North America

The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defense and Space, and Voyager Space have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ESA Space Summit in Seville, outlining their collaboration for the Starlab space station in the post-International Space Station era. The MoU outlines that the parties intend to foster science and technology development and explore the potential for collaboration in conjunction with post-International Space Station low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations.

Euclid, a wide-angle space telescope launched in July 2023, after a period of testing and calibrating has released the first images. Euclide is a European mission, built and operated by ESA, with contributions from NASA. The Euclid Consortium – consisting of more than 2000 scientists from 300 institutes across 13 European countries, the US, Canada and Japan – is providing the scientific instruments and scientific data analysis. 

Viasat, Inc. has successfully supported the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC) during a major military exercise, Mobility Guardian 2023 (MG23), involving 3,000 personnel and 70 aircraft from the U.S. and Allied Forces. One of the biggest of the year, the Air Force exercise featured complex test flights and operational scenarios across 3,000 miles of the Pacific region, including over Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. U.S allies also participating in the exercise included Canada, France, New Zealand, and the U.K.

SpaceRake, Inc., has received approximately $1.8 million in Direct to Phase II SBIR funding from the Space Development Agency (SDA). The two-year agreement will consequently provide funding for SpaceRake to develop miniaturized lasercom terminals for networking satellites in space. The SpaceRake terminals will enable a wide variety of satellites to connect to orbital network links like the SDA Transport Layer currently in development, allowing cost-effective small satellites and constellations to be increasingly viable for incorporation into future resilient space communication architectures.

Sierra Space has announced the completion of its first  Dream Chaser spaceplane, which will ship to NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio for environmental testing in the coming weeks. Sierra Space was able to develop the spaceplace through a substantial contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station. The Pureplay commercial space company intends the Dream Chaser to lead the way in democratizing access to space, forging a path towards joint space exploration and international cooperation.

The Netherlands has become the newest and 31st signatory to the Artemis Accords, signing the document during a ceremony at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in Washington on Wednesday. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Netherlands Space Office (NSO) director Harm van de Wetering signed on behalf of the Netherlands.

Kuva Space, a Finnish hyperspectral satellite imagery company, has successfully raised 16.6 million euros ($17.6 million) in a recent Series A funding round. The startup, founded in 2016, aims to accelerate its satellite launches and expand its market reach, especially in the United States. The funding will be utilised to enhance Kuva Space’s AI analytics platform.

Astrobotic announced on the 31st of October that the Peregrine lunar lander has arrived safely in Cape Canaveral Florida. The spacecraft was unloaded at Astrotech facilities where it will be integrated with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan for launch on 24 December later this year. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed a key portion of the launch licence review for SpaceX’s Starship. Regulators said on Tuesday they completed a safety review focused on how a Starship launch could affect public health and property. The review evaluated SpaceX’s safety organisation, system safety processes, flight safety analysis, and quantitative risk criteria for launch, reentry and vehicle disposal. The review is a key step towards SpaceX being able to launch. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc has announced the appointment of the retired U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen as a member of the Company's board of directors. Lt. Gen. Armagno joins Rocket Lab's Board after serving over 35 years in leadership positions for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.