Europe

Director-General Timo Pesonen on behalf of the European Commission signed a Copernicus Cooperation Arrangement with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan.

Kevin O'Connell is a former Director of the Office of Space Commerce at the U.S Department of Commerce. He is now the founder of Space Economy Rising LLC, a company that works with clients and partners worldwide on all aspects of the space economy. He is an expert in the field of space commerce and has been involved in space issues for over 30 years. In this episode, he talks about the commercial potential of space and takes unexpected turns. It seems space is looking for any talent out there.

Synspective and Insight Terra have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver a new space-enabled data and monitoring solution for the mining industry. The solution uses satellites and earth observation, and ground sensors to monitor mine tailings facilities.

Arianespace has appointed Steven Rutgers as Chief Commercial Officer as of 16th January, 2023. Rutgers reports to Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, and joins the company’s Executive Committee, Arianespace said.

Euroconsult released a report on the Optical Communications Market, with market-leading in-depth analysis of the equipment and solutions using optical links, the intelligence firm said.

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Ann Vandenbroucke, Chief Regulatory Officer at Rivada Space Networks, about the excitement of working at a constellation start-up, ITU challenges, and space sustainability from the angle of an operator. They also addressed European autonomy for space communication and the issue of frequency scarcity.

Emirates has selected Inmarsat as the in-flight connectivity provider for its incoming fleet of Airbus A350s as part of a commitment by the United Arab Emirates airline to ensure passengers ‘fly better’. The milestone agreement expands the long-standing partnership between Emirates and Inmarsat.

After years of preparation and construction, mainland EU’s first orbital launch complex, Spaceport Esrange, has officially been inaugurated by the Swedish Head of State, King Carl XVI Gustaf, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson. Thereby, the European Union introduced a new and long-awaited critical asset to its shared space infrastructure, offering an independent European gateway to Space from northernmost Sweden.

Virgin Orbit has provided an update on why the first horizontal orbital launch from UK soil failed on 9th January. The company says that the preliminary analysis of data is starting to shed light on the anomaly.