News

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The agencies revealed the crew members Monday during an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) has renewed the mandates of the current Chair of the EUSPA Administrative Board, Mr. Vaclav Kobera, and Deputy Chair, Mr. Juan Manuel Codosero Bolaños, for another two-year term after a unanimous vote.

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has successfully concluded its spring meetings that held from March 28-30, 2023, in Paris. During the IAF Spring Meetings, the International Program Committees (IPC) of both the 74th International Astronautical Congress – IAC 2023 and the IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2023 – GLOC 2023 met and agreed upon the Plenary and Technical Programs.

Exotrail has signed a contract with Astro Digital for the delivery of multiple spaceware™ electric propulsion systems that will go on satellites that Astro Digital manufactures for an undisclosed customer. Astro Digital will integrate the spaceware™ - micro L into the Corvus platform, its flexible and cost-effective product ranging from 6U to ESPA class missions. Exotrail propulsion systems will tentatively deliver the spaceware™ to meet Astro Digital's objective to begin services in 2024.

X-Energy Reactor Company and Kinectrics have announced a partnership to design, construct, and operate one of the first commercial-scale Helium Test Facilities (“HTF”) in North America. This facility will test and verify the performance of critical structures, systems, and components of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor in helium-based high-temperature and high-pressure environments.

The OPS-SAT Mission Control Team has received its trophy after winning the 2023 International SpaceOps Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award recognizes the team’s outstanding achievement in creating and operating the world’s first mission dedicated to improving space operations by allowing rapid experimentation of mission-critical processes in an open, flying laboratory. It is the first time that an ESA-only operating mission has won the award since its inception in 2006. 

Epiroc, a productivity and sustainability partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has signed a long-term collaboration agreement with ispace that will involve Epiroc contributing technology and solutions for commercial Moon missions. 

ClearSpace and LeoLabs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding recognizing their shared vision for a safe and sustainable space ecosystem and their mutual efforts in making this vision a reality.  The partnership signals a desire to build on this mutual success and previous collaborative efforts, such as the joint LEO Kinetic Space Safety Workshop in May 2022. The MOU also serves as a formal declaration of ClearSpace and LeoLabs’ intent to work together on several new initiatives.

The idea of space-based solar power has been around since the 1960s, but recently gained new momentum. While we already use solar power today on Earth, there are a few drawbacks to putting solar panels on our rooftops or fields. The most important is the intermittent nature of Earth-based solar power, as its power generation fluctuates during the day - and goes down to zero at night. In addition, to compensate for this intermittency and the low load factor (appx. 11 % yearly average), large areas of land have to be covered with solar power to produce enough energy, and storage or backup capacities are needed for the nights and winter months.

NASA announced on the 30th of March that it has established the new Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington to carry out the agency’s human exploration activities at the Moon and Mars. Amit Kshatriya will serve as the agency’s first head of office, effective immediately. Kshatriya previously served as acting deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development.