Russia&CIS

by Luisa Low During this week’s Space Café, which was broadcast live from the United Nations’ 2021 Outer Space Security Conference in Geneva, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening and SpaceWatch.Global event coordinator Chiara Moenter had the chance to sit down with the new United Nations Director of the Institute for Disarmament Research, Dr Robin Geiss

After eight years of work: the new launch pad for Ariane 6 in French Guiana has been inaugurated, the French space agency CNES said. "ESA and ArianeGroup now have the means to launch the future Ariane 6, whose first flight is expected in 2022", CNES said.

In September 2021 the UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee announced the creation of a working group on Space Resources. SpaceWatch.Global contributor Antonino Salmeri had the chance to talk with Ambassador Andrzej  Misztal and Professor Steven Freeland about this working group. 

Arianespace has launched more than 1000 satellites since its foundation with Flight ST35 on Soyuz for OneWeb, the company said. The launch for OneWeb placed another 34 OneWeb satellites into orbit; Arianespace has now deployed a total of 322 satellites for the global connectivity constellation, it said.

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. 

Russian cosmonauts discovered small cracks in the ISS’ Zarya module, according to Reuters. The fissures are superficial but may spread over time. At this point, it is unclear whether the cracks are causing any air leaks from the orbiting lab. Zarya was launched in November 1998. It is part of the ISS’ Russian segment and was the first piece of the station to reach orbit.

Russia postponed its first mission to the Moon in 45 years due to problems during tests of the Luna-25 spacecraft, Roscosmos announced. The mission was originally scheduled for 1st October from the Vostochny Cosmodrome had now been moved to May 2022. The Luna-25 mission aimed at the Moon's south pole will probe ice deposits.

Sir Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Emily Calandrelli, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kellie Geraldi, Chris Hadfield, Tim Dodd (Everyday Astronaut), Tanya Harrison, Bill Nye. How are these names connected besides that these people to be the space industry’s top professionals?

British operator OneWeb’s 34 new satellites launched into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket operated by Arianespace. The take-off was at 22.13 GMT Saturday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Roscosmos space agency and Arianespace said. It was the fifth launch of OneWeb satellites this year, with the last one being in July.

The leaders of BRICS Space Agencies have signed an agreement to share remote sensing satellite data the Indian Space Research Organisation reports. The heads of space agencies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa signed the agreement via video meeting.