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LuxIMPULSE has awarded NorthStar Earth & Space a contract to accelerate Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services launching later in 2023. LuxIMPULSE is the national space program in Luxembourg for the promotion of research, development, and innovation. It is managed by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) with the European Space Agency (ESA) to support companies established in Luxembourg. The contract has been funded by the Government of Luxembourg through an ESA contract.   

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) announced on the 7th of September that the SFL-built GHGSat greenhouse gas monitoring microsatellites have achieved sustained detection and measurement of methane emissions at double the design capacity of the satellite. SFL developed all nine operational 15 kg GHGSat spacecraft on its NEMO microsatellite bus. 

The UK can now participate in Horizon Europe and Copernicus programs through a bespoke new agreement with the EU. The deal that the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, secured comes with improved financial terms for the UK's participation. It allows UK researchers to apply for grants and bid to take part in projects under the Horizon program, with certainty that the UK will be participating as a fully associated member for the remaining life of the program to 2027.

Welcome to Space Factor, the new  podcast mini-series presented by SpaceWatch.Global in collaboration with Dassault Systèmes Italia, the leading agency supporting the creation, simulation and production of space systems. Our aim is to connect space leaders with aspiring students and innovative thinkers in the Italian space sector. We have chosen to produce Space Factor in Italian to foster a local and direct approach to discussing space and its societal benefits.

NuSpace announced on the 5th of September that it has successfully launched its Internet of Things (IoT) satellite, NuLIoN and deployed Oxford Space Systems’ deployable helical antenna. The small CubeSat represents NuSpace’s commitment to providing large-scale sensor-to-satellite connectivity throughout Southeast Asia aiming to provide IoT applications at any time. The mission is a step towards NuSpace’s ambitions to establish a global IoT constellation.

ESA’s new Ariane 6 launch vehicle, consisting of its upper and core stage, has been fuelled up and its core stage engine fired. The Vulcain 2.1 engine was ignited on the launch page, and fired for four seconds before switching off and its liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuels were drained to their separate underground tanks. These tests are the continuation of an earlier test on the 18th of July.

The 6th CASSINI Hackathon, titled “Space for International Development and Humanitarian Aid,” is gearing up to tackle pressing global issues with innovative solutions. The event hosted by N3XTCODER in Germany will take place from November 3rd to 5th across 11 locations in Europe. The Hackathon will focus on innovative solutions to advance international development and humanitarian aid. 

Astrobotic have begun work on two NASA Small Business Innovation Research contracts that will further research on lunar plume-surface interactions (PSI), a key area of risk and uncertainty for lunar landing. This testing will generate valuable new data about how lunar dust stirred up by a lander's rocket plumes will affect landing systems, onboard payloads, landing sites, and nearby surface infrastructure on upcoming missions. The first project, 'Floatinator,' aims to control and eliminate a significant testing variable – namely, Earth gravity – that has limited ground-based lunar PSI tests.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. announced it signed a multi-launch agreement with L3Harris Technologies [NYSE: LHX] for three dedicated launches on Firefly's Alpha vehicle in 2026. The agreement further encourages Firefly, a small-lift launch services company, to ramp up production of its Alpha vehicle to support the growing needs of both Government and commercial customers. Firefly will provide rapid launch capabilities for L3Harris to achieve direct access to low Earth orbit at a lower cost and support the responsive space needs of the U.S. Government. The three missions will launch from Firefly's SLC-2 launch site at the Vandenberg Space Force Base.

In August 2023, start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa region raised over $76 million through 18 deals, reports ArabNews. In the broader Middle East, Africa and Pakistan region $139 million has been raised across 46 deals in the same period according to venture data research firm MAGNiTT.