Europe

The Swiss science and technology university École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has become the 14th member of the Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) following a unanimous decision by the SKA Board of Directors.

The Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) announced on 20 April 2020 that it had recently signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the development and manufacture of the thermal infrared instrument for the TRISHNA satellite.

A free app that helps people observe social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus is about to launch.Devised by Lanterne, a UK startup company supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), "Crowdless" uses satellite data and artificial intelligence technologies to identify where people are congregating anywhere in the world.

Recently, Russia announced that it will conduct a test of its Nudol ASAT system on 15 April 2020. In fact, such a test was subsequently carried out. The ground-based ballistic missile took off from its test site in Plesetsk, in north-western Russia.

A 3D printer that produces objects using lunar dust and a laser?It's not science fiction, but a near-future scenario when a 3D printer prototype is tested on the Moon, according to research from Italy's Politecnico di Milano.

Spire Global, a global data service provider and leader in AIS data solutions and weather forecasting, and VesselBot, a leading AI and Big Data technology company with deep shipping domain expertise, announced a new partnership to co-develop AI-enabled digital products for the maritime industry.

AAC Clyde Space announced on 16 April 2020 that it has won an additional $US250,000 (2.5 MSEK) order from Loft Orbital for power systems for two satellites.

On 6 April 2020, US President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources.

CIMON-2, the updated version of the CIMON astronaut assistant, developed and built by Airbus for the German Aerospace Center Space Administration (DLR), has now demonstrated its capabilities during initial tests on the International Space Station (ISS).

We have seen different initiatives from maker communities around the world to develop solutions to fight COVID-19.