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SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #062 - Laura Todd, Vice President of Space Exploration and Future Programs at Airbus. With #nextspace, Airbus is trying to open up new business areas in space. As expected, the opportunities are many, but the obstacles to making the necessary changes on a global scale are significant.

Launch company Arianespace, is to launch satellite operator Eutelsat’s Konnect VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) telecommunications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on 6th September, Arianespace said. Eutelsat aims to provide high-speed internet access throughout Europe, even in isolated regions, with the help of the mission.

Global professional services company Accenture, has made a strategic investment in Pixxel, an Earth imaging technology company, as part of Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, the company said. Project Spotlight is an engagement and investment program aiming to fill strategic innovation gaps, and helping startups harness human creativity.

According to a formal policy featured in a memorandum, from 2026, all scientific publication awarded federal funding will need to be openly accessible on the day of publication, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said. The scientific publishing industry has already adopted preprint archives, expanding access to publications during the pandemic.

NASA’s launch director halted yesterday’s Artemis I launch attempt after a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to the proper liftoff temperature failed, and the team ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a stable configuration while engineers are evaluating the gathered data, NASA said.

Israel chose the first experiment to be launched aboard its Beresheet2 mission to the Moon in 2025. The experiment will test the efficacy and durability of different drugs for astronauts on deep space missions, according to Ynet News. Mission operator SpaceIL is currently in the process of deciding what additional experiments could be integrated into Beresheet2.

The Rockefeller Foundation launched a new US $5.5 million collaboration with e-GUIDE (Electricity Growth and Use In Developing Economies Initiative) and public benefit technology startup Atlas AI, to accelerate economic development and promote climate resilient infrastructure investment across sub-Saharan Africa, the Foundation said. 

In the latest (10th) Space Café “Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland”, host Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University, Sydney and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, Australia, and Co-Host Torsten Kriening, SpaceWatch.Global’s Publisher, welcomed Annie Handmer and Christopher Johnson at a wonderful breakfast discussion in Washington D.C.’s best bagel café.

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Severin Meister, CEO of Rivada Space Networks about their ambitions and plans. We spoke with Severin during this year's ILA Berlin which is the largest aerospace trade show in Germany which took place this year June 22 - 26.