Space

Orbex has announced the appointment of two technology and space sector experts as its new CEO and Executive Chair. Scale-up expert Phillip Chambers will consequently be joining Orbex as its new Chief Executive Officer, and Miguel Belló Mora will be leaving his post as Director General of the Spanish Space Agency to join as Executive Chair.

The possible cause of Peregrine spacecrafts's propulsion anomaly might be a valve between the helium pressurant and the oxidizer, which might have failed to reseal after actuation during inizialization, Astrobotic announced on their X channel. 

NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have announced plans for MBRSC to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station that will orbit the Moon. Under a new implementing arrangement expanding their human spaceflight collaboration with NASA through Gateway, MBRSC will provide Gateway’s Crew and Science Airlock module, as well as a UAE astronaut to fly to the lunar space station on a future Artemis mission.

Rivada Space Networks has partnered with Wiseband, an Emirati satellite services company, to bring secure connectivity solutions to the Middle East region. Based in UAE and operating across the Middle East and Africa, Wiseband provides customized private satellite networking solutions to meet high-performance and stringent security requirements. The company currently has connectivity projects in UAE, KSA, Kuwait and Egypt.

NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. has announced the launch window of the first four of its SSA satellites with Rocket Lab from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand for the “Four Of A Kind” mission no earlier than 18th January between 06:15-07:00 UTC. The launch results from intense collaboration between NorthStar and its partners Spire Global, launch service provider Rocket Lab and mission integration and deployment specialists Exolaunch.

Astrobotic has launched its Peregrine Lunar Lander aboard United Launch Alliance (ULA)'s inaugural Vulcan-1 rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41. The Peregrine Lander mission represents the US's first soft landing on the lunar surface since the Apollo missions. Likewise, for ULA, the launch serves as the launcher's first certification mission first of two certification launches that the Vulcan rocket has to complete before it can be put under consideration for national security space missions. Other than Astrobotic's lander, Vulcan also launched Celestis Memorial Spaceflight's deep space Voyager mission, the Enterprise Flight.

Space Systems Command (SSC) has renewed its partnership with the Microsoft Corporation to apply the latest commercial innovations to Space Force missions. The Integrated, Immersive, Intelligent Environment (I3E) is a follow-on to the Immersive Digital Facility (IDF) prototype successfully developed earlier this year. The I3E contract is worth $19.8 million and has a one-year period of performance starting Dec. 1 and reserved scope for an additional three years.

NASA has modified agreements for two funded commercial space station partners that are on track to develop low Earth orbit destinations for NASA and other customers as the International Space Station retires in 2030. The changes add new technical milestones and reallocate existing funding to allow the agency to accelerate efforts as part of NASA’s goal to foster a commercial low-Earth orbit economy.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #97:  Building the perfect telescope: Giuseppe Racca and the Quest for the Dark Universe with ESA’s Euclid. In this engaging episode of the Space Cafe Podcast, Markus converses with Giuseppe Racca, the key figure behind the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid mission. As a seasoned expert with extensive experience at ESTEC, Racca provides deep insights into the mission's goal to unravel the enigmatic forces of dark matter and dark energy. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of leading a major space exploration project and shares his passion for astrophysics and the pursuit of cosmic knowledge.

Maxar Intelligence has announced the receipt of a contract to provide the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) with a Precision3DTM Data Suite bundle covering 160,000 square kilometers within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. As a result, the commercial 3D data from Maxar will support the work of NGA’s Office of Geomatics, which maintains accurate 3D GEOINT products in support of a diverse group of military and civilian customers.