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SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 50th episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast #050: Hansjörg Dittus, about Europe's Role in Space (an honest discussion). Hansjörg Dittus served for many years on the board of the German Aerospace Center. Against the backdrop of dramatic developments in the crisis with Russia,

Astra launched its Rocket 3.3 vehicle from Alaska on Kodiak Island, successfully placing several payloads into sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 525 km. An attempt the previous day had to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions. The liftoff and ascent went as planned, however, there was no immediate confirmation of payload separation.

NASA said it was ready to roll out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket tomorrow for a fueling and countdown rehearsal. The SLS with Orion mounted on it will be transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center to Launch Complex 39B. It will take approximately 11 hours  for the spacecraft to reach the pad.

Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos says it will return US astronaut Mark Vande Hei to Earth as scheduled, on board the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft together with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov on March 30th. Speculation to the contrary emerged earlier based on geopolitical tensions between Russia and the US after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Laura Anne Edwards, NASA Datanaut and core member of the Oxford Space Initiative, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global. Thoughts on the Future of Space and Earth. Laura Anne Edwards is an innovation catalyst, named a 2021 Top 50 Leader in Space Tech.

Emerging aerospace company formed by a team of industry leading planetary rover and robotics experts, Venturi Astrolab, announced the development of the Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover built to enhance lunar and planetary mobility. The company aims to produce a fleet of rovers needed to support a sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars.

Satellite communication system provider SatixFy Communications, and Endurance Acquisition, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced the signing of a merger agreement that will see SatixFy becoming a publicly listed company.  The Board of Directors of both companies unanimously approved the transaction, which is still subject to the approval of Endurance’s stockholders.

House and Senate appropriators published the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2022, offering US $24 billion to NASA. The amount is US $760 million less than what the agency requested. The largest cut is in the space technology directorate, US $1.1 billion instead of the sought US $1.425 billion.

This Space Café Black Ops will feature Dr. Bleddyn Bowen, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Leicester, in conversation with Dr. Emma Gatti, Space Analyst and Broadcaster and correspondent of SpaceWatch.Global for Italy. Ukraine Conflict: is an escalation in Space possible?

McLean, Integrated satellite and terrestrial network operator Intelsat, has chosen David Wajsgras as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective April 4th. Wajsgras succeeds Stephen Spengler, who announced his plans for retirement in October last year.