Space Exploration

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 26 April - 2 May 2021” .

Following complaints by competitors, the U.S. space agency NASA suspended SpaceX’s work on the Human Landing System (HLS). Pursuant to protests of Blue Origin and Dynetics to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), NASA “instructed SpaceX that progress on the HLS contract has been suspended”, NASA said.

Luxembourg, 3 May 2021. – Lithuania becomes an Associate Member of the European Space Agency (ESA), the agency announced. The Association Agreement between ESA and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania builds on “the successful results achieved under the previous frameworks of cooperation and will enter into force for a duration of seven years”, ESA said.

This is without a doubt the best fundraising moment in history for space startups. Many experts believe that all companies will become space companies, the same way all companies are now tech companies. In 2019, a company called PitchBook published an article entitled

China has successfully launched the core element of its new space station, officials and media reported. The 16.6 meters long core called Tianhe (which means “harmony of the heavens”) was successfully deployed in low Earth orbit. It is the core element of China's T-shaped new space station.

A 100 day track record: “In just the first 100 days of their administration, President Biden and Vice President Harris have expressed strong support for NASA’s goals and missions – and have laid out a vision that will guide the agency for the years to come,” said acting NASA Chief of Staff Bhavya Lal.

Luxembourg, 28 April 2021. – JUICE is on its way: the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) left Airbus’ satellite integration centre in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and is now on its way to the Large Space Simulator (LSS) chamber of ESA in Noordwijk, Netherlands, Airbus said.

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 19 April - 25 April 2021”.

Luxembourg, 27 April 2021. – Elon Musk shocked his audience when he admitted that “a bunch of people will probably die” in the attempt to get to Mars. “You might die, it’s going to be uncomfortable and probably won’t have good food,” Musk told Peter Diamandis, the founder and chairman of the X Prize Foundation for scientific discovery, according to numerous media reports.

Luxembourg, 27 April 2021. – “Faster and farther”: NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity flew a third time, rising five meters high and 50 meters far at a top speed of 2 meters per second, the U.S. space agency said. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California received a first bunch of data and images that the Perseverance rover, serving as a communications base station, captured.