Space Exploration

Thales Alenia Space will build two modules of the Axiom Space Station, “the world’s first commercial space station”. Thales and Axiom Space signed a contract for the development of the two elements that are scheduled for launch in 2024 and 2025 respectively, and will be docked to the International Space Station (ISS). The value of the contract is € 110 million.

Masten Space Systems, the Californian Moon and Mars mission specialist, will develop a positioning and navigation network for the Moon, the company said. Masten was awarded a Phase II contract, through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, “to develop and demonstrate a lunar positioning and navigation network prototype”, the company founded in 2004 said.

The U.S. space agency NASA and Northrop Grumman of Dulles, Virginia, concluded their contract to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for the Moon gateway, NASA said. As part of NASA’s Artemis program, HALO will be a critical way station and outpost in the orbit around the Moon. The firm, fixed-price contract is valued at $935 million, NASA said.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and ERC Space and Robotic Events, we have been granted permission to publish content regarding the European Rover Challenge 2021. We are pleased to present “European Rover Challenge 2021 with two formulas and a Martian volcano”.

They will try again: Israel’s SpaceIL, the company that lost the Beresheet satellite on the Moon two years ago, raised $70 million for its second mission in 2024, media reports and SpaceIL said. SpaceIL estimates the total cost of the mission at $100 million.

He made it: Sir Richard Branson and three colleagues from his space company Virgin Galactic took the round trip to the edge of space. Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity successfully reached space yesterday, completing the company’s fourth rocket-powered spaceflight.

Secure World Foundation (SWF) successfully concluded its third annual Summit for Space Sustainability this past month (June 22-24, 2021), marking yet another milestone in what is becoming a marquee tradition for the space community. Even though this year’s event had to be virtual, SWF once again managed to create an engaging and interactive platform

More Boeing in Bavaria: MT Aerospace partners with Boeing to supply solutions for Boeing’s commercial, defense and space programs over the next few years, the OHB affiliate said. Both companies signed a partnership agreement to further diversify and expand MT Aerospace’s supplier activities for Boeing, the company based in Augsburg, Germany, said.

The Israeli startup medical company providing remote neurological monitoring through a smartphone application is among the selected few technologies that will go into space in early 2022. The Ax1 team’s “Rakia” (Sky) mission led by Axiom Space, the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology,

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 31st episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast: Ian Carnelli, Preparing for the worst. Episode 031 features a special guest Ian Carnelli. Next year, a small spacecraft will head for the double asteroid Didymos to slam into it with its brakes off.