The UK Space Agency (UKSA), in collaboration with the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), has announced an initiative to support early-stage space startups. With £8 million allocated for investment, this initiative aims to address the critical funding gap that many early-stage space companies face at the pre-seed and seed stages. UKI2S is leading the Space Portfolio, while Future Planet Capital is responsible for managing it.

The Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) has become the interim host for the pan-African Digital Earth Africa Program Management Office, a free platform providing satellite imagery and products specific to the African continent. Digital Earth Africa is on track to improve the lives of African people and support decision-makers across the continent to assess, plan, and protect their countries from the potential impacts of climate change.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded funding to the Space2CLIMB project that seeks to explore the feasibility of a product that will support the financial services sector through innovative biodiversity analytics. Led by GlobalTrust, in collaboration with Ecogain, Space2CLIMB looks to pioneer a satellite data-driven service at the intersection of environmental sustainability and financial decision-making. 

Switzerland has become the 37th member of the Artemis Accords, as Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal Councillor and Minister for Economic Affairs, Education & Research, signed the Accords on behalf of Switzerland at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, April 15. The signature consequently affirms Switzerland’s commitment to the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind.

Aerospacelab has announced the acquisition of AMOS, a company known for its opto-mechanical systems widely used in astronomy, space and other industries. The acquisition marks a significant milestone for the two aerospace companies, jointly entering a new era in advanced space technologies and opening new markets respectively.

Voyager Space (Voyager), has announced the appointment of Neeraj Gupta as the company's Chief Strategy Officer. As CSO, Neeraj will lead the development and execution of comprehensive strategic initiatives to drive innovation, market expansion, and sustainable growth. Neeraj was a key player in establishing the company in 2021 and helped secure the second-largest Series A capital raise in aerospace history: $1.4 billion.

Space Systems Command (SSC) and its mission partners have successfully launched the United States Space Force (USSF)-62 Weather System Follow–on–Microwave (WSF-M) satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in northern Santa Barbara County, California. This mission brings new capabilities to the US and its allies by placing the first satellite of two new generations of operational environmental monitoring satellites into orbit.

The United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command, through its Space Safari Program Office, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and SpaceWERX, is awarding contracts to two separate space industry vendors, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly. The vendors will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness (SDA) demonstration called VICTUS HAZE.

The Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) has announced its new executive committee, with iboss boss Joerg Kreisel elected as President. The Association also elected Jon Beam, CEO of Rogue Space Systems Corporation, as Vice President, Dr Brien Flewelling, Director of Strategic Program Development at ExoAnalytic Solutions, as Secretary, and Joseph Anderson, Vice President of Space Logistics, LLC, as Treasurer.

Astroscale Japan Inc. has announced that its commercial debris inspection demonstration satellite, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), has achieved a major technical milestone: completion of the rendezvous phase of its mission and the beginning of the proximity approach. This success is underscored by starting Angles-Only Navigation, a navigation method to estimate relative position and velocity through the servicer’s onboard cameras.