News

During his visit to Brazil, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Mr. Espen Barth Eide announced that NICFI’s Satellite Data Program is extended until September 2024. After 2.5 years of the program, it has become evident that public access to high resolution satellite images leads to more effective rainforest protection, Eide said.

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has announced its appointment of Humbulani Mudau as its CEO, effective from the first day of April 2023. Mudau takes over as CEO following the resignation of Dr. Valanathan Munsami and the interim leadership of Ms. Andiswa Mlisa. 

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. an American end-to-end space transportation company, has been awarded a $112 million NASA contract to deliver multiple lunar payloads in 2026. This is Firefly’s second task order won under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The company will use its Blue Ghost spacecraft in a two-stage configuration to place a satellite into lunar orbit and then deliver two research payloads on the far side of the Moon.

XCAM Ltd, a UK-based designer and manufacturer of digital camera systems, announced on the 22nd of March that they have received significant further funding from ESA for the manufacture of its Space Particle Fall Out (PFO) Monitor. This has come after an eight-year technical development programme where XCAM and ESA have collaborated. Space PFO is due to be ready to launch into space inside a rocket launch vehicle in the summer of 2025. It will be the first instrument to measure particulate contamination inside a rocket. 

In this  Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Victor Danchev, Chief Technical Officer at Endurosat, about the Toliman mission, together with the University Of Syndey and the Breakthrough Initiatives

This Space Café Israel will feature Arie Halsband , Senior Advisor at Astroscale, in conversation with Meidad Pariente, correspondent of SpaceWatch.Global for Israel. Moving from the the classical space industry to New Space.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has released the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities to advance a vision for America’s continued global leadership in aeronautics. Federal aeronautics experts, with input from leaders across academia, non-profit, and commercial sectors, developed the National Aeronautics Science and Technology Priorities. The priorities outline activities to maintain the nation’s edge, both in the global aeronautics industry and in national security applications, which requires focus and investment today.

E-Space has received Nigerian landing rights for E-Space’s impending low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation from the Nigerian Communications Commission. The E-Space satellite system will provide communications services and connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices throughout Nigeria in many of the hardest-to-reach parts of the country, particularly those areas currently unserved by terrestrial providers.

The Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) has announced the winners of the 2023 SIG Awards. The awards celebrate the standout innovative technologies and solutions from individuals, companies, and institutions within the SIG membership. This year’s winners are Ashram (Engineering Program Manager, Micro-Ant), Atheras Analytics' SGD Design Tool, Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability (DIFI) Consortium, and Valentin Eder (Space Analyses). The categories were: Cooperation of the Year, Innovation of the Year, and Young Engineer of the Year.

The  Space Café “33 minutes with Maya Glickman-Pariente“, CEO of SPACECIALIST, Head of Space Operations, SAS Founder of “My space academy,” in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global was conducted on 14th March 2023, about the future of satellite operations and the role of AI, as well as her advice to the next generation of women in STEM.