Space Missions

The Governments of Australia and the United States of America have signed an agreement formalizing the Technology Safeguards Agreement between both countries. As a result, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) will allow US companies to carry out space launch activities in Australia and protect US technology, including rockets and satellites. The agreement signing occurred as part of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the United States.

Qosmosys has announced a seed funding round of US$100 million to expedite its strategic goals and fortify its position as a premier private player in the burgeoning Moon economy. As a result, the Company will leverage the funding for the development of its lunar transportation vehicle, ZeusX, along with complementary technologies aimed at serving a range of lunar applications.

A special moment took place at the SPACETIDE conference in early July 2023 in Tokyo and online. When Takeshi Hakamada and Masayasu Ishida sat down together to reminisce their humble beginnings, the sentiment was palpable. Both had come a long way: Hakamada-san, Co-Founder & CEO of iSpace (2010), recovering from a Moon hard landing, yet looking forward confidently to the success of their next lunar mission. And Ishida-san, Co-Founder, President & CEO, member of the Board of Directors of the SPACETIDE Foundation (2015) , taking stock of the Foundation’s growth experienced in less than a decade. 

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Axiom Space have signed an agreement to set out plans for the two organizations to work together to pursue a commercially sponsored UK astronaut mission. On this future flight, the UK astronauts would launch to space, spending up to two weeks in orbit to carry out scientific research, demonstrate new technologies, and participate in education and outreach activities.

The Senegalese Space Study Agency/Agence Sénégalaise d’Etudes Spatiale (ASES) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have formally expressed their mutual intent to collaborate based on a mutual commitment to harnessing the power of space technology for the socio-economic advancement of Senegal, according to Space in Africa. The agreement happened under the auspices of the just-concluded AU-EU Dialogue in Dakar, Senegal.

Southern Launch, an Australian rocket launch and range service provider company have announced the signing of a Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the US. The agreement will allow for the transfer of US Space Technology including rockets and satellites to be launched from, or returned to Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Joe Biden signed the TSA during Prime Minister Albanese’s first official state visit to the US. The agreement must still be ratified by the Australian parliament.

United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, plans to launch the inaugural flight of its Vulcan rocket on Christmas Eve, reports CNBC. Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA, spoke at the CNBC Technology Executive Council Summit where he shared that the target window will run from the 24th to 26th of December. Currently, ULA is working to build and qualify the upper stage of the rocket which is expected to be completed in November. If the December window is missed the launch will be moved to January. 

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has announced that it has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resume Electron launches from Launch Complex 1. The authorization comes after Rocket Lab experienced an in-flight anomaly on September 19th during the Company’s 41st Electron launch and the FAA has now confirmed that Rocket Lab’s launch license remains active, which is the first step to enable launches to resume

China has successfully launched its Shenzhou-17 mission, carrying three astronauts to its Tiangong space station for a six-month-long mission. The flight crew comprised astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, with Tang Hongbo serving as the commander aboard the Long March 2F Yaoqiu 17 rocket.

Terran Orbital Corporation, a satellite bus manufacturer based in Florida, announced on the 25th of October that its subsidiary Tyvak International has been chosen as prime contractor under a $4.7 million European Space Agency (ESA) contract. Under the contract the company will be responsible for proximity operation and in-orbit servicing mission that will deploy a nanosatellite spacecraft from Space Rider, the European uncrewed robotic laboratory.