Space for Earth

Bayanat, a provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) announced on the 15th of November the expansion of their Earth Observation (EO) program. The program is expanding from five to seven synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. 

Airbus’ patented Detumbler device launched on Saturday, 11 November and will undergo tests in space on the mission in association with Exotrail and EnduroSat early in 2024. Airbus developed the Detumbler in 2021, with support from the French Space Agency CNES under their Tech4SpaceCare initiative.

UnseenLabs, a provider of radio frequency (RF) data and solutions for maritime domain awareness, announced the successful launch of its two satellites BRO-10 and BRO-11. They were launched as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission via Exolaunch on the 11th of November from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

Djibouti has launched its first satellite, Djibouti 1A, into orbit, aboard Space's Transporter-9 smallsat rideshare mission on November 11 2023.  According to Space in Africa, the East African Country developed the satellite through a joint capacity-building program between Djibouti and its technical partner, the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM). As a result, Djiboutian engineers and technicians in France designed, constructed and tested the satellite.

SpaceX's transporter smallsat rideshare mission has launched more than 100 satellite payloads for various satellite companies in its ninth dedicated mission. The transporter-9 mission lifted from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on November 11, 2023, deploying payload for Planet, D-Orbit, Spire Global, Iceye, Umbra and SpaceIn, among others. The payload also included orbital transfer vehicles that would later deploy their satellites into orbit.

Space Data Association has announced The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST) as the recipient of the T.S. Kelso Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety. The EU SST Partnership relies on the SSA capabilities of 15 Member states of the European Union to provide space safety services, with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acting as the Front Desk.

The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defense and Space, and Voyager Space have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ESA Space Summit in Seville, outlining their collaboration for the Starlab space station in the post-International Space Station era. The MoU outlines that the parties intend to foster science and technology development and explore the potential for collaboration in conjunction with post-International Space Station low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has established the "Zero Debris Charter" with the aim of moving towards space safety and sustainability and fostering a community of proactive actors working collectively towards jointly defined ambitions. The charter comes after ESA Member States encouraged the Agency to implement “a Zero Debris approach for its missions and to encourage partners and other actors to pursue similar paths. 

'Space is a shared frontier, not a race.' Wise words from Mani Thiru, head of Space and satellites for Amazon Web Services across Asia Pacific. Mani discusses with Dr Emma Gatti the civil society's role in the space sector, and dives deep into the balance between space progress and sustainability. Watch it now!

Join us in paradise! From the beautiful Maldives, Dr Emma Gatti interviewed Joan Chesoni from the Kenyan Space Agency. Learn about Joan's role and her vision for an inclusive and unified space sector.