On 27 November 2019, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its forty ninth flight (PSLV-C47), successfully launched Cartosat-3 along with 13 Nanosatellites from the United States from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

The first test models of Ariane 6 are being manufactured while Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is preparing to test the launch vehicle and all systems involved with launch.

Airbus is celebrating 50 years of providing global secure military satellite communications to the UK Ministry of Defence with the 50th anniversary of the first Skynet satellite. And it’s a double celebration as this year Airbus is also celebrating its 50th birthday.

The British Conservative Party has released its manifesto, as part of its campaign for the 12 December 2019 British General Election, and has pledged that if re-elected it will create a UK Space Command.

Lacuna Space, a provider for connectivity everywhere, and Miromico, a global leader for the design and production of wireless products for the Internet of Things (IoT), have signed a collaboration agreement for the development and easy provision of 'space ready' and off-the-shelf communications devices using ultra low-power and low-cost satellite links.

An Ariane 5, operated by Arianespace, has delivered the TIBA-1 and Inmarsat-GX5 telecom satellites into their planned orbits.

The award honours the co-founder of "Women in Aerospace Europe" and founder of the initiative "The first female German Astronaut", Claudia Kessler.

Turkish President Erdogan issued a decree on 21 November 2019 that formally establishes the Turkish Space Agency. The presidential decree was published in an official gazette of the Turkish government.

On 21 November 2019 the UKspace trade association published its 2020 manifesto for a future British government to consider. With the 12 December 2019 British General Election, and at some point soon thereafter, the UK exiting the European Union, the UKspace 2020 Manifesto comes at an important juncture for Britain’s space industry as well as Britain’s future direction in space.

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. 35: ‘DG Defence Industry and Space: stakes and challenges’, originally published in October 2019.