News

SpaceLink announced it has chosen OHB Systems as the preferred tenderer for the initial constellation of four high-capacity optical relay satellites after a comprehensive tender process. The parties are currently in advanced contract negotiations about the manufacturing and delivery of the initial constellation.

Planet Labs announced the launch of Pelican, a new line of imagery satellites to upgrade the company’s existing constellation of the 21 SkySat spacecraft. With the new, higher-resolution satellites the company can provide faster and near-real time data to customers, Planet said.

Rocket Lab has acquired Advanced Solutions, a Colorado-based aerospace engineering firm, for $40 million, the company announced. Advanced Solution delivers mission proven space software, mission simulation and test systems, and Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) solutions.

Blue Origin successfully completed its second human spaceflight yesterday on board of New Shepard. The flight carried four space tourists, Dr. Chris Boshuizen, Glen de Vries, Audrey Powers, and William Shatner through the Kármán line. Also, on board were the thousands of postcards made by young students for Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future.

Portuguese Space Agency (Portugal Space), and the Portuguese Army signed a partnership protocol marking the first day of rocket launches by competing teams of the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), the Agency reported. The competition will carry on until 17th October with 20 teams, 20 rockets and 400 enrolled students.

During this week’s SpaceCafé, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening caught up with leading global politics and international law expert from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Political Science and co-director of the Outer Space Institute, Professor Michael Byers on the urgent need for countries to agree to ban anti-satellite weapons tests.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 38th episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast: Joellen Russell, Mayday Mayday, an oceanographer's passionate cry for help to the space community. Episode 038 features a special guest Joellen Russell. 

Iceye on Copernicus: the company announced it has become a Contributing Mission to the Copernicus Programme, the largest Earth observation programme in the world. According to the agreement, Copernicus services will have access to Iceye’s synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imagery. The collaboration will be funded by the European Commission and operated by ESA.

Skyrora has signed a multi-launch deal over the next decade with SaxaVord Spaceport (formerly Shetland Space Centre) on Unst, the Shetland Islands. With the agreement, Skyrora is to become the first company to launch a rocket from UK soil. The company is aiming to deliver up to 16 launches a year by 2030.

LatConnect 60 is to use Spire Global’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking data as a foundation for better predicting maritime traffic patterns, the companies announced. LatConnect will layer other data sources like satellite imagery, drones, and IoT sensors on Spire’s maritime data.