Government

Paris, 20 December 2020. – It’s confirmed: the loss of the European Vega VV17 mission in November is due to wrong cable connections on the upper stage. The Independent Enquiry Commission set up after the failure found that the mission went off course due “to the wrong routing and connection …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and The Arctic Institute, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “What is the Point of Norway’s new Arctic Policy?” by Andreas Østhagen, originally published on 2 December 2020 on their website. Norway’s new …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Assessing the British Proposal on Space Security”, originally published on 10 December 2020 in The Diplomat. In my column for The Diplomat …

Luxembourg, 18 December 2020. – As expected: The European Space Agency (ESA) appointed Josef Aschbacher as the next Director General of ESA for a period of four years. He succeeds Jan Wörner, whose term of office ends on 30 June 2021, ESA said. Aschbacher is currently ESA Director of Earth Observation …

Interview by Ray Stott of SpaceSpecialists Ltd, co-produced by ATOS Mohammed Ali also “Ali” for short, please could you introduce yourself I am “Ali” from Atos IT Solutions and Services GmbH and have worked in the space industry since 2000 previously working in the Aerospace sector. I have a Bachelor’s …

Paris, 15 December 2020. – The U.S. and the European space agencies, NASA and ESA, selected three astronauts to serve as crew members for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is expected to launch in autumn 2021, the agencies said. The trio will consist …

Paris, 15 December 2020. – Russia’s Aerospace Force conducted a second test launch of the Angara-A5 heavy carrier rocket, the Russian news agency Tass reported. The heavy rocket was launched with a dummy payload from the Plesetsk space center the Arkhangelsk Region in northwestern Russia on Monday, the press service …

Europe’s prime launcher Ariane 5 is to retire in 2023, and the development of Ariane 6 is reaching a crucial stage. This week, the ESA Council will decide on additional budget that ESA requested to bring it to fruition.  SpaceWatch.Global Editor-in-Chief Markus Payer spoke to Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Space Transportation at ESA, about Ariane 5 …

by Dr. Malcolm Davis SpaceWatch.Global asked its staff and contributors to review 2020 and provide an outlook into 2021. These personal reviews are being published during the holiday season. This is Dr. Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst at  The Australian Strategic Policy Institute. For Australia as a new space power, 2020 …

Paris, 11 December 2020. – The European Space Agency (ESA) contracted four Italian space firms to go ahead with the development of its reusable Low Earth Orbit Space Rider, ESA announced. Space Rider is a reusable spacecraft of about the size of two minivans and can carry customer payloads of …