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Markus Payer

ESA partners with ArQit to fund quantum key QKDSat

The European Space Agency (ESA) partners with the British Arqit – a leader in the quantum encryption field – to develop its quantum key distribution satellite QKDSat, the agency said. ArQit recently announced that it was merging with Centricus, a global investment firm, in a transaction expected to provide Arqit with up to €330 million in gross proceeds.

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South Korea is tenth country to join Artemis Accords

South Korea has become the 10th country to sign the Artemis Accords, NASA announced. The South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hyesook signed the Artemis Accords for the country in Seoul, the U.S. space agency said. South Korea joins Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and the United States.

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Lockheed Martin and General Motors design new lunar rover

Lockheed Martin and General Motors join forces to design the next generation of lunar rovers, the companies said. “The new rovers will be capable of transporting astronauts across farther distances on the lunar surface.” They also "would be designed to survive and even operate in the two-week long night that sees temperatures of down to -280 degrees Fahrenheit".

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Canada further invests in lunar exploration

Canada augments its investment in lunar exploration, the Canadian government and the country’s space agency said. Canada will invest $3 million in technology initiatives for lunar exploration through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, announced.

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EU court backs ESA on excluding OHB in Galileo contract

The European Court of Justice rejected a request by OHB System to suspend a decision by the European Space Agency (ESA) to exclude the German satellite company from a Galileo public contract, which went to its rivals Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, Reuters and other newswires reported. The court also dismissed OHB's application for interim relief, the reports said.

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OHB signs with Thales to deliver elements for lunar gateway

OHB signed a subcontract with Thales Alenia Space to develop ESPRIT, the European module for the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway. The subcontract with Thales Alenia Space as the program's prime contractor is worth EUR 58 million, OHB said. OHB will be responsible for the unpressurized structure and the thermal system of the ESPRIT module.

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