News

The above, mischievous words, “There is life on Mars: we put it there”, are on the part of the renowned NASA Astrobiologist and member of ISU’s faculty, Dr. Chris McKay.  The reality is that we humans, via our early – and unsterile -- Martian landers have already contaminated the Red Planet.  Yes, we have; yes, we have! 

In this Space Café Radio – SpaceWatch.Global Senior Editor and Space Café Italy Host Dr. Emma Gatti spoke with Nico Dettmann, Group Leader for Lunar Exploration Development Projects at the European Space Research and Technology Center in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. In this episode, Nico discusses ESA's involvement in the Artemis program. Specifically, Nico discusses the Service Module, which he refers to as "the power-house" of the mission

Space In Africa published the the African Space Industry Annual Report displaying how space economy is becoming a strategic tool for boosting the national economy and contributing toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.  According to the report, the African space industry was valued at USD 19.49 billion in 2021.

Skyrora has successfully completed the static fire test of the second stage of its Skyrora XL orbital rocket, hosted by Discover Space UK at Machrihanish Airbase, taking the company one step closer to entering commercial operations planned to start in 2023 from the SaxaVord Space Centre, Skyrora said.

Florida Space infrastructure company, Redwire Corporation will develop the only commercially owned and operated spaceflight-qualified plant growth platform, Redwire Greenhouse, in space. The platform is expected to launch to the ISS in spring 2023.  Redwire Greenhouse will not only deliver valuable insights for crop scientists but will also expand our ability to grow full crops in space.

It has been long recognized that space technologies not only benefit space exploration but offer direct and tangible benefits to people on Earth.  Satellites have the capability of observing Earth’s surface from space with constant revisit times.  We have grown reliant on satellites for weather forecasting, military reconnaissance, transportation, agriculture, and many more services

Spanish astronaut and aeronautics engineer, Pedro Duque, will attend the 8th edition of the international Martian robot competition, the European Rover Challenge (ERC) co-organized by the European Space Foundation, Kielce University of Technology and Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship. ERC 2022 finals will be held at Kielce University of Technology in Poland, between 9–11 September.

Space logistics company D-Orbit, has canceled plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company Breeze Holdings Acquisition, D-Orbit said. D-Orbit, announced it would trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol DOBT after the merger.

Lunar lander developer, Astrobotic Technology, has formally bid for the assets of space infrastructure company, Masten Space Systems, after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, Masten said. According to the bid, Astrobotic would pay US $4.2 million for Masten’s assets, which includes a US $14 million SpaceX launch credit.

The Space Café Podcast #061 -  Judith Walls, Wildlife warrior and why the decision about the future of your company is being made right now. Judith Walls researches at the intersection of business and environmental sustainability at the venerable University of St.Gallen in Switzerland. She focuses on governance characteristics of boards and managers in the context of pressures from stakeholders and other institutions on organizations.