1. APRSAF-26 Updates

1) Second Announcement Released and Registration Opened
The second announcement of the 26th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-26) has been released and registration is now open!

APRSAF-26 will be held from November 26-29, 2019, in Nagoya, Japan, under the theme “Advancing Diverse Links Toward a New Space Era.” The meeting will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). APRSAF-26 welcomes many participants from diverse backgrounds, including space agencies, relevant ministries, user organizations of space technologies, development aid agencies, the private sector, research institutions, universities, international/regional organizations, and young generations.

Please complete your registration online no later than October 25, 2019. We are looking forward to your participation. For further information about the APRSAF-26, and to download the PDF file of the second announcement, please visit the APRSAF website at:
https://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf26/meeting_details.php

Please note that the APRSAF will be collecting registration fees from participants attending APRSAF-26 to make the APRSAF a sustainable forum. The early bird registration fee with online payment made by November 20 is 8800 Japanese Yen. The registration fee for online payment from November 21 and on-site payment is 11000 Japanese Yen. Students who register online are welcome to attend the forum free of charge. Please refer to the second announcement for more details.

2. News on APRSAF Activities

1)SAFE Workshop Held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 25
The Space Applications For Environment (SAFE) held the SAFE Workshop on June 25 in the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC)/Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The main topics of the workshop included the results of several SAFE projects such as smoke haze monitoring in Indonesia, rice crop monitoring in Cambodia, and related reports on space technology application in space agencies in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam as well as reports on projects sponsored by the Asian Development Bank.

https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/SAFE/news_event/2019/safe_ws_vnm/
https://vnsc.org.vn/en/news-events/space-application-for-environment-safe-2019-workshop/

2) APRSAF/ESPI Held "the 2nd Inter-Regional Space Policy Dialogue," during 62nd Session of UNCOPUOS in June 2019
During the 62nd session of UNCOPUOS in June 2019, APRSAF and the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) jointly organized the “2nd Inter-Regional Space Policy Dialogue between the Asia-Pacific and Europe” to promote mutual understanding of diverse national space policies in both regions. The dialogue consisted of two parts- the Space Policy Practitioners Workshop at ESPI on June 15 and the COPUOS side event at Vienna International Centre on June 19.

Both events stimulated lively discussions among space policy experts on the development and implementation of national space policies in each region through topics such as the success factors and challenges to support the commercialization of space, the role of regional cooperation and global cooperation, and the impetus for the establishment of space agencies.

For more information including presentations, please access the website below:
https://espi.or.at/news/the-2nd-inter-regional-space-policy-dialogue-asia-pacific-and-europe
http://www.aprsaf.org/capacity_building/space_policy/espi_2nd.php(In Turkish)

3. News from APRSAF Community

1) BIRDS-3 (Japan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and Singapore’s CubeSat Successfully Deployed from International Space Station
On June 17, four small satellites (or CubeSats) of Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Singapore were deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” of the ISS. CubeSats of Japan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were developed under the BIRDS-3 program by Kyutech, and Nepal and Sri Lanka successfully deployed their first satellites.

Reference:
http://www.accimt.ac.lk/?p=832
https://sites.google.com/site/phylej/projects-1/spooqy-1
https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2019/06/page/4/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/06/17/final-week-for-station-trio-as-science-continues-unabated/
http://iss.jaxa.jp/kiboexp/news/190617_jssod11.html（in Japanese）
http://iss.jaxa.jp/kiboexp/news/190613_jssod11.html（in Japanese）

2) India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Successfully Launched the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft
On July 22, India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1, successfully launched the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an earth orbit. The mission objective of Chandrayaan-2 is to demonstrate the key technologies for end-to-end lunar mission capability, including soft-landing and exploration of the lunar surface. On the science front, this mission aims to further expand our knowledge about the Moon through a detailed study of its topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics and atmosphere leading to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled to land on the moon on September 7th.

Reference:
https://www.isro.gov.in/update/22-jul-2019/gslv-mkiii-m1-successfully-launches-chandrayaan-2-spacecraft
https://www.isro.gov.in/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission/launch-kit-glance

3) Team from Moldova Selected for Fourth Round of KiboCUBE
On June 10, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and JAXA selected a team from the National Centre of Space Technologies of Technical University of Moldova as winners of the fourth round of the UNOOSA-JAXA KiboCUBE program. UNOOSA and JAXA are currently welcoming applications for the fifth round of KiboCUBE.

Reference:
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/informationfor/media/2019-unis-os-512.html
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2019/06/20190610a_j.html（in Japanese）

4) UNOOSA and ESA Sign MoU to Help Countries Leverage Space to Meet SDGs
On May 24, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in helping all countries identify how space can sustain their efforts to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a view to facilitate access to space solutions and with particular attention to developing countries.

References:
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/informationfor/media/2019-unis-os-511.html

5) UNOOSA and CMSA Announce Winners of Opportunity to Fly Experiments On Board China Space Station
On June 12, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced the winners of their joint opportunity to conduct experiments on board the China Space Station (CSS) during a side event of the 62nd session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

References:
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/informationfor/media/2019-unis-os-514.html

6) China Successfully Launched Navigation Satellite, Beidou-2G8 (GEO-8), into Space Using the Long March-3C/G2 (Y16) Launch Vehicle
On May 17, a new navigation satellite, Beidou-2G8 (GEO-8), was successfully launched by China, from the LC2 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, using the Long March-3C/G2 (Y16) launch vehicle.

References:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/05/long-march-3c-beidou-2g8-geo-8/
http://www.chinabeidou.gov.cn/xinwen/3710.html（in Chinese）
http://www.spacechina.com/n25/n2014789/n2014804/c2629303/content.html（in Chinese）

4. Event Calendar

International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) 2019
(July 29-August 1, Atlanta, USA)
https://www.issconference.org/

Thailand Space Week 2019
(August 26-28, Bangkok, Thailand)
https://gistda.or.th/main/th/node/2981

TICAD7 YOKOHAMA 2019
(August 28-30, Yokohama, Japan)
https://ticad7.city.yokohama.lg.jp/english/

International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2019
(October 21-25, Washington, D.C., USA)
https://www.iac2019.org/

The 26th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-26)
(November 26-29, Nagoya, Japan)
https://www.aprsaf.org/annual_meetings/aprsaf26/meeting_details.php

Copyright 2020 The APRSAF Secretariat

APRSAF News Mails are distributed to update readers on
recent developments in space-related activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
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