Region

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, will present its innovative space technologies at the upcoming COP28 in Dubai. One of the conference's primary aims is to address the challenges of global climate change. Yahsat is already working closely with various UAE Government entities and international organisations, including the United Nations. The company also actively commits to providing advanced, affordable, resilient, and reliable solutions that will address the challenges of global climate change. 

The UK is aiming to join Portugal and Spain as a member of the Atlantic Constellation and is contributing a new pathfinder satellite designed and built by a UK-based company adding to the innovative Earth and coastal monitoring and data sharing network. This new commitment will further strengthen the UK’s national capabilities in Earth observation technology and complement the UK’s contributions to the EU Copernicus program, European Space Agency and bilateral missions.

L3Harris Technologies has successfully deployed reflectors onboard the Hughes JUPITER™ 3 ultra high-density satellite to provide HughesNet® internet access across the Americas and to support enterprise networks, in-flight Wi-Fi, cellular backhaul and community Wi-Fi solutions.

In this interview, Jean-Marc Piéplu, the EGNOS Exploitation Program Manager at the European GNSS Agency, discusses the role of EU Spine Operating Galileo and EGNOS within the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. Editor in Chief Emma Gatti and Jean Marc discussed how the European GNSS Service Centre and the Galileo Reference Centres contribute to the provision of the Galileo Service, and the services provided by EUSPA.

On November 16, 2023, ispace, inc. from Japan unveiled the final design of its micro rover, which will be transported to the surface of the Moon by its lunar lander as part of exploration activities during Mission 2. This mission 2, part of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program, will serve as the company’s second technological demonstration, with the objective of further validating the lander’s design and technology, and ispace’s business model, to provide reliable lunar transportation and data services.

Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded a Command-and-Control System Consolidated (CCS-C) Sustainment and Resiliency (C-SAR) contract to Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to provide U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command satellite control capabilities and directly support the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III, Milstar Satellite Communications System, Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF), and Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) satellite systems.

Satellogic Inc. has received a remote sensing license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) as part of Satellogic’s strategy to capitalize on high-value opportunities in the U.S. The license results in Satellogic being subject to NOAA’s oversight as Satellogic pivots operational control of its satellite constellation to its U.S. personnel and expands the Satellogic ground station network to include U.S.-based ground stations. Furthermore, The license followed a NOAA and inter-agency review of the Satellogic constellation assessing national security, foreign policy, and U.S. international risks and obligations.

The German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has announced the winners of the three competitions that matched the theme of the second National Small Satellite Conference in Berlin – the Microlauncher Payload Competition, the Small Satellite Competition and the Small Satellite Payload Competition. The German Government launched the 'Small Satellite Initiative' to strengthen the German space industry and promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and, in particular, start-ups in the field of small satellites.

The Maine Space Conference took place in-person and online on November 5-7, 2023, in Portland, Maine. This event marked a significant milestone for the state (a video summary can be watched here). Maine is a state on the US northeastern coast that shares borders with Canada: quite convenient to reach polar orbits. While contemporary Maine might not strike you as a “space state” like of Florida, Texas, or Colorado, it turns out the countrie's industrial and technological base is positioned to be a growing contributor to the US and global space economy

The European Space Agency has announced the successful hot-fire test of the Ariane-6 rocket, passing a major full-scale rehearsal in preparation for its first flight. The teams on the ground went through a complete launch countdown followed by a seven-minute full firing of the core stage’s engine, as it would fire on a launch into space. The trial, using a test model on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, was the longest ‘full-stack' run yet for Ariane 6’s lower liquid propulsion module with a Vulcain 2.1 engine.