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NASA successfully launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission this morning on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The aim of the mission is to demonstrate that sending a large, high-speed spacecraft into the path of an asteroid could change its motion. DART will now deploy its Roll Out Solar Arrays (ROSA) to provide the power needed for its solar electric propulsion system.

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) announced the first of a series of six launches with two Galileo satellites per launch, from Spaceport Kourou. Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz rocket on 2nd December.  EUSPA will be in charge of Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations which will be overseen by a team of specialists.

The French Exotrail delivers its electric propulsion system to OHB´s microsatellite Triton-X Heavy, the company said. Exotrail signed a contract with the Luxembourg-based satellite manufacturer OHB Luxspace for the integration of Exotrail’s high thrust and flexible electric propulsion product ExoMG into the Triton-X Heavy platform, the firm said.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Space Agency at DLR support Isar Aerospace with €11 million to provide launch services for institutional payloads, the Munich-based startup said. The contract includes the provision of launch services for institutional European payloads of up to 150 kg on the first two flights

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 41st episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast #041: Stewart Bain, NorthStar Earth & Space and why our planet needs an image upgrade. Episode 041 features a special guest Stewart Bain. Cop26 in Glasgow did not manage to deliver the big hit that many would have expected.

James Webb Space Telescope’s launch date has been moved for the fourth time, to no earlier than 22nd December, NASA reported. The additional time will be used for further testing of the observatory, following a recent incident during launch preparations. Webb was previously scheduled to launch 18th December on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou.

OneWeb reported that one of their broadband satellites launched early last year suffered a software failure. The failed aircraft, orbiting at 1200 km, will be de-orbited. Other satellites in the fleet were successfully updated from the ground. OneWeb carried out 11 launches over the past year and currently has market access rights in 38 countries.

The Canadian satellite operator Telesat now is a public company listed and traded on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange, the company announced last week. The listing follows the closing of Telesat’s previously announced transaction with Loral Space & Communications and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board ...

The smart and hybrid network provider Marlink will equip the Irish Defence Forces with satellite connectivity for their military missions across land and sea. The agreement will see the country’s defence forces combining relevant connectivity carriers including VSAT and L-Band networks, Marlink said.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (5), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Dr. Emma Gatti spoke in this fifth episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Dr. Robert Wild, Analog Astronaut. Together, they talked about AMADEE-20, the future of Mars exploration, space training and lessons learned from the mission.