Europe

As part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Earth observation FutureEO programme, the agency selected Harmony as the tenth Earth Explorer research mission to help better understand the transport and exchanges of energy and matter within Earth’s complex dynamic system, ESA said.

The European Space Agency (ESA) selected Moon company Astrobotic, and NewSpace start-up Lunar Logistics Services (LLS), to fly the LandCam-X innovative landing sensor camera to the Moon in 2024 on Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One (GM1). The contract will be the first ever commercial delivery to the Moon procured by ESA.

British Earth observation company, Satellite Vu has signed a second SpaceX launch contract to launch its second satellite, doubling its thermal data collection capacity, the company said.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and satellite operator SES, signed a contract with support from the European Commission for the development of Eagle-1, Europe’s first space-based quantum key distribution satellite system, the companies announced at a press conference at the International Astronautical Congress 2022 in Paris last week. 

Satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, and space-tech company HPS (High Performance Space Structure Systems), signed a letter of intent to prevent space debris, the companies announced. According to the agreement, Reflex will remove all its satellites from orbit at the end of their operational life.

 The UK Space Agency granted a €1.9 million funding boost to the UK and European subsidiary of on-orbit servicing company Astroscale, to continue developing its space debris removal technology, the firm said. This next phase of the Cleaning Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture (COSMIC)

The Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI), has the pleasure to present Space Cafè Radio - PSSI Space Security Mini-Series, a radio series focused on allied preparedness to face the rapidly changing space domain. PSSI is a non-profit non-governmental public policy organisation founded in 2002 and based in Prague. In space, PSSI emphasizes emerging threats and available policy solutions.

Dutch optical and in-situ measurement space systems provider cosine’s three-in-one instrument combining hyperspectral and thermal imaging with high-level data processing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, HyperScout 2, selected for the Australian Kanyini satellite mission, is now ready to be integrated into the spacecraft. The launch of the 6U CubeSat is part of the South Australia Space Sector Strategy 2030.

Episode 063 features a special guest: Christopher Newman. In this episode, we search space for legal loopholes, and we had fun doing it. Drunk driving in space, the perfect place for the perfect crime, mining moon's diamond core (which there is not) or can I dispute Elon's favorite orbit with my little Space Cafe podcast satellite?

This Space Café Italy will feature Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA and Head of ESRIN, in conversation with Dr. Emma Gatti, host for Space Cafè Radio and correspondent of SpaceWatch.Global for Italy. A strategy to bring Space to Earth: a dialogue with Simonetta Cheli