Russia&CIS

NASA has launched an international crew of four representing four countries into orbit following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.

Russia’s State Space Corporation, Roscosmos, has announced that the Luna-25 automatic lunar station collided with the moon's surface and subsequently perished. The agency pointed out that on August 19 that the lunar probe would have received propulsion thrust to descend into its landing trajectory on the Moon's elliptical orbit. However, the Agency lost contact with the probe "at about 2:57 p.m. Decree time." The Russian space agency disclosed that all measures regarding the spacecraft's location and establishing communications with it on August 19 and 20 yielded zero results.

Russia will launch its first lunar landing spacecraft in 47 years on Friday, in a race with India to the south pole of the moon, reports Reuters. The launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome, east of Moscow, will take place four weeks after India sent up its Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander, due to touch down at the pole on the 23rd of August. The south pole is a key destination because scientists believe it may hold significant quantities of ice that could be used to extract fuel and oxygen, as well as drinking water. 

Black Ops is our bi-monthly appointment with space geopolitics. This new series sees as visitor guest Dr. Namrata Goswami in dialogue with chief editor Dr. Emma Gatti. 

This Space Café Black Ops will feature Namrata Goswami , an independent scholar on space policy and Great Power Politics, in conversation with Dr. Emma Gatti, Space Analyst and Broadcaster and correspondent of SpaceWatch.Global for Italy. Ep. 4: Russia and Japan: Capable partners in differing space orders

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8th, it’s important to reflect on the value of women in the workplace, and the struggle they still face to emerge. From breaking down gender barriers to bringing unique perspectives and skills to their teams, women are a driving force behind successful organizations. However, being "behind" is not enough anymore.

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Peter Garretson,  Senior Fellow in Defense Studies with the American Foreign Policy Council and co-director if its Space Policy Initiative, and host of the Space Strategy Podcast.  He was previously the director of Air University’s Space Horizons Task Force, an Air Force think tank for space, and was a founder and deputy director of the U.S. Space Force’s Schriever Scholars Strategy Seminar, America’s premier military space strategy program.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice has introduced The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations, marking a historic milestone for the global space industry. The unveiling happened at the Metropolitan Club, D.C., on 7 February 2023. As a result, the Washington Compact demonstrates the international community's commitment to the sustainable commercial use of outer space for the benefit of all humankind.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station experienced a coolant leak because of which Roscosmos had to cancel a spacewalk, NASA said. NASA and Roscosmos are currently evaluating the impacts of the leak to the integrity of the spacecraft. The crew members aboard the ISS are safe. 

In the latest (11th) 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 Olga Volynskaya and Lucien Rapp to a wonderful breakfast discussion at the historic Bibent café in Toulouse.