Space is becoming increasingly congested. The European Space Agency (ESA) has estimated that there are currently 128 million pieces of debris smaller than 1cm, about 900,000 pieces of debris 1–10cm in length, and around 34,000 pieces larger than 10cm in Earth orbit. This is in addition to the approximately 3,300 currently operational satellites.
Read More »OQ to develop 5G configuration under ESA’s ARTES umbrella
The Luxembourgish startup OQ Technology won a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop an advanced 5G network configuration over LEO, MEO and GEO satellites, the company said. The project was proposed by ESA under the umbrella of its ARTES program and was looking for an “Agile Network Configuration for 5G Internet-of-Things services over satellite”.
Read More »ESA partners with ArQit to fund quantum key QKDSat
The European Space Agency (ESA) partners with the British Arqit – a leader in the quantum encryption field – to develop its quantum key distribution satellite QKDSat, the agency said. ArQit recently announced that it was merging with Centricus, a global investment firm, in a transaction expected to provide Arqit with up to €330 million in gross proceeds.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: The Unsung Hero of Chang’e-4: 3 Years since Queqiao and Longjiang
China’s lunar program has made impressive strides in recent years. Perhaps the most captivating moment thus far was the landing and exploration of the Lunar far side by the Chang’e-4 spacecraft and the Yutu-2 rover, with the mission arriving at the moon in early 2019.
Read More »South Korea is tenth country to join Artemis Accords
South Korea has become the 10th country to sign the Artemis Accords, NASA announced. The South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hyesook signed the Artemis Accords for the country in Seoul, the U.S. space agency said. South Korea joins Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and the United States.
Read More »Lockheed Martin and General Motors design new lunar rover
Lockheed Martin and General Motors join forces to design the next generation of lunar rovers, the companies said. “The new rovers will be capable of transporting astronauts across farther distances on the lunar surface.” They also "would be designed to survive and even operate in the two-week long night that sees temperatures of down to -280 degrees Fahrenheit".
Read More »Canada further invests in lunar exploration
Canada augments its investment in lunar exploration, the Canadian government and the country’s space agency said. Canada will invest $3 million in technology initiatives for lunar exploration through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, announced.
Read More »EU court backs ESA on excluding OHB in Galileo contract
The European Court of Justice rejected a request by OHB System to suspend a decision by the European Space Agency (ESA) to exclude the German satellite company from a Galileo public contract, which went to its rivals Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, Reuters and other newswires reported. The court also dismissed OHB's application for interim relief, the reports said.
Read More »OHB LuxSpace to develop Triton-X microsat platform for ESA
OHB LuxSpace, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB, has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the Triton-X Heavy microsatellite platform, OHB said. Triton-X is a new line of microsatellites with a launch mass of up to 200 kg aimed at enabling affordable satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Read More »Ramon Space raises $17.5 million for supercomputing in space
The space computing startup Ramon.Space has raised $17.5 million in Series A funding, the company based in Palo Alto, California, said. The funding will be used to continue development of the company's computing solutions, support its rapidly expanding US and Israel operations, and expand the team globally, the company said.
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