Europe

On April 12th 2023 Space Café Poland launched its first-ever episode. The Space Café Poland was hosted by Lukasz Wilczynski, President of Space Communications Alliance, and President of European Space Foundation, who invited Maciej Krzyzanowski, President and Chief Executive Officer of CloudFerro

In this episode of Space Café Radio, we have an insightful conversation with Dr. Ernst Pfeiffer, the CEO of HPS Group and Chairman of the German Space SME. Our host, Torsten Kriening, publisher at SpaceWatch.Global delves into the current state of the German and European space markets. Moreover, we explore the potential repercussions of the proposed German space budget cuts amounting to 180 million euros, anticipated for confirmation by the government by the end of 2023.

Launch service provider Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) has raised a €30 million investment from KKR, a global investment firm. The fresh funding is a vote of confidence for RFA as global demand for access to space continues to grow.

Leaf Space SpA (‘Leaf Space’) has announced that it has successfully completed a capital increase for a total of €20 million ($22 million) on top of the availability by the European Investment Bank of a loan for a further €15 million through Venture Debt.​​ ​The round featured lead investors CDP Venture Capital Sgr (through Fondo Evoluzione) and Neva Sgr, alongside SIMEST and Digital Transition Fund – part of the CDP S.p.A. group.

Summer is upon us, and as our gaze shifts towards the stars during those warm, clear nights, SpaceWatch.Global brings to you its new Summer Listening Series. Based on a vote by our esteemed team members, we have mapped out an interstellar journey across five captivating categories. This week, we're launching with the ever-fascinating realm of the "Moon and Exploration."

The moment the decommissioned ISS burns through re-entry and plunges into the Pacific Ocean will be heart-breaking. Granted, we will still have the Chinese Tiangong space station as a symbol of governmental and entrepreneurial prowess. But once the (American) private sector is solely in charge of orbital space stations other than Chinese ones, albeit with some friends and allies governments support as anchor customers, what will happen with global micro-G accessibility?

As a response to wildfires which have spread across Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Tunisia, and Canada an updated version of ESA’s World Fire Atlas is now available. It provides a detailed analysis of wildfires across the globe. The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) has reported that, as of 29 Jul 2023, more than 234,516 hectares of land across the European Union has been burned this year.

Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space announced on the 2nd of August a new agreement to pave the way to develop, build, and operate Starlab, a commercial space station planned to succeed the International Space Station. The US-led joint venture will bring together world-class leaders in the space domain, while further uniting American and European interests in space exploration. 

 The Space Café Podcast #86: Guillermo Soehnlein - From Titan Tragedy to Venus - The Audacious Journeys of Ocean Gate's Original Co-founder. In this riveting episode, Markus welcomes Guillermo Soehnlein, the audacious visionary who, beyond his original co-founding role at the tragically ill-fated Ocean Gate company responsible for the Titan submersible, now sets his eyes on Venus

This Space Café BeNeLux by Dr. Heike Poignand featured Rudy Stranen, Advisor at the Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy (“SMC”), a department of the Ministry of State in Luxembourg and asked: Europe’s Quantum Communication Infrastructure: Science Fiction in the making?