Our Space Café WebTalk “33 minutes with Jennifer Manner - The Critical Role of Satellite Networks in 5G and Beyond Ecosystems” took place on Tuesday, 14th June. Our guest was Jennifer A. Manner, a Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar Corporation/Hughes Network Systems where she is responsible for the company’s domestic and international regulatory and policy issues,

Moon company, Astrobotic and wireless charging platform develpoer, WiBotic’s wireless charging system successfully demonstrated that it can function and provide enough power for technologies to survive the 14-Earth-day-long lunar night. Developed with assistance from Bosch, the University of Washington, and the NASA Glenn Research Center

Munich-based NewSpace intelligence startup, OroraTech, has achieved the desired mission goals for FOREST-1, its first satellite dedicated to environmental monitoring, the company said. The satellite has been operational since January 2022. The spacecraft, that does not require cooling, specialises in wildfire detection by combining thermal, mid-infrared and visible cameras.

Satellite platforms and geospatial intelligence company, Aerospacelab, unveiled its satellite megafactory commitment, capable of producing 500 satellites annually. The new site will be built by Sambrinvest in Charleroi, Belgium. The new factory will feature a total working surface of 16,000 square meters, including a 6,000-square-meter ISO7 cleanroom and 3,000-square-meter laboratory.

Global mobile satellite communications provider, Inmarsat, signed a contract with ESA to take Iris air traffic modernisation programme global and drive the future of uncrewed aviation airspace integration in Europe, Inmarsat said. Airspace is getting congested: in Europe alone, a 50% increase in flights is expected in the next 20 years.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed two agreements at the latest ESA Council meeting in Noordwijk, Netherlands, to advance cooperation on Earth science and the Artemis lunar missions, NASA said. ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder mission will contribute to the progression of the lunar communications infrastructure, necessary for a long-term human presence.

Germany-based AI and smart algorithm-driven connectivity provider, NeuralAgent, has signed a cooperative research agreement with Airbus to investigate the use of AI-based algorithms for future communication systems, NeuralAgent said. The company’s software will be suitable for deployment in a variety of applications, including IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and telecommunications.

Brussels may shut the UK out of the Horizon science programme, the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation, and block the UK’s involvement in the EU’s Copernicus environment monitoring Earth observation programme as part of post-Brexit trading agreements for Northern Ireland. Britain’s participation in the Euratom nuclear research partnership is also likely to change.

Nanosatellite manufacturer and operator, GomSpace, has been awarded a contract to deliver two 12-unit CubeSats to the German Space Agency, DLR, GomSpace said. The cubesats will serve as research objects for DLR’s Responsive Space Cluster Competence Center, RSC3, in Trauen, Germany.

General John Hyten (Ret.) has been named as Executive Director for Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, and as a Strategic Advisor to senior leadership, the company said. General Hyten has decades of experience as a space operations and acquisitions officer. His assignments included leading the Air Force Space Command and the U.S. Strategic Command.