Geopolitics News

Arabsat and Aldoria have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on enhancing space safety and security. The MoU is one of the fruitful outcomes of the 1st Space Debris Conference in Saudi Arabia held in Riyadh on February 11-12, which the Saudi Space Agency organized.

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. 

What is China's position on space resource activities? The following is a commentary on the Chinese approach following its submission to the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

The Biden-Harris Administration has released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes funding that will allow NASA to continue advancing its understanding of Earth and space. As a result, the budget will enable NASA to launch the Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and research Earth’s changing climate, among others.

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.

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.

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.

In this episode of Space Economy Insights, Kevin O'Connell and Dr. Emma Gatti host Fani Kallianou de Jong, Principal in the Climate Strategy and Delivery Team of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

There’s been no shortage of recent attempts at clarifying what the problems are with the definitions of success or failure for a Moon mission. Bearing in mind the pressure applied on CEOs, leadership, and crews of many a lunar-aiming venture business, and equally knowing perfectly well how challenging is to land on the Moon, it is nevertheless important for the insiders of the sector  to develop considerations worthy of lunar stakeholders as they sort out their concerns.