Space

The ESA Member States have agreed on Europe´s exploitation of the new Ariane 6 and Vega-C launchers and its future space transportation options, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The agreement frames the conditions for Europe’s exploitation of Ariane 6 and Vega-C and requests ESA “to propose a roadmap for new and innovative space transportation solutions”, ESA said.

The U.S. Space Force and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force reached an agreement on 27th August to join South Korea’s air force in U.S. Space Force-led military drills, ROK Air Force said. The aim is to reinforce the U.S. Space Force’s defence capabilities in outer space.

NASA began flight testing with Joby Aviation’s all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on 30th August, NASA reported. The testing forms part of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign. eVTOL aircraft could potentially be used as air taxis transporting people and cargo.

Space Café Germany Special: Before the Bundestag Elections - The Future of Space in Germany. In this special edition of Space Café Webtalk, Torsten Kriening and Andreas Schepers discuss the future of space in Germany with members of the German Bundestag:

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 35th episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast: Elodie Viau - Getting Telecommunication Ready For Space And Beyond. Episode 035 features a special guest Elodie Viau. The European Space Agency ESA is known for spectacular landings on distant comets or the like.

For this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening got to sit down with Ronald van der Breggen, a Dutch business strategist and founder and CEO of Route206. Established in 2013 in the Netherlands, the company works with a wide range of clients in the space and satellite sector

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) barred Virgin Galactic from flying SpaceShipTwo until the final mishap investigation from its July flight is over, Reuters reports. The FAA is investigating a deviation in the descent of the Virgin Galactic space plane to determine the issues would not affect public safety. Virgin Galactic rocket plane carried Richard Branson to space on 11th July.

Firefly’s Alpha rocket launched on 2nd September suffered a fatal problem, exploding in the California sky. The company’s first ever orbital test flight lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 9:59 p.m. EDT. The final launch was nearly an hour after an initial try had to be aborted during countdown.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced the construction of a new production facility capable of supplying up to 2,000 reaction wheels per year. The news comes after the company signed contracts to supply major satellite constellations. The new production facility will add to Rocket Lab’s existing 35,303 square metres of manufacturing competence.

Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen’s objections to Space Hub Sutherland was dismissed by Judge Lord Doherty, The Register reported. Mr Povlsen had invested heavily in the proposed Shetland Space Centre over 400 km away on the isle of Unst. The rejection of his objections helps moving Scotland towards a commercial vertical launch capability.