https://spacewatch.global/space-news/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:54:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/space-news/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-has-inspired-the-public-for-decades-now-it-needs-to-listen/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77467
Written by Judith Delany
Europe depends on space more than most citizens realise. As Josef Aschbacher calls for greater public engagement, new initiatives from ESA and ESPI are exploring how to turn space outreach into a two-way conversation.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/venturi-space-expands-lunar-mobility-portfolio-with-alta-luna-rover/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77484 Venturi Space has unveiled ALTA LUNA, a compact and maneuverable lunar rover designed to support operations around future lunar bases, at the International Space Summit in Paris. With ALTA LUNA, Venturi Space is expanding its lunar mobility ambitions beyond individual vehicle technologies towards a broader family of specialized rovers for future surface operations.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/amazon-leo-orders-six-more-ariane-64-launches-from-arianespace/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77499 Amazon Leo and Arianespace have expanded their existing launch partnership at the International Space Summit in Paris, with Amazon Leo ordering six additional Ariane 64 missions and bringing the total number of Ariane 6 launches contracted with Arianespace to 24. Arianespace is one of several launch providers supporting Amazon Leo's constellation build-out, allowing the company to pursue a high launch cadence as it works to deploy its first-generation constellation of more than 3,000 satellites.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/eutelsat-and-ororatech-partner-to-build-scalable-european-thermal-intelligence-infrastructure/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77518 Eutelsat and OroraTech will deploy the latter's thermal-infrared payloads aboard future Eutelsat OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites under a strategic partnership announced at the International Space Summit in Paris. The partnership reflects a broader European industrial cooperation model, demonstrating how European companies can combine complementary capabilities to build critical space-based services without each having to develop a fully vertically integrated satellite system.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/paris-opens-the-first-international-space-summit-with-51-announcements-and-a-european-iss-crew/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77474 The first International Space Summit opened at the Grand Palais with 120 delegations, 51 announcements and a €20 billion headline that deserves closer reading. Philippe Baptiste made the case for launching European satellites on European rockets, Dorothee Bär pointed to Rome in December, and Macron unveiled the PAM-6 crew - with Thomas Pesquet set to become the first non-American ever to command a US spacecraft.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/pixxel-raises-100-million-in-series-c-funding-to-expand-beyond-hyperspectral-imaging/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77390 Pixxel has raised $100 million in Series C funding to accelerate the development of its Earth-observation and space infrastructure capabilities, bringing its total capital raised to $195 million The raise marks a transition for Pixxel from a hyperspectral satellite company into a broader Earth-intelligence and space-infrastructure business.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/stoke-space-raises-1-billion-in-series-e-round-to-accelerate-fully-reusable-nova-rocket/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77432 Stoke Space has completed the initial closing of its $1 billion Series E financing round, bringing the company's total capital raised to $2.3 billion. The new capital reflects the broader strategic importance of reusable launch systems to the future availability, capacity and cost of access to space.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/the-exploration-company-raises-450-million-in-series-c-to-advance-reusable-space-transportation/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77438 The Exploration Company (TEC) has raised $450 million in a new Series C financing round, bringing the company's total funding secured since its founding in 2021 to approximately $680 million. The round will advance TEC's Nyx reusable capsule toward a mission to dock with the International Space Station and return to Earth, and accelerate development of the high-thrust reusable Storm rocket engine.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/uk-unveils-7-8-billion-space-strategy-focused-on-security-and-industrial-growth/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77450 The UK has published a new UK Space Strategy, positioning space as a critical component of national security, defense and economic growth and backing the sector with £7.8 billion of investment to 2030. The new strategy suggests that the UK is seeking not only to fund a larger space sector, but to build a more commercially competitive and strategically resilient space industry around capabilities it considers critical to national power.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/as-bepicolombo-nears-mercury-terma-continues-supporting-the-mission/ Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77370 The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission enters Mercury orbit on 21 November after an eight-year journey, supported throughout by European companies including Denmark's Terma.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/esa-set-to-discuss-europes-space-future-at-the-international-space-summit-in-paris/ Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77371 The inaugural International Space Summit takes place in Paris on 9 and 10 September, bringing together heads of state, ministers, industry, and astronauts to discuss Europe's role in the next phase of exploration.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/erc-2026-lucy-van-der-tas-of-esa-on-careers-beyond-astronauts-and-following-your-passion/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77418 From the European Rover Challenge in Kraków, ESA's Senior Talent Acquisition Advisor Lucy van der Tas joins Daniela Jovic to bust the myth that space careers mean astronauts, explain who really thrives at ESA, and share a moving story about why encouraging women in engineering matters.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/erc-2026-yoav-landsman-on-killing-the-integration-bottleneck-and-the-case-against-acronyms/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77406 From the European Rover Challenge in Kraków, Yoav Landsman, co-founder and COO of Space Backend, joins Daniela Jovic to discuss his path from the Beresheet lunar mission to entrepreneurship, how his company is dissolving the satellite integration and testing bottleneck, and why the industry needs fewer acronyms.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/project-s-emerges-from-stealth-with-ambition-to-build-european-space-safety-layer/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77335 Munich-based Project-S has emerged from stealth, developing space-based radar payloads and AI-enabled orbital intelligence to detect and track small debris and strengthen space situational awareness.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/isros-eos-05-begins-orbital-ascent-towards-indias-first-geosynchronous-imaging-mission/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77326 ISRO's EOS-05 has completed two orbit-raising manoeuvres following its 4 September launch, with further burns planned to reach its operational geosynchronous orbit.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/isus-space-studies-program-returns-in-2027-in-orlando/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77327 The International Space University will hold its 38th Space Studies Program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando from 21 June to 13 August 2027 - the first confirmed programme date since the liquidation of its Strasbourg central campus in July.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/isar-aerospace-reaches-orbit-first-commercial-european-company-to-deploy-satellites/ Sun, 06 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77317 Isar Aerospace has become the first commercial company from continental Europe to deliver satellites to orbit. Mission "Onward and Upward" lifted off from Andøya at 22:12 CEST on 5 September, completing orbital insertion and deploying five CubeSats and one experiment on Spectrum's second flight. At the mission briefing, CEO Daniel Metzler set out what comes next: vehicles three to seven already in production, a 40,000 m² factory built for up to 40 launchers a year, and a candid assessment of how hard that ramp will be.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/breaking-isar-aerospace-launches-spectrum-flight-2-today-first-mission-with-payloads/ Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:05:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77301 Isar Aerospace flies the second mission of its Spectrum launch vehicle tonight from Andøya, Norway. "Onward and Upward" is both the vehicle's qualification flight and the first to carry payloads - five CubeSats and one experiment, selected through the German Space Agency at DLR's first Microlauncher Competition under ESA's Boost! programme. The window opens at 20:00 UTC / 22:00 CEST.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/rocket-lab-deploys-synspectives-latest-strix-satellite-as-company-expands-in-south-america/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77248 Rocket Lab has completed its 11th dedicated launch for Synspective, deploying the latest StriX satellite to a 575km orbit on Electron's 94th mission, as Synspective expands into South America.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/axelspace-partners-with-airbus-and-star-signal-to-expand-earth-observation-and-space-safety-services/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77256 Axelspace has signed an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space to supply medium-resolution optical imagery from its GRUS microsatellites, and is separately evaluating SSA services with Star Signal Solutions.]]>