Europe

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Aditya-L1 solar observatory was successfully launched on the 2nd of September. It will be the first Indian satellite mission to study the Sun. It has seven instruments which will be used to investigate open questions about our dynamic star. Four instruments will view the Sun directly.

UK space agency announces vital US/UK partnership in electric space propulsion between Britain’s Pulsar Fusion and the University of Michigan. Pulsar is seeking ways to leverage the unique test capabilities of the University of Michigan for Hall thrusters. Therefore, the focus of this preliminary Phase I effort is to identify export-compliant paths for allowing this.

Andøya Spaceport has hired Vincent Ciccarelli as its Commercial Director of North America and Asia as it aims to expand to the US. His main task will be to make sure that launch operators outside of Europe recognize the opportunities Andøya has to offer. Until now, Andøya Spaceport had mainly focused on the European market for the spaceport that is currently under construction in Northern Norway. However, this has changed with Ciccarelli joining as the first US-based employee of Andøya Spaceport.

TNO, the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), and a consortium of other European partners join forces in the LaiQa-project to develop space internet for cities and continents. Signal losses in fiber over distance are a major hindrance to the future of global quantum internet. Therefore, the project focuses on using satellites to connect cities and continents to eventually become a part of the global quantum internet and fully benefit from its promising applications.

September is upon us, and as our gaze shifts towards the stars during those warm, clear nights, SpaceWatch.Global brings you its fifth and final collection of the Summer Listening Series. Based on the vote by our newsroom, we have mapped out an interstellar journey across five categories. After "Moon and Exploration," "Climate - Space - Earth," "Trendsetters," and "Space Debris and Regulations", this week is the turn of  "Women in the Space Sector"

SES, Luxembourg-based satellite telecommunications network provider, and We Are IT (WIT), a Philippines-based telecommunications service provider, have announced their first partnership to deliver connectivity services via the SES-9 satellite to 43 Filipino Commission of Elections (COMELEC) offices. WIT is the largest VSAT satellite network service provider in the Philippines.

EnduroSat will partner with the University of Berkley and NASA in the Solar PolArization and Directivity X-Ray Experiment (PADRE). It is a NASA CubeSat mission designed to study the Sun. The X-ray polarimeter and Directivity sensor will be hosted on EnduroSat’s 12U satellite scheduled for launch in 2025. It will enable observation of the Sun in hard X-rays (HXRs) from LEO to determine the angular distribution of accelerated electrons from standalone and joint SOLO/STIX observations. 

ReOrbit, a Helsinki-based provider of software-enabled satellites, has completed an oversubscribed Seed funding round for US $7.4M, led by Inventure VC alongside participation from 10xFounders, Icebreaker.vc, Expansion, and YesVC. ReOrbit provides real-time data flow in space and provides Earth Observation and SatCom operators with flight software, satellite platforms, and complete systems.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Rider program has begun its validation and testing phase, as it prepares for its first flight in the third quarter of 2025. Space Rider is a reusable uncrewed robotic laboratory that will provide an end-to-end integrated space transportation system for commercial customers. When Space Rider has been launched into space it will spend two months in orbit whilst experiments and technology demonstrations take place before returning to Earth. 

In this compelling episode, host Markus delves deep with Alex Fielding, the co-founder of Privateer Space and tech industry veteran, exploring not just the future of space technology but its profound implications for social evolution, climate change, and the very fabric of our human experience. Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Hawaii wildfires, this conversation serves as a poignant and urgent reminder of the interconnected challenges we face. Get ready for a multi-faceted discussion that transcends the boundaries of science, touching the heart of ethical and existential dilemmas we can no longer afford to ignore.