The satellite imagery and geospatial solutions provider Planet will launch on Astra and closed a multi-launch contract “with plans to begin launching in the near future”, the launch startup said. Astra also disclosed plans to launch payloads up to 500kg to a 500 km, mid-inclination (50 degree) orbit.
Read More »Maana Electric transforms sand and regolith into solar panels
The Luxembourg-based startup Maana Electric extends its contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to complete the production of its 1MW TerraBox system and demonstrate how to transform terrestrial sand and lunar regolith into solar panels, the company said.
Read More »NASA congratulates China for first Mars rover photos
He did not welcome the uncontrolled return of China’s Long March launcher pieces for its Mars mission, but he congratulated China for the release of its first photos from the Zhurong Mars rover. “Congratulations to the China National Space Administration on receiving the first images from the Zhurong Mars rover,” the new NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
Read More »Space Café WebTalk with Katherine Courtney Recap: Are we sleepwalking into the next catastrophe?
During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening met with space strategist and former Chief Executive for the UK Space Agency, Katherine Courtney, to discuss space sustainability and her role as founder of education charity PrimarySpace.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Building Blocks in the Space sector, Tunisia Case
by Rania Toukebri All the eyes have been turned to the launch of the first satellite Challenge One built by the Tunisian private telecommunications company TelNet, blasted off along with 37 other satellites aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 22nd, 2021.
Read More »Europe pushes Moonlight, a lunar satellite constellation
“The first ever lunar communications & navigation service”: Europe pushes ahead with its plan to place communication and navigation satellites around the Moon. Under its Moonlight initiative, the European Space Agency (ESA) supports two consortia of European companies which embark on the design of telecommunications and navigation services for Moon missions.
Read More »York expands manufacturing with new ‘mega’ plant
Paris, 19 May 2021. – York Space Systems wants to open a new “mega” manufacturing facility at its headquarters in Denver, to meet the growing demand from government and commercial customers, the company said. York's Manufacturing Technology Center will be the hub of the company's next phase to expand its production capacity by four times, the space mission solution provider said.
Read More »Pangea funds 3D printed low-cost aerospike engine
The European space start-up Pangea Aerospace said it raised €3 million to develop and test its low-cost, 3D printed and reusable aerospike rocket engine. The company founded in 2018 and based in Barcelona announced the completion of its Series Seed round of €3 million, bringing the total funding to more than €6 million, including public financing.
Read More »#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology will have implications for Australia by Malcolm Davis
As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and The Strategist, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles. This is “SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology will have implications for Australia” by Malcolm Davis, originally published on 18 May 2021.
Read More »ArianeGroup develops reusable engine and light upper stage
Lighter, less expensive and reusable: the European Space Agency (ESA) signed two contracts with ArianeGroup to develop the reusable low-cost Prometheus engine and the lighter Ariane 6 upper stage called Phoebus. The contracts have a value of €135 million and €14.6 million respectively.
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