India

OneWeb has announced the successful deployment and contact of 36 satellites that NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, India. Lift-off took place on Sunday, 26 March 2023, at 9:00 am local time. Furthermore, OneWeb’s satellites separated successfully from the rocket and dispensed over nine phases over a period of 1 hour and 14 minutes. In addition, OneWeb also confirmed signal acquisition on all 36 satellites.

In occasion of International Women Day, Emma Gatti, Editor in Chief of SpaceWatch.Global met with five outstanding women in the space industry to discuss the challenges and barriers women still face when entering (and trying to stay in) the workforce.

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8th, it’s important to reflect on the value of women in the workplace, and the struggle they still face to emerge. From breaking down gender barriers to bringing unique perspectives and skills to their teams, women are a driving force behind successful organizations. However, being "behind" is not enough anymore.

Pixxel, India’s space data startup, has unveiled the first-ever set of images from its hyperspectral pathfinder satellites as part of its ‘First Light’ Campaign. The images capture intricate details of the land and water features of regions such as Krishna River Delta (India), Palm Islands (Dubai), Super pit (Australia), Saloum River Delta (Senegal), Granny Smith Gold mine (Australia) and Brockman (Australia).

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched the second developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) today, February 10, 2023, at 09:18 hours IST from the first launch pad at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The SSLV-D2 mission aims to inject EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into a 450 km circular orbit in its 15-minute flight.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice has introduced The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations, marking a historic milestone for the global space industry. The unveiling happened at the Metropolitan Club, D.C., on 7 February 2023. As a result, the Washington Compact demonstrates the international community's commitment to the sustainable commercial use of outer space for the benefit of all humankind.

NASA has invited U.S. and Indian space agencies dignitaries and media members to see the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)’s science payload in a Jet Propulsion Laboratory clean room. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar is an Earth science satellite that NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are jointly building. NASA invited the dignitaries to get a look at it before shipping it out to its last stop in Southern India before launching it into orbit.