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Elina Morozova in conversation with Igor Porokhin, a Russian attorney-at-law and partner of law firm InSpace Consulting known for having provided legal support for contracts for flights to the International Space Station of astronauts from NASA, ESA, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, as well as space tourists on board the Russian manned Soyuz spacecraft. 

Virgin Orbit is planning to expand its participation in the military by competing for tactically responsive launch contracts with Space Force, SpaceNews reports. They are trying to prove that rockets launched from airplanes in flight can be useful for national security.

Masten Space Systems was awarded a Phase II SBIR contract to develop and test a lunar positioning and navigation network prototype, Masten said. The GPS-like solution is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s AFWERX program. The network will boost cislunar security, improve landing accuracy and hazard avoidance by providing location tracking for spacecraft and astronauts on the lunar surface.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 30 August - 5 September 2021”. A special shout-out to our friends at SpaceWatch.Global,

Space Café Scotland Angela Mathis and her guests Kenzie Young, fresh from the Scottish Space School this summer, and Mick O’Connor, Programme Director at Prestwick Spaceport - explore the challenges and some local initiatives to achieve inclusion. How to help people feel they can be included in Scotland’s Space journey.

Investigation uncovered that Firefly Aerospace’s first Alpha rocket had failed due to the shutting down of one of its first-stage engines, Firefly said. The launch took place at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 2nd September. The engine shut down just a few seconds after lift-off making the rocket tumble out of control two and a half minutes into the flight.

The German government supports plans to build an offshore launch platform in the North Sea, Germany´s minister for economy, Peter Altmaier, said in Berlin. The minister partnered with the Federation of German Industries (BDI), who had promoted the idea since several years. The German Offshore Spaceport Alliance (Gosa) signed contracts with four microlaunchers.

The Chang’e-5 orbiter module is currently on its way back to the Moon following deep space tests according to reports. Last year, the orbiter delivered a return module containing 1.731 kg of lunar samples to Earth before setting off to deep space. Chang’e-5 orbiter was in orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) where it carried out orbit control tests and observations.

The ESA Member States have agreed on Europe´s exploitation of the new Ariane 6 and Vega-C launchers and its future space transportation options, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The agreement frames the conditions for Europe’s exploitation of Ariane 6 and Vega-C and requests ESA “to propose a roadmap for new and innovative space transportation solutions”, ESA said.

The U.S. Space Force and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force reached an agreement on 27th August to join South Korea’s air force in U.S. Space Force-led military drills, ROK Air Force said. The aim is to reinforce the U.S. Space Force’s defence capabilities in outer space.