Region

What is China's position on space resource activities? The following is a commentary on the Chinese approach following its submission to the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has launched its 45th Electron rocket, successfully deploying a fourth synthetic aperture radar satellite to Synspective’s Earth-observation constellation. "Owl Night Long", a dedicated mission for Synspective, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The mission delivered a single spacecraft, the StriX-3 satellite, to a 561km Sun Synchronous Orbit, where it joined Synspective’s growing constellation.

Simera Sense, a provider of end-to-end optical solutions for the small satellite Earth observation industry, has raised €13.5 million in its first growth investment round. The company, which offers a diverse array of ‘off-the-shelf’ high-resolution cameras ready for use by clients across the global small satellite industry, supplies solutions to global customers in the Earth observation data and service market.

The Biden-Harris Administration has released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes funding that will allow NASA to continue advancing its understanding of Earth and space. As a result, the budget will enable NASA to launch the Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and research Earth’s changing climate, among others.

e-GEOS  and Umbra, a vertically integrated space technology company, have entered a Reseller Agreement that will grant e-GEOS non-exclusive, world-wide distribution rights for Umbra SAR satellite data, marking a significant advancement in the accessibility and availability of high resolution SAR imagery. Therefore, by the Agreement e-GEOS will enrich its SAR satellite data offering and Umbra will target a larger pool of customers, users and application services. Umbra and e-GEOS satellites offer imaging capabilities, capturing high-resolution data at any time, day or night, and in all weather conditions.

Kymeta has announced leadership and board changes as it continues to build on its technology and first-to-market products. As a result, effective April 1st, 2024, Rick Bergman will become the President and CEO of Kymeta, bringing a wealth of experience from his most recent role as Executive Vice President of Computing and Graphics at AMD. Bergman also served as President and CEO of Synaptics (SYNA). His distinguished career includes steering organizations towards capitalizing on market opportunities with innovative technologies, leading to sustained market growth.

ispace Technologies U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.) has signed a payload services agreement with Rhea Space Activity (RSA) to deliver autonomous guidance and navigation technology to lunar orbit aboard ispace-U.S.’s Mission 3 scheduled for 2026. The agreement will consequently foster collaboration to test RSA’s Jervis Autonomy Module (JAM), a novel autonomous navigation technology which recently received funding through a grant from NASA’s TechFlights Program.

Exotrail has announced the successful release in orbit of an 8U satellite by its Spacevan orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), gaining meaningful space heritage with a first “last-mile” in-space delivery. Endurosat manufactured the 8U satellite, named EXO-0, which in turn carried an Airbus Defense and Space payload. This success is an essential achievement for the Company on its path towards becoming a space logistics leader worldwide.

Slingshot Aerospace has announced the expansion of its international operations with the launch of Slingshot Aerospace Ltd. The new entity will operate from Slingshot’s first international offices in Cornwall and London – representing a significant step in the company's commitment to a global growth strategy.

ICEYE has announced the launch of ICEYE Ocean Vision, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) product family, to provide actionable intelligence for maritime domain awareness. As the first in the ICEYE Ocean Vision family of SAR derivative products, ICEYE Ocean Vision Detect delivers insights into the presence, location, and size of vessels at sea, allowing authorities to take decisive action in mitigating threats.