Space

More than 22,000 people from all over Europe submitted an application to become an astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA), the agency said. ESA launched a search for four new astronauts earlier this year. Around 5,400 of all applicants identified as female.

The space transportation and logistics company D-Orbit will launch and deploy a cubesat from Aistech Space on its ION satellite carrier, the startup based in Italy said. The 6U CubeSat nanosatellite, named Guardian, will carry a multispectral telescope designed by Aistech Space, D-Orbit said.

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher, Torsten Kriening caught up with California-based Danica Remy to discuss all things asteroids. With a career in social justice movements and “fabulous innovation”, Danica serves as President of the B612 Foundation, which leads private sector efforts in research, analysis and systems design to protect Earth from asteroids.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Joint Air Power Competence Centre, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “The Impact of Law on NATO's Space Power at the Speed of Relevance” by Mr Álvaro Martín Blanco, Col Dr Daniel Gallton, US Air Force, and Mr Dale Reding

Paris, 23 June 2021. – Airbus Defence and Space will equip its four CO3D Earth observation satellites with S-band antennas from Anywave, the company announced. Airbus Defence and Space was selected by the French Space Agency (CNES) in July 2019 to develop the Constellation Optique 3D (CO3D) Earth observation program.

Paris, 23 June 2021. – Just two seconds: Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) successfully tested its full-scale staged combustion engine, the company said. The test was carried out in Kiruna (Sweden). Staged combustion technology is characterized by higher efficiencies and performances compared to traditional rocket engine designs, the company explained.

The European Union (EU) will invest nearly €9 billion in European space programs over the period of 2021 to 2027, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. EU and ESA signed a new Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA), “for ESA and European industry to design new-generation systems and programmes, crucial for the economy and a green and digital Europe”, ESA said.

During the second Space Café Canada event, host Jessica West of Project Ploughshares sat down with Tim Kopra, Vice-President of Robotics and Space Operations at MDA, to talk about the role of robotics in Canada’s space program and in the future of space exploration.

The satellite operator Yahsat, owned by the Abu Dhabi investment fund Mubadala, wants to go public, sell “at least 30%” of its capital and list at the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the company announced. The offering creates an opportunity for investors to participate in the strategic growth of a leading integrated satellite communication services provider, Yahsat said. 

Europe cannot afford to stay out of human spaceflight if it wants to rank as a global political and economic power, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said. “It’s not possible that a political and economic power like Europe cannot fly its own astronauts to space,” Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, said at the Paris Air Forum at Le Bourget yesterday.