As operators of Earth observation satellites prepare to update their fleets, with an emphasis on both improved resolution and revisit time, they disagree on how much demand there is for existing and new data.

Satellite earth observation is a global enterprise right from the days of Landsat. However, with rapid privatization of the industry, there are conflicts between the data policy dictated by commercial requirements and national laws. Initiatives at national, sub-national and regional levels and their due alignment with each other is imperative to understand the impact on the industry.

Airbus has enlarged its high-resolution imagery portfolio following an agreement to leverage capacity from the S1-4 satellite built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL). This new imagery offer called Vision-1 delivers full end-to-end imaging operations to Airbus' customers.

The Chinese-French Oceanography Satellite (CFOSAT) was launched on 29 October last year, for the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (the French Space Agency, CNES).

Under the annual theme "Towards A Safer Urban Future", the 2nd Resilient Infrastructure Forum took place in Colombia from 4 to 6 June 2019. The Forum aimed to develop a coordinated long-term strategy to overcome challenges posed by disasters, such as severe storms, tsunamis or earthquakes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ursa, a provider of geospatial intelligence solutions, today announced it signed a collaboration agreement with ICEYE to expand the global market for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and analytic products.

Airbus and the Hellenic Space Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering future space cooperation. The MOU will focus on Earth observation, space exploration and future growth opportunities including software research and space policy.

While scientists and data users continue to discuss the latest findings about our changing world and the space technologies that are needed to learn more, this week's Living Planet Symposium has also been the forum to forge and strengthen alliances. And, today sees the start of a two-year pilot for the ESA–SAP World Space Alliance.

EUMETSAT and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) today signed an agreement which will result in the agencies working closely together to monitor greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

With human activity leaving its indelible mark on the landscape and affecting the climate, our natural world is changing faster than at any other time in history. Science is fundamental to understanding environmental change so that these huge challenges can be tackled. To ensure a more efficient approach on Earth-system science and to bring direct benefits to society, ESA and the European Commission are working to join forces.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has signed a contract with Airbus to provide high resolution optical data from the SSTL S1-4, an Earth observation satellite which was launched in September 2018.

The U.S. government has begun auctioning off blocks of wireless radio frequencies to be used for the next-generation communications network known as 5G. But some of these frequencies lie close to those that satellites use for crucial Earth observations—and meteorologists are worried that 5G transmissions could interfere with their data collection.

The UAE space programme is striking partnerships with established space players as it seeks to turn its space dreams of Mars exploration and human spaceflight into reality.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Turkmenistan last week as part of a tour of Central Asian republics, and pledged South Korean expertise in helping the country to develop its first remote sensing satellite.

NASA awarded Planet a $6.7 million contract to provide Earth imagery for climate research.

Under the award Planet revealed in an 11 April blog, NASA will supply Planet data to 35 researchers to evaluate its utility alongside data provided by government Earth observation sensors, including NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, and the second Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite.

PlanetObserver, provider of value-added geospatial data for civil and military solutions, has announced a new partnership with Airbus Defence and Space, a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services, to distribute their portfolio of very high resolution imagery and elevation products and services in Europe.

Kazakhstan proposed an Earth observation satellite programme to the official governmental delegations of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan at a meeting of the first Central Asian Economic Forum at Uzexpocenter, according to a Trend News Agency report via Uzbek media.

Kenya's newly formed Space Agency will lead the country's work with the ground breaking Africa Regional Data Cube to mine almost two decades of satellite imagery for crucial insights on farming strategies as climate stresses mount, according to a new partnership announced today.

Geoscience Australia and FrontierSI have engaged with more than 500 stakeholders on the development of its industry strategy for the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) program.

The European Union Delegation to the Philippines on Monday introduced the regional bloc's Earth observation program, which is seen to help the country mitigate climate change impacts and improve security for communities faces with the threat of natural disasters.