Asia Pacific

OneWeb and Astroscale announced that together they will seek to safeguard the satellite economy with new spacecraft technology, ELSA-M, enabled by an investment of €14.8 million. Astroscale’s ELSA-M demonstrator launch is scheduled for the end of 2024, with plans to deliver a debris removal service to satellite operators.

Several pieces of suspected space debris fell onto the rural parts of western India, Indian media reported. The time of the incident suggests these could be Chinese rocket parts re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.  The objects crashed into the ground in Gujarat within a 15-km radius, accompanied by a loud noise.

Australian in-space transportation and  logistics startup Space Machines Company (SMC), announced it has secured SpaceX as a launch provider to carry its Optimus Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) to space as part of its April 2023 rideshare mission. The mission will demonstrate the 270-kg Optimus OTV’s in-space logistics services and reinforce SMC’s role as a last-mile delivery services provider. 

Cooperation in the spheres of defense, intelligence, and trade is a useful indicator of geopolitical alignments. If this statement is true, then the cooperation in emerging subsectors of the same gives a much clearer picture of how the geopolitical alignments will shape in the future. In April 2022, India and the USA signed the bilateral Space Situational Agreement (SSA

Australian commercial space launch provider Southern Launch, announced it has opened its new headquarters following the expansion of its space launch services and applied space engineering consultancy operations in the country. The facilities in Hindmarsh, South Australia, include a warehouse for space vehicles preparing to launch as well as office space.

Space Café "Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland" will analyse current space developments with a legal focus. It will, at the same time discuss and ‘demystify’ the law for everyone. In our next Space Café “Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland”, Host Steven Freeland and Co-Host Torsten Kriening, SpaceWatch.Global’s Publisher, welcome Ranjana Kaul and Kai-Uwe Schrogl 

The second Edition of Space Café Austria by Judith Delany took a closer look at the trends and recent developments in European Space Policy. Host Judith Delany spoke with Tomas Hrozensky of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), an expert in the field. Tomas has been a Researcher at ESPI since July 2018. He holds an MA and PhD

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Krystal Azelton, Director of Space Applications Programs at Secure World Foundation, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global. The Urgency Of Ensuring Sustainability in Space. Krystal Azelton is a Director of Space Applications Programs

Australian space company, Gilmour Space Technologies, announced that is has been selected to develop and launch a new sovereign surveillance satellite for the Department of Defence, as part of the government’s AU $7 billion investment in new space capabilities. The AU $15 million partnership is in line with Australia’s recently released Defence Space Strategy.

Chinese space startup LinkSpace, carried out a static fire test of its Reusable Launch Vehicle T6 (RLV-T6) equipped with new Fengbao-1 methane-fueled engines, the company said. The 14.5-meter tall rocket will be launched to the Kármán line (100 km) and then landed with the help of landing legs and grid fins.