Space for Earth News

Ecuador and India have joined the ever-growing list of countries to become parties to the Artemis Accords, becoming the 26th and 27th signatories, respectively. Ecuador formally joined the Accords during a ceremony at the Ecuador embassy in Washington on Wednesday, with Karen Feldstein, NASA associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations, participating in the ceremony for the agency, and Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Ecuador’s foreign affairs minister, for Ecuador. On the other hand, the White House disclosed India's decision to become a signatory on Thursday, with NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also agreeing to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024,

D-Orbit has secured four multi-million contracts under the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). These contracts represent a great opportunity for the Company to take part in national projects that will mark historical milestones in the space sector and cooperate with some of the most renowned and innovative Italian companies in the industry.

The European Space Agency, Airbus Defence and Space, OHB SE, and Thales Alenia Space have announced they are committed to promoting the safety and long-term sustainability of space operations. 

Rocket Lab, an American aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider and NorthStar, a Canadian commercial service that monitors space, announced on the 19th of June that Rocket Lab will launch the first satellites dedicated to NorthStar’s commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services. The initial block of four satellites, assembled and operated by Spire Global, are scheduled for deployment on Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle in the autumn of 2023.

In this  Space Café Radio -  SpaceWatch.Global team's Dr. Emma Gatti and Torsten Kriening spoke with Susie Perez Quinn, NASA's Chief of Staff, Dr. Karen St. Germain,  NASA's Division Director of the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate, and Dr. Kate Calvin, NASA's Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor. The episode was recorded in Oslo during GLOC -  Global Space Conference on Climate Change.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Kevin O’Connell, Founder and CEO, Space Economy Rising, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global. As strategic and economics conditions change, there are healthy questions about the speed and direction of the future space economy. What are the underlying factors driving the space economy, and how can we distinguish between hype and real drivers?

Reflex Aerospace, a Munich and Berlin-based startup specializing in the design and manufacture of advanced satellites, has signed Media Broadcast Satellite (MBS) as its first commercial customer. This strategic partnership will leverage Reflex’s satellite manufacturing expertise to support MBS in delivering cutting-edge space technology. Furthermore, the launch is tentatively in 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking a significant milestone in achieving both companies’ ambitious goals.

Finnish Earth observation Company Kuva Space has received a five-year commercial contract worth €5M from the European Space Agency (ESA) to be the world’s sole provider of hyperspectral data services for the European Commission’s Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCM) program. As a result, Kuva Space will demonstrate its technological capabilities to monitor farming and aquaculture crops, forests, methane release, and harmful algae blooms in seas and coastal areas.

OroraTech has signed a multi-million contract with the European Space Agency to deliver data to the European Union as part of the Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM). Leveraging its recently launched in-orbit thermal sensor network, OroraTech will contribute vital data to critical sectors such as emergency services, climate change analysis, marine management, and land management.

EnduroSat`s Balkan Constellation will join the European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Copernicus Contributing missions after its selection. The selection happened in the presence of Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union, and Dr. Joseph Aschbacher, ESA DG.