Space Sustainability

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, will present its innovative space technologies at the upcoming COP28 in Dubai. One of the conference's primary aims is to address the challenges of global climate change. Yahsat is already working closely with various UAE Government entities and international organisations, including the United Nations. The company also actively commits to providing advanced, affordable, resilient, and reliable solutions that will address the challenges of global climate change. 

The UK is aiming to join Portugal and Spain as a member of the Atlantic Constellation and is contributing a new pathfinder satellite designed and built by a UK-based company adding to the innovative Earth and coastal monitoring and data sharing network. This new commitment will further strengthen the UK’s national capabilities in Earth observation technology and complement the UK’s contributions to the EU Copernicus program, European Space Agency and bilateral missions.

Interstellar Lab, a biotech startup that develops, builds, and operates biofarming solutions on Earth and in Space, has announced its collaboration with Astrolab on a lunar mission named LITTLE PRINCE. The Mission aims to grow flowers on the Moon in transparent controlled-environment plant pods and capture data and pictures of this first step towards making any life multi-planetary. The company partnered with Astrolab to install the payloads on the lunar surface with the FLEX (Flexible Logistics and Exploration) rover. As a result, the LITTLE PRINCE Mission will be part of Astrolab’s Mission 1.

Join us in this episode of Space Cafe Podcast as Markus Mooslechner talks with Andy Rivkin about the thrilling DART mission. As its Lead Investigator, Rivkin offers a rare glimpse into the world of planetary defense, sharing the intricate dance between meticulously executed plans and the unpredictable nature of space exploration. From the collision course with Dimorphos to the anticipation of Hera's future findings, Rivkin’s narrative is a testament to human ingenuity and our relentless pursuit of cosmic knowledge.

The United Arab Emirates, represented by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), is hosting the 2023 edition of the World Radio Conference in the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The conference began yesterday, Monday, November 20 and will continue till 15 December 2023. The conference holds every three to four years to review and, if necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits.

Airbus’ patented Detumbler device launched on Saturday, 11 November and will undergo tests in space on the mission in association with Exotrail and EnduroSat early in 2024. Airbus developed the Detumbler in 2021, with support from the French Space Agency CNES under their Tech4SpaceCare initiative.

Space Data Association has announced The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST) as the recipient of the T.S. Kelso Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety. The EU SST Partnership relies on the SSA capabilities of 15 Member states of the European Union to provide space safety services, with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acting as the Front Desk.

The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defense and Space, and Voyager Space have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ESA Space Summit in Seville, outlining their collaboration for the Starlab space station in the post-International Space Station era. The MoU outlines that the parties intend to foster science and technology development and explore the potential for collaboration in conjunction with post-International Space Station low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has established the "Zero Debris Charter" with the aim of moving towards space safety and sustainability and fostering a community of proactive actors working collectively towards jointly defined ambitions. The charter comes after ESA Member States encouraged the Agency to implement “a Zero Debris approach for its missions and to encourage partners and other actors to pursue similar paths. 

'Space is a shared frontier, not a race.' Wise words from Mani Thiru, head of Space and satellites for Amazon Web Services across Asia Pacific. Mani discusses with Dr Emma Gatti the civil society's role in the space sector, and dives deep into the balance between space progress and sustainability. Watch it now!