Frontiers

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are conducting a new mission to survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky and consequently offer more insight into how galaxies and stars evolve. NASA will launch the UVEX (UltraViolet EXplorer) space telescope tentatively in 2030 as its next Astrophysics Medium-Class Explorer mission to facilitate the mission.

Intuitive Machines has launched its IM-1 lunar mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The IM-1 mission Nova-C class lunar lander (Odysseus) has subsequently been deployed and has begun its journey to the lunar surface. If successful, the IM-1 lunar mission will be the first commercial soft landing attempt on the Moon. It would also mark the first American mission in 51 years to complete a soft touchdown on the Moon.

The US Space Systems Command (SSC) and its mission partners have successfully launched the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-124 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today at 5:30 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.  Furthermore, the satellites for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) were safely delivered to their intended orbit.

The Space Café Podcast #100:  Ditching Big Finance for adventure: Exploring Earth and Beyond with Paul Niel. Join Markus for a compelling episode of the Space Café Podcast, where he embarks on a journey through the remarkable adventures of Paul Niel. Niel, an explorer and adventurer, delves into his experiences from unearthing ancient relics to embarking on space analog missions. This episode is a testament to the human spirit of exploration, whether scaling the highest peaks or simulating life on Mars.

Starlab Space LLC (Starlab Space), the transatlantic joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, has announced its leadership team. Retired NASA astronaut and Voyager executive Tim Kopra will become Starlab's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while Mohit Sharma, currently Head of Mergers and Acquisitions Finance at Airbus Defence and Space, joins Starlab as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

Greece has become the latest country to join the Artemis Accords, as the Greek foreign minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis signed the Accords on the margins of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue at the Department of State in Washington. Also participating in the event at the U.S. Department of State were NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Dr. Ioannis Daglis, president of the Hellenic Space Center. The signing occurred during the fifth United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue in Washington.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite. The satellite launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity. NASA subsequently confirmed signal acquisition from the satellite about five minutes after launch.

Astroscale Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc., will launch its commercial debris inspection demonstration satellite, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on Sunday, February 18 UTC. Furthermore, the Company has shipped ADRAS-J from its headquarters in Tokyo, and final preparations for launch are underway at Rocket Lab’s facilities, in addition to operational control testing from the Mission Control Center in Tokyo.

In this Space Café Radio Geopolitics, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Mahhad Nayyer,  Astrodynamicist - Systems Engineer - Project Manager - Space Sustainability Enthusiast - Steward of Spaceship Earth. Mahhad Nayyer is a young Pakistani whom Torsten met first in the AIAA D12 - Diverse Dozen Cohort 2022 virtually. We were really impressed by Mahhad's work, so we invited him as a guest in our episode.

Pale Blue Inc. has received a grant from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) under the Small and Business Innovation Research 3 (SBIR-3) program to develop and demonstrate key technology for space debris mitigation. The grant is worth up to USD 27 million (JPY 4 billion) and will enable the development and demonstration of a miniaturized water-based ion thruster and a water-based hall-effect thruster by fiscal 2027.