In June 2021, ESA and the EU signed a new Financial Framework Partnership Agreement for a new EU space programme. This agreement represents an EU investment of almost €9 billion in the period of 2021 to 2027, adding to ESA's current budget of $6.49 billion to continue the programmes defined by ESA’s Member States. According to the European Space Agency,
Read More »Spire to launch on Astra next year
The space flight startup Astra closed a launch contract with Spire Global for next year, the Nasdaq-listed company said. Spire Global plans to begin launching with Astra next spring, the launch company said, without giving further details. Spire uses its multi-purpose satellite constellations to source hard to acquire,
Read More »Rocket Lab to supply Photons for Varda´s space factory platform
Rocket Lab will supply three Photon spacecraft to Varda Space Industries to integrate them into Varda´s zero-gravity manufacturing platform and return high-end products produced in space to Earth. Varda’s space-manufactured products target markets such as fibre optic cables, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals.
Read More »Vega to launch four cubesats for ESA and Unseenlab
Arianespace is planning to launch the optical observation satellite Pléiades Neo 4 and four other passengers on a Vega rocket on 16 August, the company said. Pléiades Neo 4 is the second very high-resolution satellite part of the new Airbus Defence and Space’s Earth Observation constellation.
Read More »Intuitive Machines to launch third Moon mission on Falcon 9
The lunar cargo startup Intuitive Machines will launch its third Moon mission (IM-3) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and continues "to build a cislunar economy”, the company said. “By expanding on Intuitive Machines’ capability developed through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, we can offer an annual launch cadence,” Intuitive Machines said.
Read More »AEI joins Boeing´s HorizonX venture capital fund
The private equity firm AE Industrial Partners (AEI) partners with Boeing to manage and increase its HorizonX venture capital fund. The partnership will focus on early-stage minority equity investments in "businesses that will transform the future of space, mobility, industrial tech, connectivity and digital solutions with an emphasis on sustainability", AEI said.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Space Initiatives in Africa Offer a Canvas of Opportunity
More than ever before, the promise and potential in space is available to those with the ambition to reach for it. Nowhere is this story more exciting and compelling than in Africa. Considering the goals and priorities detailed in the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063, the socio-economic and professional development many African nations seek can be facilitated and accelerated by space activities.
Read More »SpaceX acquires nano-sat startup Swarm Technologies
SpaceX has acquired the low-cost nano-satellite startup Swarm Technologies, filings to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) showed. Swarm Technologies operates “the world´s lowest cost two-way satellite communications network”, as the company says, with sandwich-sized satellites and “out-of-the-box” satellite kits and modems.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Column: Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 2 – 8 August 2021
As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 2 - 8 August 2021”. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! A special shout-out to our friends at SpaceWatch.Global
Read More »Spire to provide its nanosat data to Eumetsat users
The space-based data and analytics provider Spire Global will provide radio occultation satellite data to Eumetsat, the company said. Eumetsat, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites – is a satellite agency which gathers, and gives access to, accurate and reliable satellite data on weather, climate, and the environment.
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