The Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) released on the 13th of November its Code of Conduct on Space Sustainability. It is calling on operators to implement responsible practices that mitigate the risk of in-orbit collision, minimise the threat of non-trackable debris, protect humans in space, and limit effects on optical astronomy. 

UnseenLabs, a provider of radio frequency (RF) data and solutions for maritime domain awareness, announced the successful launch of its two satellites BRO-10 and BRO-11. They were launched as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission via Exolaunch on the 11th of November from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

Seville, 10th November 2023 -  SpaceWatch.Global talked with Kai-Uwe Schrogl, ESA’s Special Advisor for Political Affairs, about the consequences of the decisions taken during the recent ESA Council at the Space Summit in SevilleKai-Uwe Schrogl acted as the coordinator for the Director General’s Proposal to ESA’s Ministers, which provides the rationale for the decisions taken and which, for the first time, was made publicly available.

D-Orbit, a space logistics and transportation company, and Marubeni Corporation,  a Japanese trading and investment business conglomerate, announced on the 9th of November a new investment agreement. Marubeni will take on the role of lead investor in D-Orbit’s Series C funding round. This round will include other Italian, European, and international investors and is expected to exceed a total of 100 million euros. The Series C funding round will enable D-Orbit to strengthen its operations in Italy and globally with a focus on in-orbit servicing, space cloud computing, and orbital transportation.

Firefly Aerospace, an American aerospace firm, announced on the 8th of November a new agreement with Fleet Space Technologies, an Australian space exploration firm. Firefly will deliver and operate Fleet’s Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration, and Research (SPIDER) on the far side of the Moon. 

Euclid, a wide-angle space telescope launched in July 2023, after a period of testing and calibrating has released the first images. Euclide is a European mission, built and operated by ESA, with contributions from NASA. The Euclid Consortium – consisting of more than 2000 scientists from 300 institutes across 13 European countries, the US, Canada and Japan – is providing the scientific instruments and scientific data analysis. 

RFA UK (Rocket Factory Ltd), a launch service provider, has received £3.5 million to support its plan to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands. The announcement on the 27th of October came as George Freeman, UK Science Minister, visited SaxaVord Spaceport to see progress at the site and meet key members of RFA UK. The funding has been awarded by the UK Space Agency as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Boost! Programme. This initiative aims to help innovative companies develop new launch technologies and bring them to market.

Yahsat, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, a UAE satellite solutions provider announced on the 7th of November its consolidated financial results for the nine months ending on the 30th September 2023. Revenue and Normalised EBITDA grew 3% for the first nine months of the year versus the prior year to reach AED 1.2 billion and AED 713 million, respectively. Their Net Income more than doubled whilst Normalized Net Income was in line versus the prior year period at AED 274 million.

Slovenia presented a formal request for full membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) yesterday at the Space Summit in Seville, Spain. The request has followed the official decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia last Friday. It was submitted to Josef Aschbacher, the Director-General of ESA, by Matevž Frangež, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport and Tanja Permozer, the head of the Slovenian Space Office. 

This Space Café BeNeLux will feature Kees Buijsrogge, Director Space & Scientific Instrumentation at TNO in conversation with Dr Heike Poignand, Founder of C43B - Consulting for Business Building Blocks - and a friend of SpaceWatch.Global. During our Space Café BeNeLux Kees and Heike will not only discuss the relevance of Space for Europe's sovereignty, but also what an important role space plays our daily lives and what it means in terms of innovation, sustainability and competitiveness for a small country like The Netherlands.