Space

Our Space Café WebTalk “33 minutes with Jennifer Manner - The Critical Role of Satellite Networks in 5G and Beyond Ecosystems” took place on Tuesday, 14th June. Our guest was Jennifer A. Manner, a Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar Corporation/Hughes Network Systems where she is responsible for the company’s domestic and international regulatory and policy issues,

Moon company, Astrobotic and wireless charging platform develpoer, WiBotic’s wireless charging system successfully demonstrated that it can function and provide enough power for technologies to survive the 14-Earth-day-long lunar night. Developed with assistance from Bosch, the University of Washington, and the NASA Glenn Research Center

Munich-based NewSpace intelligence startup, OroraTech, has achieved the desired mission goals for FOREST-1, its first satellite dedicated to environmental monitoring, the company said. The satellite has been operational since January 2022. The spacecraft, that does not require cooling, specialises in wildfire detection by combining thermal, mid-infrared and visible cameras.

Satellite platforms and geospatial intelligence company, Aerospacelab, unveiled its satellite megafactory commitment, capable of producing 500 satellites annually. The new site will be built by Sambrinvest in Charleroi, Belgium. The new factory will feature a total working surface of 16,000 square meters, including a 6,000-square-meter ISO7 cleanroom and 3,000-square-meter laboratory.

In this Space Cafè Radio -  SpaceWatch.Global Senior Editor Dr. Emma Gatti spoke with Luigi Scatteia, a Partner in PwC Advisory France. Within PwC he leads the Space Practice, and he also leads the core space strategy and policy consulting team based in Paris and Toulouse, focused on serving institutional and commercial stakeholders in the space sector

Global mobile satellite communications provider, Inmarsat, signed a contract with ESA to take Iris air traffic modernisation programme global and drive the future of uncrewed aviation airspace integration in Europe, Inmarsat said. Airspace is getting congested: in Europe alone, a 50% increase in flights is expected in the next 20 years.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed two agreements at the latest ESA Council meeting in Noordwijk, Netherlands, to advance cooperation on Earth science and the Artemis lunar missions, NASA said. ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder mission will contribute to the progression of the lunar communications infrastructure, necessary for a long-term human presence.

There is gap between the interests of space agencies and private investors toward sustainability. While agencies build their reputation and PR campaigns on the commitment that the sector has towards sustainability – meaning here the use of space technology and data for monitoring the state of the planet- the private sector remains tepid to the entire concept.

With space as a far-reaching domain entangled with Earth issues across many industries, geopolitics affect how global alliances deal with security in orbit and beyond, and how collaborative governance motivates investment: from connectivity to Earth observation to crowded orbits and debris, to energy, space traffic management, space exploration and resources utilization.

The global space market size will raise from 340 million USD annual sales to a 1 trillion USD domain in the next two decades. It is projected that the number of people employed in the space industry as a whole will increase to 400,000 in the next few years. This enormous growth could bring some challenges and opportunities, some of which have been openly discussed at the event.