi (JAXA) and Kathleen Rubins (NASA)
  - Kazakhstan to Launch a Geoportal Site to Monitor Drought Risks from Space
• 4. Event Calendar

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*1. APRSAF-23 Updates
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- Final Announcement released
The Final Announcement for participation in APRSAF-23 was released on November 2, 2016. It contains details regarding the venue, the updated program, and other information related to APRSAF-23. The announcement has been posted on the APRSAF-23 website: http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf23/meeting_details.php

- Overall Program updated
The updated program details of APRSAF-23 have also been posted on the APRSAF-23 website: http://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf23/program.php

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* 2. News on APRSAF Activities
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- APRSAF's First Attendance at the GEO Plenary
APRSAF was bestowed the status of observer of Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in March 2016. In this capacity as observer, it will attend the GEO Plenary for the first time. APRSAF will participate in the GEO-XIII Plenary to be held from November 7 to 10, 2016, at St. Petersburg, Russia.

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* 3. News on APRSAF Community
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- H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 31 (H-IIA F31) with the Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite "Himawari-9" was Successfully Launched
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 31 (H-IIA F31) with the Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite "Himawari-9" on board at 3:20 p.m. on November 2, 2016 (JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at approximately 27 minutes and 51 seconds after liftoff, the separation of Himawari-9 was confirmed. The geostationary meteorological satellite "Himawari-9" is a backup for "Himawari-8".

Reference:
JAXA Press Release
http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/11/20161102_h2af31.html

- Return of the Soyuz Spacecraft MS-01 with Anatoly Ivanishin (ROSCOSMOS), Takuya Onishi (JAXA) and Kathleen Rubins (NASA)
The 48th and 49th expedition crews (Astronauts Ivanishin, Onishi, and Rubins) stayed in space for 115 days (2 days from launch to ISS ; 113 days at ISS) and landed in the Republic of Kazakhstan on October 30. Onishi took over the effective research environment that his forerunner Astronaut Kimiya Yui prepared and has successfully accomplished the mission. It includes the experiment of breeding mice simultaneously in a microgravity and modified gravity (1G) environment, and bringing them back to Earth all alive. The accomplishments of the experiment are expected to be applied in the medical field.

Reference:
NASA Press Release
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
JAXA Press Release
http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/10/20161030_47s.html

- Kazakhstan to Launch a Geoportal Site to Monitor Drought Risks from Space
On October 24, the National Center for Space Research and Technology (NCSRT) announced that the pilot version of a geoportal site has been developed by NCSRT, with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Cooperation (USAID). This was developed to monitor and analyze drought risks and processes in Kazakhstan using data from space-borne remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). The primary goal of the geoportal site is to provide information about droughts to Kazakhstani users such as farmers, decision makers, etc., in a user-friendly format.

Reference:
Joint-Stock Company "National Center of Space Research and Technology" Release
http://www.spaceres.kz/kz/view/news_center/page_2566_
UNDP Press Release
http://www.kz.undp.org/content/kazakhstan/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/10/21/kazakhstan-is-launching-the-geoportal-to-monitor-drought-risks-from-space-for-climate-change-adaptation-studies-.html

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* 4. Event Calendar
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- World Space Risk Forum 2016
(November 2-4, Dubai)
http://www.worldspaceriskforum.com/

- Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016
(November 2-5, New Delhi, India)
http://www.amcdrrindia.net/

- GEO-XIII Plenary
(November 7-10, 2016, St. Petersburg, Russia)
http://www.earthobservations.org/geo13.php

- Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum 23 (APRSAF-23)
(November 15-18, 2016, Manila, Philippines)

- Asia Pacific Aerospace Quality Group(APAQG) Seminar
(November 18, 2016, Manila, Philippines)
http://www.apaqg.org/meetings/documents/ManilaPromotion.pdf

- United Nations/United Arab Emirates - High Level Forum: Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development
(November 20-24, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/hlf/first-hlf-meeting.html

- Inter Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology(ISNET)/NARSS Workshop on Earth Remote Sensing with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
(November 27-December 1, 2016, Cairo, Egypt)
http://isnet.org.pk/pages/activities-2016.asp

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Copyright 2016 The APRSAF Secretariat

APRSAF News Mails are distributed to update the readers on
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Asia-Pacific region.

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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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