Europe

Spare a thought this Christmas for researchers hunkered down on their Polarstern icebreaker, adrift in the frozen Arctic Ocean. Subjected to temperatures as low as -45 C and the perpetual darkness of the polar winter, they are willing participants in MOSAiC - the world's largest and longest polar research expedition.

Plastimo, a major international player in the boating industry, and Sigfox, the world's leading IoT service provider and first global 0G network operator, have joined forces to offer total geolocation coverage across all oceans from 2020.

CGI announced on 18 December 2019 the completion of the previously announced acquisition by its wholly owned indirect subsidiary CGI Group Holdings Europe Limited of the entire issued and to be issued share capital of SCISYS.

At the 74th UN General Assembly on 5 November 2019, Germany voted on four draft resolutions on arms control in space. This commentary provides information on how and with what intention the vote was taken, and why space weapons play a central role in this matter.

SpaceWatch.Global’s Tiziana Casinelli spoke to Ing. Piccinetti, CEO and Managing Director of Fiera di Roma, who conceived and hosted the event.

Arianespace's Soyuz accomplished a flawless launch from the Guiana Space Centre (GSC), Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, on 18 December 2019 orbiting COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation for the Italian space agency ASI and the Italian Ministry of Defence, CHEOPS for the European Space Agency (ESA), ANGELS and EyeSat for French space agency Centre national d'etudes spatiales (CNES), and OPS-SAT for operator Tyvak on behalf of ESA.

D-Orbit, an Italian systems and services provider for the traditional and New Space sectors, has announced a new funding round led by Seraphim Capital, the world's largest venture capital fund dedicated to investing in New Space companies.

The Airbus-built CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) has been successfully launched on the morning of 18 December 2019 on a Soyuz rocket from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The newly-appointed French ambassador to Bangladesh has stated that his country is interested in assisting Bangladesh launch its second communications satellite, Bangabandhu-2, during an audience with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in late November 2019.

GomSpace and Lockheed Martin Space announced on 18 December 2019 their agreement to develop and deliver a tailored GomSpace 6U nanosatellite to Orbital Micro Systems (OMS) in the United Kingdom.