A bold ambition for Europe in space exploration has received enthusiastic support from politicians, business leaders, and independent experts from across Europe at an event held today in Vienna. Delegates discussed the immense international, economic, and societal importance of space exploration for Europe – and how to establish the way forward.

Azista BST Aerospace will launch its first satellite ABA First Runner (AFR), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 12th June 2023 as part of the Transporter 8 Mission. This follows from the Company's creation of a 50,000-square-foot facility capable of supporting the production of two satellites per week.

Launch service provider Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) has successfully hot-fired its upper stage for a full duration of 280 seconds. This marks the successful completion of the Integrated System Test (IST) campaign, in which the Company integrated a staged combustion Helix engine into an upper-stage tank system and hot fired several times prior to completing the full duration in the final test. 

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, has announced its new Fleet Reach coastal LTE service for maritime connectivity, which brings uninterrupted high-speed broadband to merchant, offshore, energy, and fishing customers – even when they are sailing near the coast or are docked in-port.

Pixxel has announced $36 Million in a Series B funding round with participation from new investors such as Google, along with existing investors Radical Ventures, Lightspeed, Blume Ventures, growX, Sparta, and Athera. The new funds will advance Pixxel’s mission to build the world’s first and highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation, delivering actionable climate insights on a planetary scale. It will also help further the development of Aurora: Pixxel’s AI-powered analytics platform to make hyperspectral analysis accessible for everyone.

Viasat Inc., a global communications company, has announced the completion of its acquisition of Inmarsat. The combined company enhances its scale and scope to continue to drive growth in the increasingly dynamic and competitive satellite communications industry. In addition, the company’s assets, once fully integrated, will tentatively increase the pace and scope of innovation in the global satellite connectivity sector. Furthermore, it will offer new and better capabilities to customers that will address the ever-increasing speed, flexibility, reliability, coverage, and security they demand.

MDA Ltd., a provider of advanced technology and services to the global space industry, has announced it is working with Thoth Technology Inc. (Thoth) to create a made-in-Canada deep space radar surveillance and space domain awareness (SDA) capability. A strategic cooperation agreement will integrate MDA's commercial data services with Thoth's ground-based radar technology to provide unprecedented levels of sovereign monitoring in deep space over Canada, providing both detection and characterization of space objects.

On December 6, 2021, GomSpace and UK partner, RAL Space, signed a contract with ESA for the Scout-1 Mission for climate observation, known as CubeMap. During the past year, the parties have been working on completing the scope and requirement specifications. However, after several negotiations between ESA, GomSpace, and UK partner RAL Space,

Spain has become the 25th country to sign the Artemis Accords, as it signed it during a ceremony at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Tuesday. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Diana Morant, Spain’s science and innovation minister, signed on behalf of Spain. Pedro Sánchez, President of Spain, Julissa Reynoso, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, and Karen Feldstein, NASA Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, also were in attendance.

New Zealand has launched its national space policy, outlining the increasing geopolitical risks associated with space and the urgency to work with like-minded partners to protect the country’s national security. The Policy also set out New Zealand’s values and high-level objectives for space activities. The policy outlines the New Zealand Government’s objectives for growing an innovative and inclusive space sector, protecting and advancing its national security and economic interests.