Space Missions

UK Science Minister, Chris Skidmore,  has announced that new national space funding worth £7 million will ensure UK scientists play a leading role in a new space weather mission. The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission will study how the solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere, which …

The UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has adopted the National Space Strategy 2030 during its meeting at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi. The Cabinet meeting was attended by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al …

NSR’s In-Orbit Servicing Markets, 2nd Edition (IoSM2) report forecasts $4.5 billion in cumulative revenues from In-Orbit Satellite Services by 2028. While growth is anticipated across all applications in all orbits, GEO satellite life extension will yield the largest share of revenues. As more LEO constellations start to launch, NGEO players …

The 358th session of the Centre national d’études spatiales’ (CNES) Board of Directors was held at the agency’s Head Office in Paris Les Halles on 12 March 2019. On this occasion, the Board gave the go-ahead for the CO3D project and reviewed the agency’s programmatic activities. Succeeding the stereoviewing capability …

The development programme of the world’s first air-breathing rocket engine from UK-based Reaction Engines, has taken an additional significant step forward, which will lead to major testing milestones being undertaken within the next 18 months. ESA, together with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) recently reviewed the preliminary design of the …

By Dr. Bleddyn Bowen SpaceWatch.Global is delighted to welcome Bleddyn Bowen as its latest columnist. Bleddyn will be contributing his column every quarter. 2018 saw a watershed in the general awareness and profile of space policy in mass media, policymaking arenas, and public awareness, and 2019 shows little sign yet of being …

In the presence of France’s Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu, Jean-Pascal Le Franc, Centre national d’etudes spatiales (CNES) Director of Planning, International Relations, and Quality, and Valanathan Munsami, CEO of the South African National Space …

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced their agreement on 12 March 2019 to consider the possibility of collaborating on international space exploration. As a first step, JAXA and Toyota have reached agreement to further cooperate on and accelerate their ongoing joint study of a …

France and Australia held ministerial-level meetings on science and innovation in Canberra, Australia, on 27-28 February 2019. The French delegation included France’s Minister for Higher Education, Research, and Innovation Frédérique Vidal and the heads of the French national scientific research centre CNRS, the French national institute for health and medical …

Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall and Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), signed an agreement on 6 March 2019 in Bengaluru to implement the short-term plan for the French-Indian programme to develop a maritime surveillance system. This signature follows on from …