News

AIRMO, an American start-up providing close to real-time data on CH4 and CO2 emissions, announced its pre-seed round of €5.2 million. The round consists of money from investors as well as a €3.7 million contract by the European Space Agency through its InCubed co-funding program run by the ESA Φ-lab. This pre-seed round will enable AIRMO to launch its first of twelve satellites into orbit. 

Cailabs, a French deep-tech company which designs, manufactures and sells photonic solutions, and Astrolight, a Lithuanian company providing satellite-to-ground laser communication, announced on the 28th of June that they have entered into an agreement to launch a satellite mission hosting Astrolight’s space-to-Earth laser communication terminal ATLAS-1. 

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Kevin O’Connell – from zombie statistics to the trillion-dollar space economy” took place on Tuesday, 27th June. Kevin O’Connell has had a diverse career in many sectors in commerce and intelligence. He has spent over three decades working on space commercialisation, including in his role as the Director of the Office of Space commerce with the US Department of Commerce. 

In this Space Café Radio -  SpaceWatch.Global's Dr. Emma Gatti spoke with Dr. Nicole Quijano-Evan, Deputy Director, Crimes that Affect the Environment Program, Border Management Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria. This episode was recorded in Oslo during GLOC -  Global Space Conference on Climate Change. GLOC was co-organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA).

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), provider of ground network services and Earth Observation services, has announced the expansion of its KSATlite network with the addition of a new cutting-edge ground station in Jeju, South Korea. 

NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. and SES have signed an agreement to collaborate on the implementation of next-generation commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services. The aim is to significantly increase the precision of resident space object (RSO) tracking to enhance the safety and sustainability of operations in space.

Spire Global, Inc has signed an agreement with OroraTech to build, launch and operate an eight-satellite constellation dedicated to global temperature monitoring. Once operational, it will represent the first and largest constellation of satellites dedicated to tracking and monitoring wildfires.

The King has unveiled the Astra Carta seal to mark the launch of the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Astra Carta framework. The seal was designed by Sir Jony Ive. The Astra Carta seal was revealed during a Space Sustainability Event at Buckingham Palace in front of astronauts, business leaders, environmentalists, and scientists. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Aarti Holla-Maini of the United Kingdom as Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna. She will succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy. The Secretary-General also extended his appreciation to the Chief, Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section, Niklas Hedman, who will continue to serve as Acting Director of UNOOSA until Ms. Holla-Maini assumes this position.

Earth Blox, a Scottish geospatial platform for businesses and financial institutions, announced on the 27th of June that it has joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage program as a technology partner and authorised Google Earth Engine trainer. The collaboration provides Google Cloud customers with climate and nature analytics to accelerate their sustainability transition and meet regulatory requirements.