UNIO, a European LEO satellite operator space start-up, has appointed Katrin Bacic as their new CEO. Previously Bacic was Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer at Wayra Germany, the innovation and investment unit of telecommunications group Telefónica from 2018 to 2023. Christian Lindener had led UNIO as interim CEO since its founding who will now focus on developing the European business of US venture builder Mach49 as its partner. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. a launch services and space systems company, announced on the 28th of February that it has established a new wholly-owned subsidiary - Rocket Lab Australia - to explore opportunities to support the expansion of Australia’s national space capabilities. 

2023 is a pivotal year for European space domain. With several challenges knocking at its doors -among others, the necessity to sever itself from Russia and to defend its communication assets, and the lack of a heavy rocket launcher -which makes the Union dependent on the American SpaceX for constellation launches- the discussion on how and where Europe should strategically invest to remain in the game is of pivotal relevance. The debate often focuses on the amount of funding available and the magnitude of difference between Europe and the US. However, this might be an incomplete way to look at the picture. What if there are smarter ways to be independent and competitive, even with a smaller budget?

CisLunar Industries alongside partners Astroscale U.S., Colorado State University, and another yet to be named, have been awarded a $1.7M Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force (USSF). 

Bayanat, a AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AI Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, to develop an in-country space programme. 

Euroconsult, a global consulting firm for satellite-enabled markets, reported in their latest edition of FSS Capacity Pricing Trends that fixed-satellite service (FSS) capacity pricing is decreasing at a rapid rate. This is due to services supported by next-generation geostationary (GEO) and non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) HTS systems such as Starlink undercutting the market. At the highest industry level, FSS capacity pricing continued to erode in 2022, as the global volume of leased and used capacity increased at a rate that outpaced the growth in satellite operator revenues.

Capella Space - an American-based company providing data and satellite solutions for government and commercial use - announced on the 22nd of February that it will launch its Analytics Partner Program. This program aims to meet the increasing global demand for geospatial products and solutions that leverage the power of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. This program will empower partners to develop AI-powered geospatial solutions for a wide range of industry verticals. 

Vast, a start-up developing artificial-gravity space stations, has acquired launch services company Launcher, located in California to help it develop long-term human habitation in space. Vast is developing an artificial gravity station, greater in volume than the International Space Station, in low Earth orbit. 

NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT). ULTRASAT, an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of view, will investigate the secrets of short-duration events in the universe, such as supernova explosions and the mergers of neutron stars.

The Software Defined Space Conference 2022 was the second conference in the series launched in 2021, earlier with the name Cyber and Space Security Conference. The second edition took place on the 26-27 October 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. The conference was initiated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication for Estonia and co-organised together with the Estonian Space Office to create a vibrant community for space cyber security.