https://spacewatch.global/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Sat, 11 Jul 2026 21:12:33 +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/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-three-is-that-killed-isu/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75586 The International Space University has been liquidated by a French court - just 127 days after its president asked alumni for emergency funding. Two competing successor initiatives have emerged, the community has rallied over 1,000 signatures, and the hard questions about what went wrong remain unanswered. SpaceWatch.Global Publisher Torsten Kriening - an ISU alumnus himself - pieces together the timeline and asks the questions the ISU community deserves answers to.]]> 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/space-cafe-radio-with-franck-mouriaux/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75566 Live from Eurosatory in Paris, Franck Mouriaux, acting CEO of FADA, an EDGE company, joins Torsten Kriening to explain how the UAE is building sovereign space capability at speed - the bet on SAR with the Sirb constellation, the "supermarket of data" vision behind the Zenith orchestration system, and why the real challenge is building the brains, not just the hardware.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/mda-space-to-acquire-collecte-localisation-satellites-cls-a-provider-of-ai-driven-eo-data-analytics/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75558 MDA Space has made a firm offer to acquire an approximately 70% stake in France's CLS, a provider of AI-driven Earth observation analytics and satellite IoT, for around €567 million in cash.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/alliance-for-european-autonomous-access-to-space-aeaas-to-lead-space-regulatory-practices-review-for-the-eu/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75552 The EU has selected the AEAAS consortium, led by Abreu Advogados and the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, to review space regulatory practices across more than 40 jurisdictions and propose guidelines to strengthen Europe's launch autonomy.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/iceye-establishes-national-headquarters-in-portugal-and-germany/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75547 ICEYE has established two new European offices in Portugal and Germany, appointing Rui Costa and Philipp Herkelmann as the respective CEOs of ICEYE Portugal and ICEYE Germany. This comes just weeks after the company's expansion of its wildfire intelligence capabilities to Canada, aiming to cement its position as a global wildfire intelligence provider, following its EUR 450 million Series F funding round raise. ]]> 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/the-isus-central-campus-in-strasbourg-has-been-liquidated-following-funding-cuts/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75538 The bankrupt International Space University (ISU) Central Campus in Strasbourg, France has been liquidated by court order, following cuts in funding from CNES, ESA and the local government earlier this year. A proposal by faculty and staff to keep ISU France in operation was rejected after a court hearing on July 6.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/ororatechs-hellenic-fire-system-achieves-first-light-over-greece-less-than-a-month-after-launch/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75533 OroraTech's Hellenic Fire System has achieved first light over Greece less than a month after its May launch, a milestone toward the country's national wildfire monitoring capability.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/ispace-announces-new-lunar-integration-and-transportation-service-aboard-spacexs-starship/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75526 ispace has announced a new lunar transportation service aboard SpaceX's Starship, repositioning itself as a 'Lunar Access Integrator' using a Mobile Cargo System to integrate multiple payloads.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/nato-allies-form-new-partnerships-to-develop-high-end-space-capabilities-across-the-alliance/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75516 NATO Allies have opened a new chapter in Allied space operations, with multinational initiatives and partnerships to develop new space-based capabilities at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye. Primarily, eight Allies launched a new multinational initiative named HALO (Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space).]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-bottleneck-illusion-why-a-fast-rocket-wont-save-us-in-a-space-crisis/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75484
Written by Pietro Guerrieri
Rapid launch is only one part of responsive space. In this opinion piece, Pietro Guerrieri argues that the real bottleneck lies on the ground, where logistics, procedures, and operational readiness determine whether a satellite can truly be replaced when it matters most.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/simera-sense-to-provide-eight-multiscape-100-imagers-for-the-canary-islands-satellite-constellation/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75508 Simera Sense will supply eight MultiScape100 imagers to Telespazio Ibérica for the Canary Islands Satellite Constellation, supporting environmental monitoring, emergency response, and maritime domain awareness.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/infinite-orbits-and-arianespace-sign-mou-to-advance-european-direct-to-geo-launch-capabilities/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75501 Infinite Orbits and Arianespace have signed an MoU to establish a framework for future collaboration on multiple direct-to-geostationary orbit launch services. Announced during the French NewSpace Summit, the partnership unites Arianespace's decades of launch heritage with Infinite Orbits' next-generation in-orbit servicing capabilities. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/austrian-startup-tumbleweed-launches-oasis-alpha-demo-satellite-aboard-spacexs-transporter-17-mission/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75488 Vienna-based Tumbleweed has launched Oasis Alpha - Austria's first commercial satellite - aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17, built in under nine months to make access to space as simple as mailing a package.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/nsg-strengthens-its-in-flight-connectivity-offer-with-hughes-jupiter-3-gateway-infrastructure/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75481 Neo Space Group has deployed three ground gateway systems with Hughes' JUPITER 3 infrastructure to expand its in-flight connectivity services for airlines.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/mission-vigilant-owl-inside-baumfalke-the-bundeswehrs-electronic-warfare-prototype/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75470 Embedded with a German Bundeswehr electronic warfare unit during Mission Vigilant Owl in Lithuania, Torsten Kriening gets an exclusive look at *Baumfalke*, a soldier-driven prototype designed to detect and geolocate signals in the electromagnetic spectrum. More than a new piece of equipment, it is a compelling example of bottom-up military innovation moving from concept to operational deployment. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/mission-vigilant-owl-why-electronic-warfare-has-become-decisive-bundeswehr-ew-unit-in-lithuania/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75459 Embedded with a German Bundeswehr electronic warfare unit during Mission Vigilant Owl in Lithuania, Torsten Kriening explores the invisible battlefield of the electromagnetic spectrum. As the war in Ukraine has shown, electronic warfare has become a decisive factor in modern conflict. Watch this candid discussion on why mobility, adaptability, and spectrum dominance matter more than ever.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-feature-cyber-gladiators-on-natos-eastern-flank/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75428 A press visit to Germany's Cyber and Information Domain Service on NATO's eastern flank reveals how the first battle of any crisis will be fought - invisibly, in the electromagnetic spectrum. From a Bundeswehr Dingo near the Belarusian border, Publisher Torsten Kriening reports on the CIR's Vigilant Owl mission, the doctrine of reconnaissance over jamming, and why the "first ping" between the pine trees and the deep view from orbit now belong to a single chain of warning.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/german-companies-zft-and-smart-small-satellite-systems-launch-9-satellites-aboard-spacexs-transporter-17-mission/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75458 Germany's Zentrum für Telematik and Smart Small Satellite Systems have launched nine 10kg microsatellites aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17 for coordinated Earth observation across agriculture, forestry, and disaster management.]]>