Geopolitics

In this episode of Space Café Radio, SpaceWatch.Global’s publisher, Torsten Kriening, talks with Nicole Thalhofer, head of Space at the BDLI - German Aerospace Industries Association, about the new German Space Strategy, released at the end of September 2023. The strategy identifies nine fields of action for the German Federal Government. These action fields include: European and international cooperation, Space as a growth market - High-tech and New Space, Climate change, resources, and environmental protection, Digitalization, data, and downstream, Security, strategic capability, and global stability, Sustainable use of space, Space research, International space exploration, Space in dialogue and talent acquisition

A European Space Agency (ESA) - funded study has reported the state of Antarctica's ice shelves, relying on information from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ESA’s CryoSat satellite missions. The study, which has been published in the journal Science Advances, is based on 100,000 satellite radar images to produce a major assessment of the ‘state of the health’ of Antarctica’s ice shelves.

ICEYE and the European Space Agency have partnered to participate in the Civil Security from Space Program (CSS) to revolutionize disaster and crisis management from the vantage point of space. This is the first CSS Partnership contract under the CSS program and aims to develop an advanced suite of natural catastrophe monitoring services.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Skyrora, Viasat, and CGI a contract under the Commercial Space Transportation Services program to demonstrate InRange, a space-based launch vehicle telemetry relay system which will benefit launch vehicle providers across the industry globally. InRange will enable Skyrora to achieve continuous transmission of telemetry data during flight, from launch to payload deployment.

Our Space Café Scotland by Angela Mathis took place on Friday, 29th Sep 2023. Angela Mathis, CEO of ThinkTank Maths was joined by Denis Bensoussan of Lloyds Insurance, Beazley. Evolution of space industry insurance. A new space age emerges with myriads small satellites in low Earth orbit, accessible to thousands of companies and individuals. Asset protection for space activities is unique due to specific risk profiles and management considerations.

World Space Week Association (WSWA) has announced the selection of Alma Okpalefe as its Executive Director on the occasion of World Space Week 2023. She will be replacing Maruksa Strah, who served as the Association‘s Executive Director for five years. 

The 74th International Astronautical Congress, organized by the IAF and hosted in Baku by Azercosmos, the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was a resounding success, IAF said. After 50 years, the IAC returned to the city of Baku, where it first hosted the 24th International Astronautical Congress in 1973. During the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, warmly welcomed the IAC delegates.

Aerospacelab has successfully launched the PVCC satellite with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Belgian Science Policy Office. This mission will support the space community's ongoing efforts in providing insightful Earth Observation data that will help in monitoring vegetation conditions and analyzing climate change.

The Airbus-built THEOS-2 Earth observation satellite has been successfully launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) selected Airbus as a partner for its next-generation national geo-information system in 2018.

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Ketil Olsen, CEO of Andoya Space. This episode was recorded 300 km north of the Arctic Circle on Andoya island during the presentation and the handover of the strategic framework for the spaceport Norway. Strategic framework means the potential development and opportunities that the spaceport will bring, from space business and an innovation hub to tourism, housing, and connectivity for the island and the region.