Earth observation

More than ever before, the promise and potential in space is available to those with the ambition to reach for it. Nowhere is this story more exciting and compelling than in Africa. Considering the goals and priorities detailed in the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063, the socio-economic and professional development many African nations seek can be facilitated and accelerated by space activities.

The start-up company Astrolight has performed its first long-range ground test of its mobile optical ground station for LEO satellites. The news comes after KSAT and Astelco Systems announced building an industrialized optical ground station in Greece last year.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 2 - 8 August 2021”. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! A special shout-out to our friends at SpaceWatch.Global

The space-based data and analytics provider Spire Global will provide radio occultation satellite data to Eumetsat, the company said. Eumetsat, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites – is a satellite agency which gathers, and gives access to, accurate and reliable satellite data on weather, climate, and the environment.

Planet announced having signed a multi-year, multi-launch agreement with SpaceX. This means that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will be launching Planet’s satellites through the end of 2025. The news comes after Planet entered into a definitive merger agreement with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV last month to become a publicly-traded company.

In March of this year, the giant container vessel “Ever Given” disrupted global commerce when it was lodged into the bank of the Suez Canal for nearly a week. According to Reuters, about twelve percent of total global trade passes through this canal.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 33rd episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast: Val Munsami - why affordable space tech for anyone comes at a price. Valanathan Munsami is the CEO of the South African Space Agency SANSA with whom he is currently experiencing the renaissance of space travel first hand

Russia plans to create a manned space complex in LEO, Roscosmos reported. The news comes after learning that the Russian segment of the ISS is to be retired after 2024 due to ageing. This, in turn opens up the way for national space infrastructures to take over the exploration of outer space.

Eutelsat Quantum, the first sophisticated telecommunication satellite was launched on board of an Ariane 5 on 30th July at 23:00 CEST from French Guiana Space Centre. The launch marks Arianespace’s 6th successful mission of the year. The commercial, fully flexible satellite can be repurposed completely during its time in space thanks to its configurable software-defined design.

Rocket Lab has opened a launch window for U.S. Space Force`s Monolith mission for 29 July, the company said. Rocket Lab aims at launching the Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored demonstration satellite called Monolith into low Earth orbit (LEO) on its Electron rocket from its Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.