Policy and Law

In this episode of Space Café Radio, SpaceWatch.Global’s publisher Torsten Kriening, has an insightful conversation with Stewart Bain, Founder and CEO of NorthStar Earth and Space, during Euroconsult's 26th World Satellite Business Week in Paris.

Yahsat Government Solutions (“YGS”), the Government services arm of the Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC, have announced that the UAE Government granted the company an Authorization to Proceed (“ATP”) to provide satellite capacity and manage services for 17 years. Furthermore, this mandate, valued at AED 18.7 billion (USD 5.1 billion), combines related operations, maintenance and technology management services of ground segment satellite systems and terminals currently provided under a separate contract.

The Artemis II crew and teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program have successfully completed the first in a series of integrated ground system tests at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for their mission around the Moon. To prepare for their trip to space, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, practiced the procedures they would undergo on launch day.

In this Space Café Radio -  SpaceWatch.Global's Rika Valluri spoke with Haji Azlikamil Bin Napiah, the Director General of Malaysia Space Agency - MYSA. The Director General spoke to us about the agency's involvement in their new space exploration plan, the push for international collaborations, and a focus on downstream applications. Today's episode is in partnership with DUET Global, a consulting company focused on the developing space ecosystem in Asia.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced that the company experienced an issue during the launch of its 41st mission. Following lift-off from Launch Complex 1, the rocket successfully completed a first-stage burn and stage separation as planned before it experienced an issue at around T+ 2 minutes and 30 seconds into flight, resulting in the end of the mission. In addition, Rocket Lab's telemetry data, which the company provided during the livestream of Tuesday's launch, showed the velocity of the rocket's upper stage decreasing shortly after its single Rutherford engine was supposed to kick on. 

Space Systems Command’s Assured Access to Space (AATS) office have awarded a $15 million contract to ABL Space Systems to demonstrate responsive launch capability. The Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, part of AATS, awarded the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Strategic Funding Initiative (StratFI) to develop a launch mission design that incorporates planning for numerous satellites to multiple orbits from a variety of locations and conduct a proof-of-concept responsive launch.

Margit Mischkulnig, Austria's foremost figure in space affairs, heads the Space Department at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK). She brings expertise in economics and industrial policy to the dynamic world of politics. In the fast-paced arena of politics, brevity is key, and Margit's approach, "get to the point," is well-suited for the Department for Space Affairs.

GMV, a multinational technology company, have successfully concluded ground validation tests for a space robot designed to assemble structures in Earth’s orbit as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) MIRROR project (Multi-arm Installation Robot for Readying ORUS and Reflectors). Furthermore, the MIRROR robot can assemble large structures in orbit using smaller modules that fit in the launch systems available today, paving the way for new applications such as orbital solar power stations, large-scale telescopes, antennas, and more.

Euroconsult, a global space and satellite strategy consulting and market intelligence firm in collaboration with The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology of Oman (MTCIT), have announced that it will hold a conference to promote space in the Middle East and the country’s role as a strategic gateway for attracting investments in space applications and technologies into the region. The conference will run from January 8th-10th next year. 

Germany became the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords on the 14th of September, reports Reuters. The Artemis Accords are a US-led multilateral agreement to establish norms of behaviour in space and on the lunar surface. Germany became the latest signatory at the German ambassador’s residence in Washington. The event was attended by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Walther Pelzer, head of the Germany Space Agency.