https://spacewatch.global/features/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:07:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/features/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-stop-admiring-the-problem-europes-space-sovereignty-is-an-execution-failure/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75574 A founder, a security strategist and a defence professor walked into Reflex Aerospace's new Berlin office. Between them they exposed Europe's real space problem - not technology, not vision, but execution. My notes from an evening that doubled as a warning.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-4-growth-pain-and-the-valley-of-death/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75541
Written by Jascha Langenberg
Scaling is where many European space start-ups face their greatest challenge. As they enter the "Valley of Death", engineering excellence alone is no longer enough. This chapter explores why manufacturing, procurement, and the absence of anchor customers often determine whether a promising company becomes a sustainable business.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/apophis-is-coming-planetary-defence-is-coming-of-age/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75416
Written by Judith Delany
The launch of Asteroids2029 marks the beginning of a global campaign ahead of one of the most extraordinary celestial events of the century. But the close passage of asteroid Apophis is about far more than a spectacular night sky. It marks a defining moment for planetary defence, a field that has evolved from theoretical research into an increasingly operational discipline built on science, technology and international cooperation.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-why-frances-vast-deal-has-sparked-a-revolt-inside-cnes/ Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75352
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
France's agreement with Vast to fly two astronauts has sparked an unprecedented backlash from CNES labour unions. Behind the dispute lies a broader debate over commercial space, public science, industrial policy, and the future direction of France's space strategy.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-new-high-ground-colonel-sylvain-debarre-on-the-strategic-evolution-of-the-nato-space-centre-of-excellence/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75304
Written by Laura Todd
In the heart of Toulouse, a city long synonymous with aviation and aerospace excellence, a new chapter in transatlantic security is being written. The NATO Space Centre of Excellence (COE), established in 2023, stands as a testament to the fundamental shift in how the modern world perceives and protects the orbital domain. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-isos4l-from-technical-capability-to-operational-readiness/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75280
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
In-space servicing is ultimately not just an engineering project. Even if Europe succeeds in mastering autonomous rendezvous, robotic servicing, and orbital logistics, these capabilities will only become strategically relevant if they can be integrated into a coherent operational architecture. Questions of command authority, industrial execution, funding, and international signalling will determine whether ISOS4I evolves into a genuine resilience capability or remains primarily a technology demonstrator.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-isos4i-europes-active-operational-element-in-space-resilience/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75259
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
A Critical Assessment of Strategic Ambition, Technical Readiness, and Defense Architecture Integration The European Commission's ISOS4I mission, i.e. the In-Space Operations and Services for Infrastructure, has been formally launched 2025 as Europe's flagship initiative to build autonomous, in-orbit servicing capabilities. On the surface, the initiative presents itself as a sustainability and space economy venture: a response to orbital debris, satellite life-extension needs, and commercial opportunities. This framing is not incorrect, but it’s now considered to be incomplete.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-bridging-the-access-gap-why-youth-and-representation-matter-for-the-future-of-mena-space-cooperation/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75231
Written by Haifa Almofareh
Young people are inspired by space—but inspiration alone does not build careers, startups, or future leaders. Reflecting on the Spring School: Outer Space Cooperation in the Middle East 2026, this commentary explores why meaningful youth participation is becoming essential for the future of space cooperation between MENA and Europe.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-3-max-q-in-start-ups-funding-journey/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75206
Written by Jascha Langenberg
Why the "Bus Factor" matters to investors: discover why founder dependency is a hidden risk in space start-ups and how it shapes scaling and venture capital decisions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-project-eos-building-a-european-platform-for-autoimmune-cell-therapy-through-space-biotechnology/ Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75103
Written by Rita Laila Fussenegger
Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people and often require lifelong treatment rather than true disease modification. Project EOS explores whether a modular CAAR-T cell therapy platform, supported by microgravity research, could help transform how autoimmune diseases are treated. By combining immunology, cell therapy, and space biotechnology, the initiative seeks to investigate new approaches to safety, efficacy, scalability, and accessibility for future therapies.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-for-all-or-space-for-those-already-there/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75041
Written by Judith Delany
ICAAD’s new policy brief on equity in space governance raises a question COPUOS can no longer avoid: who gets to shape the rules of the next space age?]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-can-30-people-and-the-vienna-spirit-carry-the-future-of-space/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74979
Written by Judith Delany
As satellites multiply, geopolitical tensions rise, and space governance grows more complex, COPUOS and UNOOSA face mounting pressure to keep international cooperation alive.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-peaceful-provided-nobody-looks-too-closely-what-does-peace-mean-in-space/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74929
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
How an old compromise still shapes the future of outer space. Because the Outer Space Treaty did not settle the meaning of peace. It gave the world a word broad enough to hold several disagreements at once, and sturdy enough, for a time, to hold up the sky. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-do-space-infrastructure-plans-ignore-physical-reality/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74855
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
The future of space may be constrained less by funding or launch capacity than by orbital physics and geopolitical competition. As military and commercial constellations proliferate, congestion, debris accumulation, and strategic rivalry are reshaping access to orbital space. The question is no longer how many satellites can be launched, but who will retain meaningful access to orbit and under what conditions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-solar-farms-in-orbit-the-legal-framework-for-addressing-a-new-risk-to-the-kessler-syndrome/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74759
Written by Dr. Anna Hurova
Outer space shall be free for exploration and use. This citation on the Outer Space Treaty (OST) became a pretext of the ambitious projects of constellations promising to shift the quality for the human society, energy efficiency and connectivity on the new higher level. This analysis is an attempt to show broader context of evaluation of such type of projects from the perspective of the common concept for environmental and space law, due regard, and pose the question about the initiation of enforcement of legal requirements for the harmful interference.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-allied-by-design-part-2-what-americas-cislunar-ambitions-mean-for-europe/ Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74695
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
As the U.S. Space Force expands its focus beyond GEO and into cislunar space, Europe faces difficult questions about sovereignty, industrial capacity, defence cooperation, and its long-term role in the emerging Earth-Moon economy.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-europe-can-map-its-talent-the-harder-question-is-what-it-will-build-for-that-talent-to-do/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74684
Written by Torsten Kriening
ESA's new Skills Digital Twin is a detailed picture of Europe's space workforce. Read closely, it points past training and toward delivery - and toward a communication problem the sector has circled for years.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-allied-by-design-part-1-how-the-u-s-space-force-plans-to-extend-operations-beyond-ge/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74630
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
The U.S. Space Force's latest strategic documents envision an Allied-by-design architecture stretching from launch infrastructure to cislunar operations. This first part examines how launch capabilities, funding mechanisms, and emerging cislunar security requirements could reshape cooperation between the United States and its partners.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-smallsat-europe-amsterdam-2026-sovereign-on-paper-dual-use-in-practice/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74540 At SmallSat Europe in Amsterdam, defence took over the show. A German general pitched a European Space Command, the EU Space Act crawled toward 2030, and the dual-use question nobody wants to answer hung over every panel. Europe spoke sovereignty fluently - and built it haltingly. A publisher's view from the RAI floor.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-space-industry-has-outgrown-mirror-hiring/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74499
Written by Judith Delany
The space sector prides itself on innovation, yet many companies continue to hire from the same universities, networks and professional circles. In an industry built on exploring new frontiers, perhaps it is time to rethink where we look for talent.]]>