https://spacewatch.global/features/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Thu, 12 Nov 2026 11:03:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/features/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-sweden-doesnt-have-a-space-problem-it-has-a-buyer-problem/ Thu, 12 Nov 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=80149 At NextSpace in Gothenburg, speakers from the Nordics, Germany, Japan and the US agreed on one thing: Sweden’s space bottleneck is not technology or talent, but the way the state buys. Torsten Kriening analyses why trials rarely become orders, and why a government still in formation may be exactly the moment for a cross-party space pact.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinionwho-takes-responsibility-when-manufacturing-moves-into-orbit/ Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=80087
Written by Sylvester Kaczmarek.
As orbital manufacturing moves from experimentation towards commercial production, a critical question emerges: who takes responsibility for delivering the finished product? Sylvester Kaczmarek examines the ownership models, operational risks and commercial realities shaping the next phase of in-space manufacturing.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-next-sputnik-moment-wont-be-a-launch/ Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=80051
Written by Gilles Rabin.
Europe's space industry is entering a new era, driven by defence spending, industrial consolidation and the pressure to scale. From the relocation of Space Tech Expo to shifting power between ESA, the EU and national governments, Gilles Rabin examines whether Europe is ready for its next Sputnik moment.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-gray-space-democrats-sweep-both-u-s-congressional-chambers-space-and-defence-now-what/ Fri, 06 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79937
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
The Democrats have swept both chambers of the U.S. Congress. But what does that mean for American space and defence policy? Christophe Bosquillon examines the implications for NASA, the Space Force, Golden Dome and Pentagon spending, and considers what the political shift means for Europe.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-from-space-law-to-space-markets-what-unoosas-kenya-mission-could-change/ Thu, 05 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79855
Written by Joshua Faleti
As Africa's space sector grows, national legislation is becoming more than a matter of treaty compliance. Ahead of UNOOSA's Regional Space Law Technical Advisory Mission in Kenya, Andrew Marchetti discusses how legal certainty, investment-friendly regulation and tailored governance frameworks can help African countries build sustainable domestic space economies.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/we-tell-children-they-can-become-astronauts-but-who-shows-them-everything-else/ Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79832
Written by Judith Delany
We tell children they can become astronauts, but rarely show them the many other ways to work in space. Research shows that career aspirations take shape surprisingly early, influenced by stereotypes, social backgrounds and the role models children encounter. So why are we still presenting such a narrow picture of an industry that needs so many different talents?]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-bailouts-billions-and-satellites-europes-space-defence-illusion/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79759
Written by K.-P. Ludwig.
Europe is spending billions on space security, yet national programmes, industrial interests and fragmented architectures continue to pull in different directions. K.-P. asks whether Europe is building genuine defence capability – or an increasingly expensive target catalogue.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-window-on-the-world-is-wide-open-thats-the-problem/ Mon, 02 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79453
Written by Torsten Kriening .
At IABG’s 3rd Space Symposium in Ottobrunn, Nicolaus Hanowski, ESA’s incoming Director of Space Operations, nailed ten theses to the church door: ten on the strengths of Europe’s Earth observation, ten on its vulnerabilities. Torsten Kriening was in the room. The diagnosis is right; the cure is too gentle.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-halloween-special-trick-or-trade-how-flipping-the-starshield-kill-switch-over-ukraine-eventually-backfired/ Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79601
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
A sudden restriction on Ukraine’s Starshield access exposed an uncomfortable question about battlefield connectivity: who ultimately controls critical space infrastructure? Christophe Bosquillon examines the political fallout in Washington, Europe’s alternatives and the risks of relying on commercial systems in wartime.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-fifteen-minutes-from-orbit-and-the-bottleneck-is-us/ Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79495
Written by Torsten Kriening.
At the opening of the Defence Lab Erding, Germany’s space reconnaissance chain was on full display, from satellite to decision. The military’s benchmark is 15 minutes. The bottleneck, says Major General Dr. Volker Pötzsch of the Cyber and Information Domain Service, is not in orbit: “That’s us, as humans.”]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-germany-stops-whispering-about-space-defence/ Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79493
Written by Torsten Kriening.
At IABG’s 3rd Space Symposium in Ottobrunn, Germany stopped whispering about space defence. The Chief of the German Air and Space Force said Germany will strike back if attacked, announced a Luftwaffe space unit and admitted that the €35 billion, earmarked for military space, is already largely spoken for. Torsten Kriening was in the room: the doctrine is public, the red lines are not.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-cosmos-2612-vs-iceye-x36-washington-spoke-where-was-nato/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79393
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
A Russian satellite manoeuvred into extreme proximity with ICEYE-X36, prompting warnings from commercial space trackers and, eventually, Washington. Christophe Bosquillon asks why the encounter has yet to produce a comparable collective response from NATO.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-there-is-something-not-rotten-in-the-state-of-denmark-its-views-on-how-european-governments-could-turn-space-ambitions-into-capabilities/ Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79331
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
What turns an ambitious space strategy into actual capability? Looking at a new Danish study of six European countries, Christophe Bosquillon explores why budgets, procurement and institutional authority may matter more than whether a country has a space agency.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-espi-at-20-europes-aspirations-are-big-now-it-needs-the-nerve/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79264
Written by Judith Delany and Torsten Kriening
At ESPI’s 20th Annual Conference in Vienna, Europe’s aspirations met the realities of a fragmenting world. The capabilities, partners and public support are there. What Europe still needs is the confidence to set its own agenda and act before the next crisis forces it to.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-space-unromanced-closeted-in-the-cosmos/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79188
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
The space sector likes to imagine itself as a glimpse of humanity's future. Some of the people building that future are still deciding how much of themselves the room can handle.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-quo-vadis-europa-a-critique-of-the-moment-in-an-age-of-missing-orders/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79177
Written by K.-P. Ludwig.
Europe speaks increasingly of sovereignty in space, yet its launch capacity, secure communications and defence architecture remain fragmented. Ludwig asks whether Europe can turn strategic autonomy from a political slogan into the capacity to act.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-satellites-tell-you-where-to-look-then-someone-has-to-go-and-look/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78933
Written by Waqas Jamil
. He argues that Earth observation has become very good at showing where change is happening and much less comfortable with what, why and what to do about it - and that the commercial value is shifting from the pixel that raises the alarm to the verified answer that closes the file.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-review-the-risk-you-cannot-inspect-meidad-parientes-the-art-of-robust-design/ Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79080 Meidad Pariente spent 31 years building satellites before he started insuring them. His new book, The Art of Robust Design: A Guide to Resilient Spacecraft Engineering in the New Space Era, is a practical field manual for New Space engineers, and it makes a case that reaches well beyond the cleanroom: the risk insurers often misjudge is the culture of the team that built the satellite.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-analysis-the-sovereignty-test-what-happens-when-earth-observation-dependencies-fail/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78925
Written by Fernando Kalleder
Sovereign Earth observation is not defined by ownership alone. The real test begins when a supplier, service or system fails. This analysis examines what Europe can learn about preserving decision-making and operational capacity under pressure.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-riyadh-day-two-allocation-is-not-authorisation/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 07:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78979 Day two in Riyadh moved from principles to plumbing: licences, spectrum, filings and the countdown to WRC-27. Egypt’s regulator delivered the line of the day, “allocation is not authorisation”. STC and AST SpaceMobile put a date on D2D, ANFR flagged Europe’s looming 2 GHz MSS decision, and a new report priced business-as-usual debris losses at up to $42 billion over a decade.]]>