Earth observation

HENSOLDT has partnered with the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Frequency Physics and Radar Technology FHR to transform the technology demonstrator GESTRA (German Experimental Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar) into a series-production ready, operationally deployable system called Custodian. As a result, HENSOLDT has acquired the necessary licenses from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and concluded a cooperation agreement.

NASA has invited U.S. and Indian space agencies dignitaries and media members to see the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)’s science payload in a Jet Propulsion Laboratory clean room. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar is an Earth science satellite that NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are jointly building. NASA invited the dignitaries to get a look at it before shipping it out to its last stop in Southern India before launching it into orbit. 

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Carmen Aguilera, Head of Section Operational Market Development at EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme. In this episode, Carmen sits down with Torsten during the EU Space Week 2022 in Prague to talk about the importance and the outcome of the user consultations.

Space BD has announced the deployment of the CubeSat OPTIMAL-1 into space from the Japanese experimental module Kibo on the International Space Station (ISS) at 6 pm (JST) on Friday, January 6, 2023. Space BD provided all support for the deployment of the OPTIMAL-1. However, ArkEdge Space Inc., Pale Blue Inc., Seiren Co., Ltd., the University of Fukui, the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation developed the CubeSat.

Spacemind, the space division of the Italian company NPC, has successfully launched three Italian nanosatellites, DanteSat, Futura-SM1, and Futura-SM3, into orbit. The successful launch has also validated the operation of the new SMPod CubeSat deployer, onboard equipment, and a larger version of the Artica deorbiting sail.

ICEYE a Finnish-based provider of natural catastrophe solutions and insights has expanded its Esri Partner Network relationship with Esri, the market leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, location intelligence and mapping to provide its user with access to near-immediate natural catastrophe insights at the property level. Esri software is deployed in over 350,000 organizations. ICEYE offers plans to offer, in addition to flood data, other natural catastrophes in the futur

Fleet Space Technologies has announced a new partnership with Canadian metal exploration company Power Nickel. The company, which specializes in exploring high-potential nickel, copper, gold, and other battery metal prospects in Canada and Chile, will use Fleet Space’s ExoSphere technology to seek additional high-grade nickel ore deposits at its NISK site in Quebec, Canada.

Capella Space has announced the formation of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Capella Federal. The new entity enables the company to further support its U.S. Government and defense agency customers by providing expanded access to its Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery with increased security and continued on-demand reliability.

In this Space Café Radio, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESRIN (D/EOP) at the European Space Agency (ESA) at the 15th European Space Conference in Brussels. This conference is one of the very important yearly high-level gatherings of the key stakeholders of the European space domain in the Egmont Palace in Brussels under the 2023 theme “Securing the Future of Europe in Space”.

Myanaric has announced an order for a small number of CONDOR Mk3 terminals by Japan-based WARPSPACE. WARPSPACE will use the terminals to establish a commercial optical data relay network for Earth observation satellites, with product deliveries scheduled for 2023, 2024, and 2025.