News

The CEO of the French space agency CNES, Philippe Baptiste, is pushing ahead with the reorganization of the agency, the French newspaper La Tribune reports. The reorganization of CNES entered a new phase with discussions between the unions and management, the paper reports. Baptiste has chosen to push CNES towards a matrix organization

The 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2021), organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), held in the Middle East for the first time and hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) ended on Friday. Over 6,500 delegates from more than 110 countries attended the “Inspire, Innovate & Discover for the Benefit of Mankind” themed event.

The UK Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on joint activities and information sharing on space, the British High Commission Ottawa reported. The MOU was signed in Dubai at the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2021).

The smallsat startup Terran Orbital will go public through the merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), valuing it at $1.58 billion, the company said. Terran entered in a business combination with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp and wants to list at the New York Stock Exchange under the name Terran Orbital Corporation.

Estée Lauder announced they have become the exclusive partner of the ISS National Laboratory Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics. This is the first time a beauty brand partners a research and development opportunity for innovators to propose plastics alternatives.  The Sustainability Challenge addresses plastic waste and enable scientific or technological advancements to tackle the issue.

Plus Ultra Space Outpost (Plus Ultra) and Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) have signed an agreement to launch a demonstrator mission to the Moon, RFA announced. RFA will launch Plus Ultra’s first satellite in 2023 on an RFA ONE launch vehicle. The vehicle uses industrial automation and staged-combustion propulsion, according to the company.

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will launch to the International Space Station ISS for the first time on Sunday, 31.10.2021. We had the opportunity to talk to him from Houston about the final preparations for his mission, the differences between Russian and American spacesuits, Extravehicular Activities and his experiments.

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening caught up with space Social Media Specialist Remco Timmermans, live from the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) exhibition floor in Dubai. Remco is an experienced space business professional,

Airbus Defense & Space, Air Liquide and ispace Europe have announced the joint creation of the Euro2Moon non-profit platform focusing on topics related to the exploration of the lunar surface. Euro2Moon will bring in public and private expertise targeting the utilisation of lunar resources in a commercial and sustainable way.

The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and Bradford Space / ECAPS signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaborative orbital debris removal services. The agreement was signed at the International Astronautical Congress 2021 in Dubai. Common Earth orbits are getting increasingly congested with more companies deploying satellite constellations than ever before.