Space

Vice President Kamala Harris, Chair of the National Space Council, announced the names of the selected individuals to serve on the Council’s Users Advisory Group (UAG) to help maintain a robust and responsible U.S. space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations, The White House stated. The members are currently awaiting their official appointment by the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

Consulting firm Euroconsult’s latest ‘Earth Observation Data & Services Market’ report on the EO satellite-based downstream and upstream data and service markets predicts a steady growth in the next decade. The analysis also shows an increasing demand predicted for more expensive datasets below 30 cm resolution, 3D modelling and near-real-time global mapping, the firm said.

Maxar Technologies has announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement which will see Advent International (“Advent”), one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, acquire the Company. The acquisition will feature an all-cash transaction that values Maxar at an enterprise value of approximately $6.4 billion. Following the closing of the transaction, Maxar will remain a US-controlled and operated company.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a National In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) Implementation Plan. The plan is to advance the United States’ strategic vision as in the first-ever ISAM National Strategy, which outlines ways to build capabilities and technologies in space, consistent with the U.S. Space Priorities Framework. 

The first annual conference of the Swiss Space Law Forum, titled “Space Law: Key Principles and Swiss Perspectives”, took place at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law on the campus of University of Lausanne on 4 November 2022.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), UN Development Program (UNDP), and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) have formed a partnership to boost international efforts to deliver thriving, responsible and sustainable national space economies. 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has appointed two new directors: the Director of Science and the Director for Technology, Engineering and Quality with the approval of the ESA Council. Both will start in their new role in 2023.

On 15 December 2022, ATSpace prepared a Kestrel I rocket for the VS02 mission from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in South Australia. During the oxidizer filling process, the launch operators discovered a leak and subsequently halted launch preparations. After further investigation, they determined that it should postpone the launch.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station experienced a coolant leak because of which Roscosmos had to cancel a spacewalk, NASA said. NASA and Roscosmos are currently evaluating the impacts of the leak to the integrity of the spacecraft. The crew members aboard the ISS are safe. 

EUMETSAT has announced the successful launch of its Meteosat Third Generation-Imager 1 (MTG-I1) from the European Space Centre in Kourou. As a result, EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans said the successful launch of MTG-I1 was a critical milestone for the organization, bringing the goal of delivering essential data from the satellite’s instruments to meteorologists one step closer