Viasat, Inc. has successfully supported the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC) during a major military exercise, Mobility Guardian 2023 (MG23), involving 3,000 personnel and 70 aircraft from the U.S. and Allied Forces. One of the biggest of the year, the Air Force exercise featured complex test flights and operational scenarios across 3,000 miles of the Pacific region, including over Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. U.S allies also participating in the exercise included Canada, France, New Zealand, and the U.K.

A special moment took place at the SPACETIDE conference in early July 2023 in Tokyo and online. When Takeshi Hakamada and Masayasu Ishida sat down together to reminisce their humble beginnings, the sentiment was palpable. Both had come a long way: Hakamada-san, Co-Founder & CEO of iSpace (2010), recovering from a Moon hard landing, yet looking forward confidently to the success of their next lunar mission. And Ishida-san, Co-Founder, President & CEO, member of the Board of Directors of the SPACETIDE Foundation (2015) , taking stock of the Foundation’s growth experienced in less than a decade. 

Bob Smith, the now retiring former CEO of Blue Origin, was invited at the Financial Times Investing in Space Summit in June 2023 to provide an overview of the future of Orbital Reef, the commercial space station being developed jointly by Blue Origin and Sierra Space. His statements about Orbital Reef were considered a bit disappointing by the inner circle of Space analysts, but nothing in Smith’s tone hinted at the shocking developments that just unfolded.

ispace Technologies U.S. (ispace - U.S.) has announced its new U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado, where it is currently designing and has plans to manufacture its new APEX 1.0 lunar lander for future missions. The new headquarters will establish a central base of operations for the company to serve its American customers.

The fifth episode of this special series of Space Cafe Black Ops with Dr. Namrata Goswami as resident guest is focused on India. This episode is part of a seven-series focused on the geopolitics of space. India: A Strategy of a Leading Power. The fifth episode of this special series of Space Café Black Ops with Dr. Namrata Goswami as a resident guest is focused on India. This episode is part of a seven-series focused on the geopolitics of space. 

G-SPACE, a US company in the business of Microgravity Research Analytics, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IDDK Co., a Japanese company which streamlines biotech experiments in outer space using their patented Micro Imaging Device (MID). 

Germany became the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords on the 14th of September, reports Reuters. The Artemis Accords are a US-led multilateral agreement to establish norms of behaviour in space and on the lunar surface. Germany became the latest signatory at the German ambassador’s residence in Washington. The event was attended by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Walther Pelzer, head of the Germany Space Agency. 

ESA announced on the 12th of September that project astronaut Marcus Wandt from Sweden will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on Axiom Mission 3 (AX-3) no earlier than January 2024. Axiom Space announced the four crew members who will spend up to 14 days on board the ISS during the mission.

GHGSat has completed its Series C1 funding round for a total of US$44 million in equity and debt, which consequently puts the Company's total raised funds to more than US$126 million since its inception in 2011. Equity participants in the funding round included Fonds de solidarité FTQ, BDC Capital, the investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Government of Québec through Investissement Québec, Climate Investment, and the Japan Energy Fund.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today, with its devastating impacts being felt globally. Art Cotterell discusses not only the important role the space industry and Earth Observation technologies can play in helping Australia and the world be climate-ready, but the need to better communicate this message so that when the general public, decision-makers, and the next generation workforce think of space, climate action is front and centre.