Space Exploration

In this Space Café Radio – SpaceWatch.Global Event coordinator and Space Café Young Global Talents Host Chiara Moenter spoke with Robert Meisner, Earth Observation Outreach and Φ-Experience coordinator at ESA, at the Living Planet Symposium in Bonn. This symposium is the world’s largest Earth Observation conference.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #059 - Günther Hasinger, the James Webb Space Telescope and surprising confessions of an ESA director. Even seasoned ESA directors have emotions when it comes to groundbreaking moments like the launch and commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope.

In-Orbit communications company, Solstar Space (Solstar) will provide the Wireless Access Points (WAP) to be used on NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module planned for launch in 2024, the company announced along with aerospace and defense technology company, Northrop Grumman.

After Dimirty Rogozin had been removed as head of Roscosmos, NASA announced it signed an agreement with Roscosmos to exchange seats on spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) from September. NASA says that “integrated crews,” with Russian cosmonauts on Crew Dragon spacecraft and American astronauts on Soyuz spacecraft, are essential to safe ISS operations.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, dismissed Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, from his duties. Rogozin’s public statements that have brought international criticism for years. The new Director General of Roscosmos State Corporation will be Yuri Borisov.

Saudi Arabia is the newest country to join the Artemis Accords, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable space exploration for the benefit of all mankind guided by a common set of principles, NASA said. The Accords was signed by the CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

CEO of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Dr Alice Bunn OBE, has been named as the new President of UKspace, the trade association of the British space industry, the institution said. She takes over the role from Will Whitehorn from September. Dr Bunn joined IMechE a year ago; prior to that, she served as the UK Space Agency’s International Director.

Imagine walking on a remote beach away from the polluting lights of a city. You look up and see thousands upon thousands of stars blanketing the heavens, bisected by the pale glow of our Milky Way—the galactic disc in which we live. You pick up a grain of sand and hold it at arms’ length to cover a minuscule portion of the night sky. What might lie in that tiny patch?

SpaceX’s first orbital Starship vehicle’s booster test ended in an anomalous fire originating from the base of the vehicle. The pad was cleared of personnel at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported. Super Heavy Booster 7 was tested at SpaceX’s Starbase complex at Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX was planning on conducting a spin start test of the engines, which did not involve ignition.

ESA set up a 12-member advisory group to provide decision-makers with independent and objective geopolitical, economic and societal assessments regarding the agency's human and robotic space exploration. The group comprises eight men and five women from political, economic, academic and explorer backgrounds.