Europe

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Gaetan Petit, Co-Founder at Space4Impact, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global. Space2Earth Accelerator 2022. The Space2Earth Accelerator is an international acceleration programme for downstream space applications supported by the Canton of Vaud.

The lunar lander startup ispace receives a Series C injection from Airbus Ventures, the company said, bringing the total amount raised to approximately $200 million. The funds from ispace’s Series C investment round are going to its second lunar mission, which is planned to launch in 2023, as well as to support the development of its Series 2 lunar lander for its third mission,

Isar Aerospace (Isar) and EnduroSat announced that they have entered into a firm launch service agreement to launch satellites in rideshare missions between 2022 and 2025. This agreement is a strong example for the growing development of the European space ecosystem, Isar said.

Arianespace has launched another Ariane 5 from ArianeGroup with two giant satellites on board and broke the record of the largest total mass injected with a single flight into the geostationary transfer orbit. For its 111th launch, flight number VA255 from Kourou, French Guiana, Ariane 5 executed the “highest performing flight by any launcher to geostationary transfer orbit”.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (3), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Emma Gatti spoke in this third episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Alon Shikar, Vice President Research & Development at D-Mars. They talked about the new home on Mars, the evolution of the habitat and upcoming challenges.

Boost your company and enter new markets! Space4Impact is looking for startups and scale-ups offering satellite data analytics and services for versatile applications on Earth. The Space2Earth Accelerator is an international acceleration programme for downstream space applications supported by the Canton of Vaud. The programme runs from January to June 2022 and features three in-person events

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (2), Emma Gatti spoke in this second episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Alexandra de Carvalho and Annabelle Mielitz, members of OeWF (Austrian Space Forum) and members of the Human Factor team. They discussed the wellbeing of the analogue astronauts and the important questions about alcohol, Netflix, EVA's and snoring on Mars.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is currently undergoing final checks after a successful arrival at the ESA launch Facility in Kourou French Guiana. Its launch is still scheduled for 18th December 2021, on an Ariane 5 rocket. The operational preparations of the world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will take two months in total.

First Eutelsat´s Belmer, then Intelsat´s Spengler: the CEO of the satellite operator Intelsat, Stephen Spengler, decided to step down and retire, the company said. “Stephen Spengler has decided to retire as CEO upon the Company’s emergence from its financial restructuring process and the naming of a successor”, Intelsat said. “Until that time, Spengler will continue as CEO and lead Intelsat

Three new directors, two more women on board: the European Space Agency (ESA) has appointed Géraldine Naja, Simonetta Cheli, and Francisco-Javier Benedicto Ruiz as new directors at its helm, the agency said. Géraldine Naja has been appointed to the new position of Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement (D/CIP), based at ESA Headquarters in Paris as of 1 November 2021.