Space

NASA and Masten Space Systems announced on 8 April 2020 that the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Project Office has selected Masten to deliver a suite of NASA-sponsored scientific instruments to the lunar surface by December 2022

CryoSat-2, the European Space Agency´s ice and snow satellite, was launched from the Baikonour Cosmodrone into orbit on 8 April 2010. Originally designed for a three and a half year mission, CryoSat-2 has been operating since 2010, far exceeding its nominal mission lifetime

Rocket Lab, a space systems company and the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch, has successfully completed a mid-air recovery test – a maneuver that involves snagging an Electron test stage from the sky with a helicopter.

Modern software development for spacecraft is very conservative and limited to a small set of experts in the industry. This is due to various existing constraints on space hardware and to the typical criticality of space missions.But the landscape is changing, particularly where CubeSats are concerned. These small satellites have become very popular in recent years, causing space components to become smaller and cheaper, and therefore making them accessible to a wider number of organizations.

This Space Café WebTalk happened on 7 April 2020, featuring Raphael Roettgen, Managing Director and Founder of E2MC, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, co-publisher of SpaceWatch.Global and COO of ThorGroup GmbH.

Demand for oil has collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic just as supply is about to strengthen because of a dispute between Russia and Saudi Arabia. As a result, oil prices have sunk to levels not seen since 2002.

As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission – which has become known as “a successful failure” that saw the safe return of its crew in spite of a catastrophic explosion – the agency is sharing a variety of resources, recognizing the triumph of the mission control team and the astronauts, and looking at how those lessons learned can be applied to its lunar Artemis program.

CSS, a West African communications services provider with 20 years of experience supplying critical satellite and broadband services, together with Forsway, a leading provider of innovative solutions tapping satellite and existing terrestrial technologies to enable cost-efficient broadband, announced on 7 April 2020 the next phase of their cooperation in Mauritania to deliver affordable broadband in West Africa.

Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) announced it aims to launch the "Golden Bauhinia No.1" low-orbit high frequency satellite in June from China. The planned launch marks an important milestone in the company's "Golden Bauhinia" space remote sensing project.

Hanley Wood | Meyers Research, the housing industry's foremost advisors and provider of rich data, has announced it acquired Bird.i, a Scotland-based company that combines the latest satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide valuable land and building insights.