News

Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has suspended launch operations from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and is recalling its technical personnel as a response to EU sanctions towards Russia. Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Space, stated that the decision had no consequences “on the continuity and quality of the Galileo and Copernicus services.”

On 23 February 2022, Niklas Nienaß, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens/EFA rolled out an initiative for setting a coherent space legislation in Europe. Based on a study of five independent experts, coordinated by Kai-Uwe Schrogl with Irmgard Marboe, Jean-Francois Mayence, Lucien Rapp and Jenni Tapio (see their report Towards European Legislation for Space Activities),

Satellite servicing company Astroscale announced that former ESA Director General Jan Woerner, and Yuko Noguchi, an experienced lawyer specializing in technology law and intellectual property, have been appointed to the company’s Board of Directors. Woerner served as the seventh ESA Director General between 2015-2021.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour in Brussels at the 14th European Space Conference in the Egmont Palace, SpaceWatch.Global Event coordinator and Space Cafe Benelux Host Chiara Moenter spoke with Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet, about the European green space initiative, satellites in orbit and sustainability as company purpose.

The Australian Federal Government announced its Space Infrastructure Fund of AU $65 million, which was welcomed by Southern Launch, as the country’s only licensed company with launch facilities. The announcement confirms that Australia wants to establish a vibrant space launch capability.

Intelsat announced that it has emerged from its financial restructuring process as a private company with a strengthened capital structure to support its growth in the satellite communications market. The company managed to reduce its debt from approximately US $16 billion to US $7 billion.

The first Space Café Scotland by Angela Mathis of 2022 took place on Friday, 18th February interviewing Alan Thompson, Head of Government Affairs at Skyrora, exploring what the company does with regards to space sustainability and how it helps to advance the UK, and the Scottish space sector in particular.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour in Brussels at the 14th European Space Conference in the Egmont Palace, SpaceWatch.Global Event coordinator and Space Cafe Benelux Host Chiara Moenter spoke with Alexander Gerst, ESA Astronaut about the current situation of human space flights and his views on the conference.

This Space Café BeNeLux will feature Dr. Mindy Howard, in conversation with Chiara Moenter, event coordinator at SpaceWatch.Global and her co-host of Space Cafe BeNeLux, Banoe Barzingi. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions in dialogue with Dr. Mindy Howard.

Thales Alenia Space has signed a €1 million study contract with ESA for a payload concept to extract oxygen from Moon rock.  In order for humans to establish a sustainable Moon habitat, lunar resources will have to be utilized rather than transporting these from Earth. Such resources include water and oxygen among others.