Space

Dawn Aerospace, a space transportation company with operations in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States, has announced the successful completion of the first rocket-powered flight campaign of its spaceplane, the Mk-II Aurora. The flights occurred at Glentanner Aerodrome on the 29, 30, and 31 March. For the Company, the accomplishment signifies a major milestone in its mission to revolutionize space access as well and thus provide end-to-end space transportation.

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) has announced that Antonino Salmeri has been elected as the new Co-Chair for 2023. Dr Antonino Salmeri is a space lawyer who specialises in the governance of lunar and space resource activities. He holds four advanced degrees in law and currently works as Lead of the Lunar Policy Platform Initiative.

Sky and Space Company, a British satellite company with communication nanosatellites and software expertise, in partnership with Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development’s Space Policy Unit, announced on the 5th of April that they have been awarded a grant from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the Enhanced Spread Spectrum Aloha (E-SSA) Modem. The E-SSA aims to revolutionise space-to-ground communications and increase efficiencies for Inter-Satellite Linking. It is designed to be the first-ever modem with the capability to process frames on nanosatellites setting the stage for new applications in nanosatellite constellations and broadening the horizons of the space sector.

D-Orbit has signed a 26-million-euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for IRIDE, a space-based observation program from the Italian Government. It will leverage national competencies and responsibility with the support of ESA, which will manage the project and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) under the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

While this 2023 update to the Best Practices for Sustainability of Space Operations is a momentous step forward for space operations safety, Astroscale believes certain elements within it still merit further improvement and fall short of what it can fully endorse without reservations. As a result, the Company endorses these updated Best Practices, with three exceptions: clauses 5.a., 7.a., and 8.j.

Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy after the satellite launch firm was unable to secure the funding necessary to keep operating and cut about 85% of its staff. The company listed $243 million in assets and $153.5 million for its total debt in a Chapter 11 petition that it filed in Delaware. However, Virgin Investments Ltd has committed to offering an additional $31.6 million to keep the Company's operation going while it seeks a buyer.

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has announced the successful initial launch of Tranche 0 (T0) of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). These will make up the Transport and Tracking Layer satellites that demonstrate the low-latency communication links to support the warfighter with a resilient network of integrated capabilities, including tracking of advanced missile threats from low-Earth orbit (LEO).

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has announced its intention to launch Kenya's first operational 3U Earth Observation Satellite, Taifa-1 ("one nation" in Swahili) satellite, on April 11, 2023. The launch, through SpaceX, will take place in Vandenberg Base, California, UDA aboard Falcon-9 Rocket. Kenyan engineers from SayariLabs constructed and designed the Taifa-1, while EnduroSat aided in the testing and manufacturing of the parts. To this end, EnduroSat organized a two-week educational training for SayariLab’s engineering team, dedicated to space systems and engineering, covering all aspects of mission analysis, design, and spacecraft assembly.

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) has renewed the mandates of the current Chair of the EUSPA Administrative Board, Mr. Vaclav Kobera, and Deputy Chair, Mr. Juan Manuel Codosero Bolaños, for another two-year term after a unanimous vote.

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has successfully concluded its spring meetings that held from March 28-30, 2023, in Paris. During the IAF Spring Meetings, the International Program Committees (IPC) of both the 74th International Astronautical Congress – IAC 2023 and the IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2023 – GLOC 2023 met and agreed upon the Plenary and Technical Programs.