News

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates are opening a new round of their joint Payload Hosting Initiative (PHI) programme. Through PHI, each team can submit a proposal of a maximum Three Units (3U) in size. The maximum space for the combined awardees will be Five Units (5U) in a Twelve Unit (12U) satellite platform provided by MBRSC. 

Cosmic Girls foundation announced in conjunction with the United Nations World Space Week, introduced on the 4th of October the international charity and competition to inspire girls to pursue careers in space and STEM fields. The foundation’s mission is to “launch dreams in girls, and girls into space” by creating a platform to support female astronaut talent. 

Axiom Space has announced a collaboration with Prada on NASA's lunar spacesuits for the Artemis III mission. As a result, Prada’s engineers will work alongside the Axiom Space systems team throughout the design process, developing solutions for materials and design features to protect against the unique challenge of space and the lunar environment.

Blue Origin and Sierra Space may soon end a corporate partnership they formed years ago to build Orbital Reef, a commercial space station. n 2021, Blue Origin announced its partnership to build what it envisioned as a "business park in space" with Sierra Space, a spinoff from defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp.

A Euroconsult report focusing on In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) for air travel has highlighted a second consecutive year of strong growth. This is because over 36,000 commercial and business aviation aircraft now feature onboard internet access. The new study marks the 11th edition of an annual report entitled ‘Prospects for In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity’ and predicts this number to grow steadily over the coming years, to almost double by 2032, as part of an overall market that could see service revenues reach as high as $3.4bn.

Capella Space Corp, an American space technology company, announced the moving into a new facility. The new 32,000 square foot facility is in Louisville and will be able to accommodate more than 150 employees.

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC)’s Enforcement Bureau has announced a settlement of its investigation into DISH for failure to properly deorbit its EchoStar-7 satellite. This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission. The settlement includes an admission of liability from the company and an agreement to adhere to a compliance plan and pay a penalty of $150,000.

Astroscale Japan has been selected by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for its Small and Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop an on-orbit inspection demonstration mission that will image and diagnose a large, defunct satellite in space. 

The UK Space Agency has announced up to £65 million of funding for ground-breaking innovations that aim to boost UK leadership in space technologies and applications. The National Space Innovation Program (NSIP) will support high-risk, high-reward projects designed by British organizations with the potential to accelerate the development of new space technologies, satellite applications, and services.