Geopolitics News

In this latest episode of Space Café Radio, our editor in chief Emma Gatti converses with guest Patrizia Caraveo, research director at the Italian Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) about Europe’s challenges within the space industry. The conversation revolves around the recent news of the EU commissioning the launch of part …

The National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM), the Sultanate of Oman's premier aerospace company, has awarded the UK Launch Service Limited the first major contract to deliver the plan for Etlaq Spaceport. 

Airbus’ patented Detumbler device launched on Saturday, 11 November and will undergo tests in space on the mission in association with Exotrail and EnduroSat early in 2024. Airbus developed the Detumbler in 2021, with support from the French Space Agency CNES under their Tech4SpaceCare initiative.

The Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) released on the 13th of November its Code of Conduct on Space Sustainability. It is calling on operators to implement responsible practices that mitigate the risk of in-orbit collision, minimise the threat of non-trackable debris, protect humans in space, and limit effects on optical astronomy. 

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Neutron Star Systems (NSS) CEO Manuel La Rosa Betancourt, CTO Dr. Michael Winter, and Investor Relationship Manager Robin Lebeau before the Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen. 

Djibouti has launched its first satellite, Djibouti 1A, into orbit, aboard Space's Transporter-9 smallsat rideshare mission on November 11 2023.  According to Space in Africa, the East African Country developed the satellite through a joint capacity-building program between Djibouti and its technical partner, the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM). As a result, Djiboutian engineers and technicians in France designed, constructed and tested the satellite.

Space Data Association has announced The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST) as the recipient of the T.S. Kelso Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety. The EU SST Partnership relies on the SSA capabilities of 15 Member states of the European Union to provide space safety services, with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acting as the Front Desk.

Bulgaria has become the 32nd signatory to the Artemis Accords after Milena Stoycheva, the Bulgarian minister of innovation and growth, signed the accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also participated in a signing ceremony, which took place on Thursday, 9 November. Also participating in the event at NASA Headquarters in Washington were NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Georgi Panayotov, ambassador of Bulgaria to the United States and Sonata Coulter, deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of State.

Seville, 10th November 2023 -  SpaceWatch.Global talked with Kai-Uwe Schrogl, ESA’s Special Advisor for Political Affairs, about the consequences of the decisions taken during the recent ESA Council at the Space Summit in SevilleKai-Uwe Schrogl acted as the coordinator for the Director General’s Proposal to ESA’s Ministers, which provides the rationale for the decisions taken and which, for the first time, was made publicly available.

The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defense and Space, and Voyager Space have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ESA Space Summit in Seville, outlining their collaboration for the Starlab space station in the post-International Space Station era. The MoU outlines that the parties intend to foster science and technology development and explore the potential for collaboration in conjunction with post-International Space Station low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations.