As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and the European Space Policy Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ESPI Briefs No. 17: ‘Next Steps to the Moon: What Role for Europe? ’, originally published in November 2017.

Space activities within the United Nations Member States are growing apace and the amount of space faring nations is increasing. Enabling these countries to find their path to space is a key part of the work of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) which works to promote ‘international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development’. The Office is on hand to offer help to Members that wish to establish legal and regulatory frameworks to enable them to become active in the space arena.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and the European Space Policy Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ESPI Briefs No. 21: ‘On the importance of narratives in outer space ’, originally published in March 2018.

Anonymous U.S. intelligence officials have told American news outlet CNBC that Russia tested its PL-19 Nudol anti-satellite (ASAT) direct-ascent missile on 23 December 2018, making it the seventh test of the system if the U.S. claims are true.

Arktika-M, the first Russian weather forecasting satellite for monitoring climate and the environment in the Arctic region is planned to be launched into a Molniya orbit in June 2019, according to Russian space industry officials who spoke to Sputnik, a Russian news outlet.

Officials from the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos have indicated that the first Emirati human spaceflight mission will take place in September to October 2019 and will last eight days, a change from the initial plan to send the UAE's first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2019 for mission lasting 10 days.

It has been announced that the UAE Space Agency is building three satellites that will help to address climate change and other scientific challenges.

Airbus Defense and Space Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a satellite bus in support of the Blackjack program.

Kleos Space S.A. reports that the company's first cluster of satellites has entered the Integration Phase after successfully undergoing Critical Design Review (CDR) with Gomspace A/S.

Roscosmos head, Dmitry Rogozin has announced that Russia will construct Sovereign's Eye ('Gosudarevo Oko'), a new constellation of remote sensing satellites that will enable them to identify any changes that are happening on Earth.