Frontiers

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #103:  Building for New Frontiers: How Space Architecture Shapes Our Future in the Cosmos with space architect Georgi Petrov. Space Architecture is not just about creating structures; it's about envisioning a sustainable future for humanity in space. In the latest #SpaceCafePodcast, Markus dives into a thought-provoking conversation with Georgi Petrov, a visionary at the forefront of designing habitats beyond Earth. From the International Space Station's early designs to the ambitious #MoonVillage concept with the European Space Agency, Georgi shares insights into the challenges and innovations in creating environments where humans can thrive in outer space.

The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SS&T) Committee held a hearing on NASA’s science programs, which revolved around the fate of the Mars Sample Return mission (MSR). The JPL had earlier cut back on its activities around the mission in light of a federal budget that could limit spending on the Mars Sample Return mission.

The Airbus-built TEXUS 60 rocket was successfully launched on Sunday, 24 March, from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. The rocket reached an apogee of 251 km and provided 362 seconds of microgravity time. The payloads on board included two DLR experiments for the German Aerospace Center (DLR), called Simona and GECO, as well as a joint experiment of DLR and the Japanese Space Agency JAXA, called Phoenix 2.

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is opening new headquarters in Harwell, Oxfordshire and regional offices in Scotland, Wales and the Midlands as it works to support the space sector across the UK. Aligned with the UK Government’s Levelling Up strategy, the expansion will enable the Agency to collaborate more closely with the UK’s thriving space sector while promoting regional skills and job opportunities to deliver increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities.

Qosmosys, a company in the field of lunar economy, has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) to collaborate on cutting-edge research and development projects in the burgeoning field of the growing lunar economy.

GITAI USA Inc. (GITAI) has announced the successful completion of all planned tasks in an external demonstration focusing on in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM). These tasks are crucial for on-orbit satellite servicing and were accomplished using a 1.5-meter-long autonomous dual robotic arm system (S2) outside the International Space Station (ISS). This milestone marks GITAI’s second successful demonstration, following an earlier demonstration inside the ISS in 2021.

The European Space Agency (ESA)'s Gaia space telescope has discovered two surprising streams of stars that formed and wove together over 12 billion years ago. The two streams, named Shakti and Shiva, helped form the infant Milky Way. Both are so ancient they likely formed before even the oldest parts of our present-day galaxy’s spiral arms and disc.

It has now been a week since SpaceX's IFT 3 took off and kept us in suspense. All space enthusiasts around the globe are eagerly waiting for the promised new era in which access to space becomes the new normal, in which prices will fall to a fraction of their current level and new business models will emerge.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to conduct a trade study on its capabilities to rapidly launch Firefly's Elytra vehicles and support missions beyond Geosynchronous Orbit, referred to as xGEO. Once complete, the trade study will provide the groundwork for up to two Firefly demonstration missions that will advance the DoD's responsive access to xGEO.