Space Missions

The German Bundeswehr (Federal Defense) has awarded Polaris a contract to build and flight-test a scaled demonstrator of its Aurora space launch and hypersonic system, Polaris reported. The vehicle is a downscaled version of the future spaceplane powered by a reusable liquid-fuel rocket engine.

ESA announced the suspension of the ExoMars programme in alignment with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States. ESA’s ruling Council assessed the situation that the war in Ukraine caused with regards to ExoMars, and came to a unanimous decision. The Council came to the conclusion that it was impossible to keep cooperating with Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 50th episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast #050: Hansjörg Dittus, about Europe's Role in Space (an honest discussion). Hansjörg Dittus served for many years on the board of the German Aerospace Center. Against the backdrop of dramatic developments in the crisis with Russia,

A new €1 billion fund called “Cassini” was announced at the last European Space Conference, this fund will help to boost start-ups and space innovation, including supporting the plans for a more comprehensive strategy on developing European space launch vehicles.

Space supplier RUAG Space has rebranded as Beyond Gravity to focus outward and position the space unit prominently on the markets, the company said. Beyond Gravity, which has around 1,600 employees, will launch an incubator in the summer to bring innovations to the market in cooperation with start-ups. 

Astra launched its Rocket 3.3 vehicle from Alaska on Kodiak Island, successfully placing several payloads into sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 525 km. An attempt the previous day had to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions. The liftoff and ascent went as planned, however, there was no immediate confirmation of payload separation.

The world's largest cargo plane by length and weight was severely damaged when Russians attacked Gostomel airport near Kyiv, Ukraine reported. The aircraft was used to transport Ariane rocket components, airlift aid during crises in other countries and transport medical supplies.

NASA said it was ready to roll out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket tomorrow for a fueling and countdown rehearsal. The SLS with Orion mounted on it will be transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center to Launch Complex 39B. It will take approximately 11 hours  for the spacecraft to reach the pad.

SpaceChain is opening an office in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi to mark its foray into the burgeoning space sector in the Middle East, the company said. The new office is located at Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem. Its aim is to focus on the planning and development of integrated space-blockchain projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

SAR data provider Iceye, and Fermat Capital Management, an investment manager in the insurance-linked securities, announced a strategic collaboration in which Iceye will provide Fermat with near real-time flood hazard data and support research and development into other natural perils.