Government

VOX Space, the Virgin Orbit subsidiary which provides responsive and affordable launch services for the U.S. national security community, has been selected to launch three dedicated missions for the U.S. Space Force (USSF), delivering multiple spacecraft to orbit for the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program-S28 (STP-S28)

Space science and space exploration are generally undertaken for the benefit of humanity and thus are normally regarded as a public good provided at a cost to national governments.

The president of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, signed into law a package of space activity legislation on 26 March 2020 that amend existing laws and regulations to expand state and commercial space activity in Armenia.

Spanish technology multinational GMV reports that 2019 was a red-letter year for its space business. Its turnover, topping €140 million (US$149.6 million) for a total €245 million (US$261.8 million) group revenue, is up nearly 30% on the previous year.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest aerospace technical society, issued a statement on 20 March 2020, calling on federal government officials and lawmakers to be mindful of and support the aerospace and defense industry during this challenging time. A press release from the AIAA reads: …

In a recent South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) videoconference to develop a joint strategy to combat Covid-19, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani asked India to make a satellite available to Afghan residents to assist with online education and help ensure social distancing to prevent spread of the virus, according to a report published on HindustanTimes.com on 15 March 2020.

Berlin-based Exolaunch, a leading launch services and deployment system provider for small satellites, announced on 17 March 2020 that the launch of a 3U cubesat, MeznSat, for the UAE Space Agency will be performed aboard a Soyuz-2 rocket.

Kleos Space S.A., a space-powered radio frequency reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, announced on 6 March 2020 that the Brazilian government agency Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Naturale Biocombustíveis (ANP) is to evaluate Kleos data at no cost for three months, commencing at the time the relevant data set is made …

The Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) President, Jean-Yves Le Gall, attended the first edition of the Aerospace Europe Conference (AEC2020), held 25-28 February 2020  in Bordeaux.

The Economic Survey -2020, which preceded the Budget 2020-21 released by Nirmala Sitharaman’ first full budget as finance minister rather bizarrely focused almost exclusively on the number of launches undertaken by major space faring states including India as a good indicator of the strength and the health of the space programme