North America

MDA Ltd., a provider of advanced technology and services to the global space industry, has announced it is working with Thoth Technology Inc. (Thoth) to create a made-in-Canada deep space radar surveillance and space domain awareness (SDA) capability. A strategic cooperation agreement will integrate MDA's commercial data services with Thoth's ground-based radar technology to provide unprecedented levels of sovereign monitoring in deep space over Canada, providing both detection and characterization of space objects.

NASA is seeking industry proposals for a next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) which will allow astronauts to go further and explore the south polar region of the Moon during the Artemis missions. NASA will contract the LTV as a service from industry instead of owning the rover. 

Spain has become the 25th country to sign the Artemis Accords, as it signed it during a ceremony at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Tuesday. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Diana Morant, Spain’s science and innovation minister, signed on behalf of Spain. Pedro Sánchez, President of Spain, Julissa Reynoso, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, and Karen Feldstein, NASA Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, also were in attendance.

The United States Department of State has released the first-ever Strategic Framework for Space Diplomacy to advance U.S. global space leadership. Through this Framework, the Department will expand international cooperation on mutually beneficial space activities, including through the Artemis Accords and commitments against destructive anti-satellite missile tests. Furthermore, the Department will encourage responsible behaviour, strengthen understanding and support for U.S. national space policies, and promote international use of U.S. space capabilities.

Copernicus Space Corporation has announced that Andrew Rush has joined the Company as its President and Chief Executive Officer. The Company leverages deep knowledge of astrophysics, space systems engineering, and synthetic biology to pioneer a unique space technology platform for distributed, intelligent in situ Swarm Exploration™. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has successfully completed the second of two dedicated Electron launches to deploy a constellation of tropical cyclone monitoring satellites for NASA. The "Coming To A Storm Near You" launch lifted-off on May 26 at 15:46 NZST (03:46 UTC) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula, deploying the final two CubeSats of NASA’s TROPICS constellation to orbit.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #81: Knicole Colon - Renowned NASA Astrophysicist and Expert in Exoplanet Exploration. The hunt for a second home. Join us in this thought-provoking episode as I sit down with Dr. Knicole Colon, a distinguished astrophysicist from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, to uncover the mysteries of exoplanets and discuss the future of space exploration.

For some, space activities are conceived only as bold exploratory missions and plans for a future on the Moon and around Mars. While these pursuits are inspiring, they do not on their own reveal the powerful potential that space affords. The truth is activities in space are vast, complex, and local, and the value of their impact might not be immediately obvious to all stakeholders.

Inmarsat announced on the 24th of May that a new range of service plans for its Jet ConneX inflight broadband solution will be supported by SatCom Direct. SatCom Direct will act as a distribution partner for the airtime and developer of the advanced tail-mount terminal.

The Astranis satellite has completed the orbital manoeuvres necessary to arrive in its orbital slot in Geostationary Orbit (GEO). The Astranis satellite was launched a few weeks ago onboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The satellite, Arcturus, is set to provide high-speed bandwidth to Alaska for our customer Pacific Dataport. Alongside successfully achieving its orbital slot, Astranis has completed a end-to-end test connecting a gateway in Utah with multiple user terminals in Alaska for the first time.