Tag Archives: European Commission

In this  Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global Editor in Chief Dr. Emma Gatti spoke with Savino Ruà,  International Relations Officer at DG DEFIS (European Commission) and  Cecilia Donati, Policy Officer Digital and Space for Development at DG INTPA (European Commission) about the recent NewSpace Africa Conference 2023, which took place in Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, between the 26th and 27th of April 2023.

A group of European Space and Telecommunications players have come together to form a partnership to respond to the European Commission’s call for tender related to the future European satellite constellation IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). IRIS² aims to bring a new secure and resilient connectivity infrastructure to European governments, businesses and citizens.  

ThrustMe , a French deep tech company, announced on the 17th of April that their NPT30-I2 iodine fueled electric propulsion system as part of the NorSat-TD satellite was successfully launched. ThrustMe designs miniaturized aerospace thrusters for small satellites, increasing the life of satellites and making them more affordable. The Norwegian Space Agency’s NorSat-TD satellite was onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) has renewed the mandates of the current Chair of the EUSPA Administrative Board, Mr. Vaclav Kobera, and Deputy Chair, Mr. Juan Manuel Codosero Bolaños, for another two-year term after a unanimous vote.

The European Commission and the High Representative have developed the first-ever EU Space Strategy for Security and Defense in response to identifying space as a strategic domain in the Strategic Compass. In the current geopolitical context of increasing power competition and intensifying threats, the EU is taking action to protect its space assets, defend its interests, deter hostile activities in space, and strengthen its strategic posture and autonomy.

The European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission, and Promus Ventures have joined efforts for a Space Index which Euronext will launch, develop, and maintain. This is the first Euronext European space-related index to measure the stock market performance of European companies in the space sector. Through the partnership, the European Commission, ESA, and Promus Ventures intend to provide their expert advice in their respective areas of activity to Euronext in relation to the index.

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Marco Ferrazzani - ESA Ministerial Meeting of 2022, the outcomes and the way forward” took place on Tuesday, 29th November. Marco Ferrazzani is the Senior Legal Counsel and Head of the Legal Services department at the European Space Agency (ESA), based at its headquarters in Paris. He is an advisor to the ESA Director General and to the ESA Council. He sits on a number of boards including those of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL).

Space systems have become critical enablers for a wide variety of applications which are of paramount importance to the functioning of national and regionally/globally integrated economies, as well as the operations of Armed Forces.

The International Space University (ISU) is organizing the French Edition of the 4th CASSINI Hackathon. The hackathon will hold from 4-6 November 2022 and is co-organised by the European Commission and EUSPA. It will feature topics related to "Space and the Financial World."