Frontiers News

The Space Café Podcast #102:  We are wasting an opportunity for a profound break: Nahum Romero Explores How the Arts and Humanities Can Reinvigorate the Vision for Humanity's Future in Space. In this episode, Markus Mooslechner embarks with us on a visionary journey that transcends the conventional boundaries of space exploration. Nahum Romero, a distinguished artist and philosopher, delves into the indispensable role of arts and humanities in crafting a sustainable and inclusive future for humanity among the stars.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Free State of Bavaria plan to establish the Human Exploration Control Center for future human spaceflight missions to the Moon in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The Declaration of Intent was signed by Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder, DLR Divisional Board Member for Space Anke Pagels-Kerp and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher on 13 March 2024 at the Bavarian State Chancellery.

Space One, a Japanese private launch services provider, suffered a setback during its inaugural rocket launch as the rocket, KAIROS, exploded midair a few seconds after liftoff. The Company aimed to be the first private Japanese outfit to launch a satellite into Orbit, launching the ill-fated rocket from a new space facility in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket carried a small intelligence satellite for the Japanese Government, which it planned to insert into orbit about 500 km above the Earth's surface. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has launched its 45th Electron rocket, successfully deploying a fourth synthetic aperture radar satellite to Synspective’s Earth-observation constellation. "Owl Night Long", a dedicated mission for Synspective, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The mission delivered a single spacecraft, the StriX-3 satellite, to a 561km Sun Synchronous Orbit, where it joined Synspective’s growing constellation.

ispace Technologies U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.) has signed a payload services agreement with Rhea Space Activity (RSA) to deliver autonomous guidance and navigation technology to lunar orbit aboard ispace-U.S.’s Mission 3 scheduled for 2026. The agreement will consequently foster collaboration to test RSA’s Jervis Autonomy Module (JAM), a novel autonomous navigation technology which recently received funding through a grant from NASA’s TechFlights Program.

Exotrail has announced the successful release in orbit of an 8U satellite by its Spacevan orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), gaining meaningful space heritage with a first “last-mile” in-space delivery. Endurosat manufactured the 8U satellite, named EXO-0, which in turn carried an Airbus Defense and Space payload. This success is an essential achievement for the Company on its path towards becoming a space logistics leader worldwide.

As the publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, I am honored to acknowledge International Women's Day during these tumultuous times. The world is emerging from a pandemic, facing wars at Europe's borders, grappling with global recessions, and navigating a fragile political climate amidst elections in over 70 countries. Amid these challenges, it's vital to express our gratitude to the women in our professional and personal lives for their resilience and contributions. International Women's Day on March 8th invites us to reflect on the pivotal role of women in the workplace and the persistent obstacles they face.

ICEYE has announced the launch of ICEYE Ocean Vision, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) product family, to provide actionable intelligence for maritime domain awareness. As the first in the ICEYE Ocean Vision family of SAR derivative products, ICEYE Ocean Vision Detect delivers insights into the presence, location, and size of vessels at sea, allowing authorities to take decisive action in mitigating threats.

China has turned in its submission to the Working Group of Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS). The Working group invited member states to submit their inputs towards the Group's mandates and purposes. The submission emphasized the importance of the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty in directing any member-state activity regarding the lunar surface, particularly lunar space resources. 

HyImpulse has received its first flight license from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its sounding rocket, which is now ready to launch from the Shetland Islands thanks to the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). Furthermore, the Company plans consecutive launches of the sounding rocket for later this year from the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland. The rocket’s maiden launch will tentatively commence from Australia this April.