Europe

On 21-23 June 2023, the Directorate-General of Legal Affairs of the German Federal Ministry of Defence hosted the Conference on the “McGill Manual on the International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space” (MILAMOS). The three-day event was organised at the Federal Academy for Security Policy (Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik, BAKS), and held at the historic Schönhausen Palace in Berlin, Germany.

Share My Space, a space situational awareness (SSA) company, and Hiscox, a global insurance provider with a legacy in the space sector, announced on the 5th of July a collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The partnership aims to enhance cooperation in the space industry and tackle the challenges caused by the increasing number of satellites and collision risks. 

KSAT has selected CPI Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, a subsidiary of Communications and Power Industries, to provide three 20m diameter antenna systems for a purpose-built commercial network for lunar communications. The antennas will be designed from the ground up to meet the requirements of upcoming lunar missions and will be installed in three evenly distributed locations to ensure continuous lunar coverage.

OQ Technology has won an ESA € 1.1 Million contract to design, build, integrate, test and demonstrate three advanced nanosatellites. The satellites will feature multiple payloads providing space-based 5G narrowband internet-of-things communications services and optical communications link. Furthermore, they will include hyperspectral Earth observation data to support precision agriculture as part of the ERMIS mission.

Satys Aerospace has announced that it is now extending its activities into the space sector after commissioning a facility dedicated to the painting of satellite parts. This new extension is in partnership with Airbus, which had representatives at the inauguration. As part of the partnership, this site will be responsible for painting the deployable radiators for the OneSat program.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #84: Barbara Belvisi - Cultivating Life Beyond Our Planet, CEO & Founder @ Interstellar Lab. In this episode, Markus hosts a fascinating conversation with Barbara Belvisi, the visionary CEO and founder of Interstellar Lab. They delve into the innovative world of bio-regenerative life support systems, space exploration, and the promise of becoming a multi-planetary species.

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), as of 1 July, will begin operating the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk, following a European Commission’s Decision of 3 June 2022. This follows the European Union's objective to take a holistic approach to Space Traffic Management to address the issue of space congestion.

In this  Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Niklas Nienass, Member of the European Parliament for The Greens/ European Free Alliance, about GLOC - the Global Space Conference on Climate Change in Oslo in May 2023 and about the challenges in climate change where space can be part of the solution. They also covered the current status of the European Space Law and the new study about life-cycle assessments for space missions.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Dr. Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency - ESA, in conversation with Dr. Emma Gatti, Editor-in-Chief of SpaceWatch.Global. For over four decades, the European Space Agency (ESA), alongside its member states and associated industries, has been instrumental in spearheading numerous triumphs in European space exploration. To keep pace with changing circumstances, ESA has deftly refined its rules, procedures, and governance structure. Its demonstrated flexibility in adapting as needed constitutes a valuable asset.

The National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding, marking ESA's support of the SpaceFounders program. This strategic alliance sends a strong signal about the increasing dialogue and proximity between leading space institutions and startups, a significant step towards a stronger and more innovative European space industry.