Space

Belgium has become the latest country to append its signature to the Artemis Accords, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, and the Secretary of State for Science Policy, Thomas Dermine, signing the accords yesterday, 23rd of January 2024. 

ALDORIA (formerly Share My Space) has announced closing its Serie A funding round, securing €10 million in equity investments from a strong syndicate, bringing the total amount of investment in the company to €22 million to date. To support this new stage of development, the company is strengthening its brand and effective today, Share My Space has become ALDORIA, a former name of the Pleiades nebula.

Redwire Corporation has announced that it has won a contract to develop and deliver four Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings, along with multiple Argus cameras and Low Voltage Distribution Units (LVDUs) for Blue Origin’s multi-orbit space mobility platform, Blue Ring. The ROSA wings Redwire is developing for Blue Ring will power the platform across a variety of missions focused on in-space logistics and delivery in medium-Earth orbit and beyond.

Sierra Space has announced the successful test of its first full-scale, expandable space station structure, the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE), alongside exclusive softgoods technology partner ILC Dover. The test represents the Company's first stress test of a full-size, inflatable space station structure. 

Following a successful launch and separation from the ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket on Jan. 8, 2024, Peregrine experienced a loss of propellant. Not only did that prevent any soft landing on the Moon, but the valve connecting helium to oxidizer had caused flooding and ruptured the tank. The spacecraft was now a flying hazard that could potentially create more debris in cislunar space or lunar orbit. After analysis and recommendations from NASA and the space community, Astrobotic determined the best option for minimizing risk and ensuring responsible disposal of the spacecraft would be to maintain Peregrine's trajectory toward Earth for atmospheric re-entry and burnup.

Scout Space Inc. has announced long-time aerospace and defence executive Philip Hover-Smoot as the company's Chief Executive Officer as of January 12, 2024. He will consequently be succeeding Co-founder and CEO Eric Ingram, who will now be taking on the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Strategy Officer.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced the successful soft-landing of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft on the moon, on January 20, 2024, at 0:20 am (JST). This feat makes Japan the fifth country to soft-land on the moon, joining the USA, China, the former Soviet Union, and India. Despite the historic landing, however, JAXA may not achieve full operationalization of the spacecraft as its solar cells are currently not generating power. 

Viasat, Inc. has demonstrated a UK satellite-based augmentation system (UK SBAS) for the first time, showing how highly accurate GPS data can maximize safety and improve efficiency. The test flight, from Cranfield Airport using the National Flying Laboratory Centre's Saab 340B aircraft showcased a UK-based SBAS that delivers more precise, reliable navigation data.

An international team of astronomers, led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, have used the MeerKAT radio telescope to discover an intriguing object of an unknown nature in the globular cluster NGC 1851. The massive object is heavier than the heaviest neutron stars known and yet simultaneously lighter than the lightest black holes known and is in orbit around a rapidly spinning millisecond pulsar

Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1) has reached its end, having successfully demonstrated the ability to beam power wirelessly in space. The mission also measured the efficiency, durability, and function of various types of solar cells in space; and gave a real-world trial of the design of a lightweight deployable structure to deliver and hold the aforementioned solar cells and power transmitters.