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Welcome at the 14th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth System Observation here at the Ludwig Erhard House in Berlin. The conference is hosted by DLR’s Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics in Neustrelitz and the Technical University of Berlin. Shoutout to Prof Eberhard Gill, Dr Matthias Hetscher and Prof Enrico Stoll for Chairing the next days. Authors from more than 35 countries, representing space agencies, industries, knowledge institutes and academia, confirmed their oral presentations and poster sessions. Also politics show their continuous interest and support of the event.

The two areas in the world most noticeably impacted by climate change are the Arctic and the Tropics. These regions represent the theme 'Fire and Ice' of the Global Conference on Space for Climate Change #GLOC2023, in Oslo, Norway, from 23-25 May! During the #SINC2023 conference at the Maldives will see how space can contribute to monitoring the issues and pinpointing possible solutions for climate change. Remco Timmermans explains the theme of the conference, starting with Fire and finishing with Ice. #WaitForIt All info about this conference, hosted by the Norwegian Space Agency and IAFastro: gloc2023.org

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Heloise Vertadier and Chris Johnson – Luna policy handbook: guiding responsible and sustainable development of the moon” took place on Tuesday, 10th April. The Lunar policy handbook is a reference guidebook for government personnel and private actors in the space industry. It is designed to be a high-level guide that is useful for a broad audience of space actors, outlining policy issues and operational considerations related to lunar activities.

At the end of a very successful first Space for Island Nations Conference 2023 Remco Timmermans spoke with event manager Raushan Ali Fariq and deputy event manager Leonard de Guzman. They talked about history, present and future of #SINC2023 and #SINC2024 and the role of MSRO in bringing the lessons learned into practice in a new space economy on the #Maldives.

The Space for Island Nations Conference 2023 in the Maldives earlier this week was historic in several ways. This was the first space conference ever in the Maldives and the first space conference dedicated to space for island nations. The conference served as an important milestone in the evolution of the brand new MSRO Maldives Space Research Organisation, a young Maldivian initiative, born at the International Space University #SSP22 in Portugal in the summer of 2022. The conference was also unique in the sense that all delegates worked on a final statement, referred to as the 'Crossroads Declaration', that will guide the work of MSRO in the next years. It was edited live in the room by all delegates, including international space professionals (including SpaceWatch.Global), local government representatives, and a large number of local high-school and university students. Check out some of the highlights of the #SINC2023 conference in this summary by Remco Timmermans. We are looking forward to #SINC2024!

At the end of the Space for Island Nations Conference 2023, Remco Timmermans talk to Madin Maseeh, the founder and president of @MSRO. MSRO was the driving force behind the first space conference ever on the Maldives, and the main organisation to take the conference results forward. It was conceived only in the summer of 2022 and is already the main institute for space in the Maldives. Remco asked Madin about the history, present, and of course future of the he Maldives Space Research Organisation and next year's #SINC2024 conference.

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Dr Gilles Rabin – French-German Space: Of course, I still love you” took place on Tuesday, 28th March. Gilles is a distinguished economist and space advisor, currently serving at the French Embassy in Berlin. With an impressive career spanning over two decades, he has held key positions in urban planning, economic development, and innovation. His journey began at Bipe Conseil, followed by leadership roles in various urban communities including Nancy, Essone, Greater Lyon, and Nice Metropolis.  Gilles's expertise has been pivotal in advising ministers on decentralisation, SMEs, startups, and research. His tenure as Director of Innovation, Applications, and Science at CNES has further solidified his standing in the space sector.

The new Working Group on Outer Space Resources held its first meetings during the recent session of the Legal Subcommittee (LSC) of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

NUVIEW, an American Earth observation and geospatial technology company, announced on the 4th of May that it is building the first commercial LiDAR satellite constellation which will map the entire land surface of the Earth in 3D for the first time. The announcement was made during the Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The company has $1.2 billion dollars in early adopter agreements. 

ENENSYS Technologies, a French provider of media delivery solutions, announced on the 2nd of May that Thales Alenia Space selected ENENSYS’ satellite modulation technology for their new High Ka Capacity Ground System.