News

Rocket Lab USA has completed Pad B, its second orbital launch pad at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and the company’s third dedicated pad for the Electron rocket. The new launch site’s first mission will be a dedicated commercial launch for Japanese Earth-imaging company Synspective in four days, Rocket Lab said.

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global Publisher Torsten Kriening had the opportunity chance to speak with Dr Anna Christmann – a German politician and Coordinator for Aerospace Policy at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, serving under the country’s new Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. Dr Christmann previously studied at the Universities of Heidelberg and Bern,

In this Space Café Radio, Space Cafe Italy Host Dr. Emma Gatti and Space Cafe Benelux Host Chiara Moenter spoke with Dr. Andreas Wittmer, Managing Director of the Center for Aviation Competence at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland about the upcoming Space for Business course and the need for more and better education in the space sector.

Specialists from industry-led group, Space Scotland, are jointly working on a roadmap focusing on environmental issues regarding space. Space-focused strategic communications and market intelligence provider, AstroAgency, and research and strategy consultancy, Optimat, will develop the roadmap on behalf of Space Scotland’s Environmental Task Force with the backing of the Scottish Government.

German NewSpace company ConstellR successfully launched their first thermal infrared Earth observation system into space for global water monitoring, ConstellR reported.  The payload, LisR, was launched as part of the Northrop Grumman resupply mission to the ISS.

On 11 November 2021, German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and his NASA colleagues Kayla Barron, Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn launched to the International Space Station (ISS). As part of his Cosmic Kiss mission, Maurer will spend around six months on the space station and conduct numerous experiments.

Thales Alenia Space signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to conduct a feasibility study for the PRISMA Second Generation (PSG) hyperspectral Earth observation system, Thales Alenia said. It will be leading a consortium including Leonardo, Telespazio, e-Geos and Sitael. .

German real-time risk and disaster intelligence provider, Mayday.ai, and California-based computer perception company, Picogrid, formed a partnership for risk and environmental monitoring with mobile and AI-enabled sensors.  Mayday operates a platform that covers multiple disaster types and all geographic regions in real time.

In our next Space Café “Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland”, Host Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University, Sydney and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, Australia, and Co-Host Torsten Kriening, SpaceWatch.Global’s Publisher, welcome Irmgard Marboe and Olavo Bittencourt Neto at the wonderful and cosy Café

The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the University of Auckland joined up to conduct research on carbon fibre technology to be used for spacecraft as well as laser light data transmission, the University said. The projects are two of eight awarded a share of NZ $8 million by the Ministry of Business and Innovation.