Entrepreneurship

In this  Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Niklas Nienass, Member of the European Parliament for The Greens/ European Free Alliance, about GLOC - the Global Space Conference on Climate Change in Oslo in May 2023 and about the challenges in climate change where space can be part of the solution. They also covered the current status of the European Space Law and the new study about life-cycle assessments for space missions.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Dr. Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency - ESA, in conversation with Dr. Emma Gatti, Editor-in-Chief of SpaceWatch.Global. For over four decades, the European Space Agency (ESA), alongside its member states and associated industries, has been instrumental in spearheading numerous triumphs in European space exploration. To keep pace with changing circumstances, ESA has deftly refined its rules, procedures, and governance structure. Its demonstrated flexibility in adapting as needed constitutes a valuable asset.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. has announced it signed a launch agreement with Lockheed Martin to support a technology demonstration mission that will launch aboard Firefly's Alpha vehicle. This is as Firefly's Alpha rocket provides launch services with the capability to lift more than 1,000 kg to low Earth orbit. The vehicle utilizes Firefly's patented tap-off cycle propulsion technology and carbon composite sandwich structures to reduce mass and costs and improve strength and reliability.

Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its inaugural commercial spaceflight from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The Galactic 01 spaceflight carried 13 research payloads and three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy. The spaceflight took off at 8:30 am MT (14:30 GMT), rising to an altitude at release at 44,500 feet. The flight's apogee was 52.9 miles, the top speed was Mach 2.88, and the landing time was 9:42 am MT (15:42 GMT).

Cailabs, a French deep-tech company which designs, manufactures and sells photonic solutions, and Astrolight, a Lithuanian company providing satellite-to-ground laser communication, announced on the 28th of June that they have entered into an agreement to launch a satellite mission hosting Astrolight’s space-to-Earth laser communication terminal ATLAS-1. 

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Kevin O’Connell – from zombie statistics to the trillion-dollar space economy” took place on Tuesday, 27th June. Kevin O’Connell has had a diverse career in many sectors in commerce and intelligence. He has spent over three decades working on space commercialisation, including in his role as the Director of the Office of Space commerce with the US Department of Commerce. 

NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. and SES have signed an agreement to collaborate on the implementation of next-generation commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services. The aim is to significantly increase the precision of resident space object (RSO) tracking to enhance the safety and sustainability of operations in space.

Spire Global, Inc has signed an agreement with OroraTech to build, launch and operate an eight-satellite constellation dedicated to global temperature monitoring. Once operational, it will represent the first and largest constellation of satellites dedicated to tracking and monitoring wildfires.

Earth Blox, a Scottish geospatial platform for businesses and financial institutions, announced on the 27th of June that it has joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage program as a technology partner and authorised Google Earth Engine trainer. The collaboration provides Google Cloud customers with climate and nature analytics to accelerate their sustainability transition and meet regulatory requirements. 

Virgin Galactic has announced the four-person crew and target date for its Galactic-01 commercial spaceflight. The three-person crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy will board VSS Unity for a 90-minute flight to conduct a series of suborbital science experiments.