Satellite

NASA has awarded a $415.6 million to three U.S. companies to design commercial space stations, the U.S. agency said last week. The companies that received awards are Blue Origin ($130 million), Nanoracks ($160 million) and Northrop Grumman ($125.6 million).

Two more: Arianespace has successfully launched two more Galileo satellites, growing Europe’s navigation constellation to 28 satellites, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. Soyuz launcher VS-26, operated by Arianespace and commissioned by ESA, lifted off with the pair of 715 kg satellites from French Guiana on 5 December, ESA said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appointed Salem Humaid Al Marri as the new Director-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, the agency said. Al Marri, 39, replaces Yousuf Al Shaibani, who served as the centre's Director-General since 2013. Al Marri was part of the team that set up the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology in 2006

In this Space Café Radio – on tour in Berlin - New Space Initiative Germany – SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening attended the kick-off event of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) New Space initiative in the House of German Industry on 1st Dec 2021. 

Rocket Lab revealed new details about their next generation, 8-ton payload class Neutron launch vehicle. The rocket will provide reliable and cost-effective launch services for satellite mega-constellations, deep space missions and human spaceflight, said Rocket Lab. Neutron is set to be the world’s first carbon composite large launch vehicle.

ArianeGroup has completed a series of tests of the European reusable first stage Themis, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. ArianeGroup performed six tests at its site in Vernon in France to validate the fluidic and electrical processes and sequences of two test propellant tanks; the tanks were filled then drained of cryogenic propellants, ESA reported.

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening caught up with the project manager of RIT2021 and a business developer with a mission to strengthen Luleå University presence in Kiruna Johanna Bergström Roos. Johanna Bergstrom-Roos is employed at LTU Business AB since October 2011 and is working with the Kiruna base.

NASA has expanded its Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program (CSDAP) to include Airbus as the first radar data provider to NASA’s community of researchers and scientists, Airbus announced. The company will help advancing NASA’s science and application goals. Airbus will provide a comprehensive catalog of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation data products to the Agency.

Spire Global announced it has successfully completed the acquisition of exactEarth by way of a plan of arrangement after all closing conditions were met. Spire acquired all of the outstanding common shares of exactEarth for US $1.9592 in cash and 0.1 share of Spire Class A common stock.

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) partners with five associations and 26 companies to establish a new space initiative and strengthen “networking between space, start-ups and industry”, the federation said. "With this new initiative, the BDI wants to send a strong signal of a joint departure in space for Germany and Europe," said BDI CEO Joachim Lang.