Features

The report from the Satellite Constellations 1 (SATCON1) workshop, organized jointly by NSF’s NOIRLab and the American Astronomical Society (AAS), has been delivered to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

As we near the 2/3 point for the year 2020, it is starting to feel like a “lost year” for some. With many people having been working from home for the majority of the year, with borders largely closed, and with governments in turmoil, many are starting to ask whether 2020 can just be over already. Reasonable sentiment, to be sure.

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Thomas Jarzombek, Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy talked about about Germany’s role in the European and global space sector

When ESA’s Director General Jan Woerner started his last 12 months at the helm of the European Space Agency end of June, he wrote a blog that witnessed a certain impatience and urgency about the future and direction of the organization.

On World Humanitarian Day, the UK Space Agency has announced £3.4 million of new funding for 10 leading-edge projects that back UK academics using space to tackle global development problems – from the spread of malaria to human trafficking and forced labour.

In view of Germany's specific role in the international markets for space products and services, in which national organisations have long been active as well-positioned providers and diverse users -, consideration has been given for years to the question of whether there is a need for national space legislation that goes beyond the national implementation of UN treaties

In all, 102 individuals from 15 countries completed the survey. Responses point to a chasm between current and developing military and security practice, on the one side, and established safety and sustainability norms of activity in space, on the other

The report builds on the 2019 industry report which reported the industry is over USD 7 billion of annual revenues and is projected to grow at a 7.3% compound annual growth rate to exceed USD 10 billion by 2024.

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Renato Krpoun, Head of the Swiss Space Office at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI, Switzerland talked about Swiss innovation in space.

Sustainability has been practiced as a precondition for survival by many indigenous groups throughout the span of history. For those of us concerned with sustainability in space—or “the ability of all humanity to continue to use outer space for peaceful purposes and socioeconomic benefit over the long term”— this ought to be a heartening reality, as we can look to these practices to help avoid “reinventing the wheel.”