SpaceWatch.Global Opinion

On 26 August 2020, SpaceWatch.Global Editor in Chief Markus Payer started a dialogue about the next generation ESA here.

Last week, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein announced a solicitation for proposals for the collection of lunar regolith by private companies.This surprising announcement is yet another part of NASA’s efforts to return to the Moon (with the first woman and next man) and establish a sustained presence on Earth’s closest celestial neighbor.

by Malak Trabelsi Loeb Humankind’s interest in space is not a new phenomenon. [1] It is by nature that man pursues his endeavors to explore new dawns which evolved with his evolution, despite its associated risks [2]. Historically, human space exploration was initiated by the Soviet Union with the Sputnik launch into …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and the European Space Policy Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ESPI Briefs No. 43: ‘The new U.S. Defense Space Strategy’, originally published in July 2020.

It is an exciting time for space enthusiasts, particularly those who aim for economic development of the Moon. The Moon is awash in new flights, plans, and missions over the next decade – and very likely, far beyond that. A recent graphic by the ESA (below) captures the significant number of missions to the Moon coming more than the institutional or traditional governmental side.

The US Naval Intelligence Maritime Intelligence Integration Office (NMIO) recently hosted a virtual meeting sponsored by NATO ACT (Allied Command Transformation) on tools being used to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). 

August 2020 sure proved that a lot of private capital can flow into the space sector, with a total of US$2.2 billion. Sure, SpaceX represented over 80% of this total – the company’s latest filing shows $1.9 billion raised of a potential total of $2.066 billion – but even without it, the sector total would have come to almost $400 million, distributed across geographies and subsectors.

As we near the 2/3 point for the year 2020, it is starting to feel like a “lost year” for some. With many people having been working from home for the majority of the year, with borders largely closed, and with governments in turmoil, many are starting to ask whether 2020 can just be over already. Reasonable sentiment, to be sure.

When ESA’s Director General Jan Woerner started his last 12 months at the helm of the European Space Agency end of June, he wrote a blog that witnessed a certain impatience and urgency about the future and direction of the organization.

In view of Germany's specific role in the international markets for space products and services, in which national organisations have long been active as well-positioned providers and diverse users -, consideration has been given for years to the question of whether there is a need for national space legislation that goes beyond the national implementation of UN treaties