Frontiers News

The Netherlands has become the newest and 31st signatory to the Artemis Accords, signing the document during a ceremony at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in Washington on Wednesday. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Netherlands Space Office (NSO) director Harm van de Wetering signed on behalf of the Netherlands.

Andøya Spaceport has been officially inaugurated as the first operational spaceport in continental Europe, and the first launch site of the European launch service company Isar Aerospace. The inauguration happened in an official ceremony, with H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon inaugurating the spaceport. The inauguration also marks an essential milestone on Isar Aerospace’s path to its first test flight.

Straight from Tallinn! �� Torsten Kriening spoke with Dr. Daniel Fischer, Head of Ground Segment System and Cyber Security Engineering at European Space Agency - ESA, about critical work safeguarding our space infrastructure. Hear directly from Dr. Fischer on ESA's cutting-edge approaches to cybersecurity in the space sector. He discusses how to build resilience against emerging threats in an increasingly complex space ecosystem. ☄ Dr. Fischer also provides fascinating insights into ESA's Zero Debris Universe initiative - charting innovative ways to mitigate dangerous space junk. Join us from Software Defined Space Conference for an engaging conversation at the intersection of space technology, engineering, and security. This exclusive interview sheds light on critical work you won't hear about anywhere else!

Astrobotic announced on the 31st of October that the Peregrine lunar lander has arrived safely in Cape Canaveral Florida. The spacecraft was unloaded at Astrotech facilities where it will be integrated with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan for launch on 24 December later this year. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed a key portion of the launch licence review for SpaceX’s Starship. Regulators said on Tuesday they completed a safety review focused on how a Starship launch could affect public health and property. The review evaluated SpaceX’s safety organisation, system safety processes, flight safety analysis, and quantitative risk criteria for launch, reentry and vehicle disposal. The review is a key step towards SpaceX being able to launch. 

HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced today it has received a $12.25 million contract from the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to share satellite RF data, analytics and training with partner nations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. HawkEye 360 will use SeaVision, a multinational data-sharing platform, to share unclassified information to improve maritime domain awareness.

UNIO has announced that it has raised €2.5 million in pre-seed funding to keep up with its mission to provide always-on connectivity for connected vehicles by seamlessly bridging terrestrial and satellite networks. With the funding, UNIO aims to advance the development and market launch of the UNIO ‘bridge’ product. This product will potentially deliver seamless connectivity for connected vehicles transitioning between 5G and satellite connectivity, delivering ‘always-on’ connectivity for all mobile use cases.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has received an agreement with a total potential value of approximately $732 million to design and build 38 data transport satellites, from the Space Development Agency (SDA). These satellites will support Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Alpha (T2TL-Alpha), the latest iteration of SDA’s low-Earth orbit Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Furthermore, the announcement follows an August 2023 award to Northrop Grumman of 36 satellites as part of Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Beta (T2TL-Beta)

The Space Café Podcast #92: Planetary Defense: How to save earth from asteroid disaster and the winding road to success with HERA mission principal investigator Patrick Michel. In this riveting episode, Dr. Patrick Michel, dives deep into the intricacies of planetary defense, asteroid research missions, the essence of teamwork, and the life lessons he’s garnered over the years. ➡️ The undeniable importance of collaboration in overcoming space-related adversities. ➡️ Lessons from the HERA mission: Turning setbacks into steppingstones. ➡️ Patrick’s insights on success, the winding path of scientific research, and the unpredictability of major breakthroughs.

The Governments of Australia and the United States of America have signed an agreement formalizing the Technology Safeguards Agreement between both countries. As a result, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) will allow US companies to carry out space launch activities in Australia and protect US technology, including rockets and satellites. The agreement signing occurred as part of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the United States.