News

According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos anouncements on Thursday 11 April 2024, followed by Agence TASS reports, an Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket with an Orion booster launched from the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East on its third attempt.In about 12 minutes, the Orion booster separated from the Angara upper stage and proceeded to a double orbital insertion: first a cube sat in lower orbit, then a test-payload delivered into the targetted geostationary orbit as part of the rocket’s flight development tests.

Kepler Communications, Inc. has entered into an agreement with TESAT-Spacecom and Airbus Defence and Space to develop a high bandwidth optical communications network in low Earth orbit (LEO) to address emerging opportunities such as the European Space Agency’s (ESA) High Throughput Optical Network (HydRON) program. This marks a significant milestone toward the development of terabit-class optical networking in space.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama have signed an agreement to advance sustainable human exploration of the Moon. As a result, Japan will design, develop, and operate a pressurized rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the Moon. On the other hand, NASA will provide the launch and delivery of the rover to the Moon as well as two opportunities for Japanese astronauts to travel to the lunar surface.

Join Markus in an engaging episode of the Space Cafe Podcast, where he converses with Bianca Lins, an Austrian who has intricately woven her life into the fabric of one of the world's smallest yet remarkably influential countries in the space sector, Liechtenstein. Bianca shares her unique perspective on space law, Liechtenstein's history with the Apollo missions, and how even the tiniest nations can have a stellar impact on global space policy.

The European Space Law, a flagship project of the EU aimed at protecting satellites and ensuring safer and more sustainable space flights, initially scheduled for release this month of April 2024, is again delayed. It is unlikely that the European Space Law will make it in the current EU legislative season, which poses significant risks.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) and its mission partners have successfully launched and delivered on orbit a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload, NROL-70, onboard United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s final Delta IV Heavy rocket. The launch happened from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), on the central coast of Florida.

Astrobotic is partnering with Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) on MOONRISE, a project in which researchers are working to bring 3D printing to the Moon. As a result, LZH has contracted with Astrobotic for a flight to the Moon, which will tentatively take place in late 2026. LZH will equip Astrobotic’s lander with a compact, sturdy laser that will melt lunar dust, known as regolith, creating 2D structures on the lunar surface.

Latitude and Aldoria have signed a 3-year partnership agreement that will see Aldoria support Latitude during the pre-launch and launch phases of the Zephyr light launcher. This will consequently enable Latitude to enhance its launch activities by providing anti-collision protection for its customers. The two parties signed the MoU during the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. 

Discover our exclusive interview with Officina Stellare, a top Italian telescope company, during our visit to Colorado Springs. Dr Emma Gatti and Gino Bucciol, Founder and VP of Business Development at Officina Stellare delve into Officina Stellare's exciting new headquarters in Washington DC and the numerous upcoming projects keeping them busy in the months ahead.

Explore the Italian touch in the US! Join our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Emma Gatti, in an engaging conversation with Giovanni Pandolfi from LeafSpace, a rapidly growing and innovative startup in the ground segment. Based on the stunning shores of Lake Como, LeafSpace is making waves as it expands in the US. Don't miss this exclusive interview, live from Colorado Springs!