ISU MSS 2024

Viktoria Urban

Saudi Arabia joins the Artemis Accords

Saudi Arabia is the newest country to join the Artemis Accords, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable space exploration for the benefit of all mankind guided by a common set of principles, NASA said. The Accords was signed by the CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Dr Alice Bunn becomes new UKspace President

CEO of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Dr Alice Bunn OBE, has been named as the new President of UKspace, the trade association of the British space industry, the institution said. She takes over the role from Will Whitehorn from September. Dr Bunn joined IMechE a year ago; prior to that, she served as the UK Space Agency’s International Director.

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Dawn Aerospace granted €1.4 million by EU for green propulsion technology

Green propulsion system supplier, Dawn Aerospace, has been awarded €1.4 million from the European Commission to help develop its transformative, green in-space propulsion technology, the company said. The grant was awarded by the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator programme. The funding be invested in hydrazine-replacement technology which

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Rocket Lab, DARPA and Space Development Agency achieve Mandrake-2 milestone

Launch and space systems company, Rocket Lab USA, has supported a significant milestone for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Mandrake-2 mission, the company said. Able and Baker, the two Mandrake-2 spacecraft, successfully closed and maintained an optical communications link at a range of 114 km.

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Euroconsult predicts one ton of smallsats to be launched daily in the next decade

Euroconsult published the latest update of “Prospects for the Small Satellite Market” forecasting further growth in the global supply and demand of small satellites weighing a maximum of 500 kg. The 8th edition of the market intelligence report expects about 18,500 smallsats to be launched over the next decade.

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RFA successfully hot fires Helix engine

Launch service provider Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), successfully tested its Helix engine in flight configuration for a total of 74 seconds, the company reported. The test included long-duration hot firings of 30 and 40 seconds each, preceded by a short test of four seconds of the same engine. The tests reached the desired duration, Helix operated nominally and was shut down safely. 

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Starship booster test ends in fire

SpaceX’s first orbital Starship vehicle’s booster test ended in an anomalous fire originating from the base of the vehicle. The pad was cleared of personnel at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported. Super Heavy Booster 7 was tested at SpaceX’s Starbase complex at Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX was planning on conducting a spin start test of the engines, which did not involve ignition.

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