Tag Archives: Europe

Africa, much like the US, Europe, and China, has demonstrated its interest in using space as a means to a societal end. In Africa’s case, the continent has awakened to how space, specifically space science and technology, can assist in addressing Africa’s social and economic challenges. The way the African Space Strategy puts it, Africa needs “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena." The rapid global development of spatial activities is a nifty representation of the fact that the same awakening happened in other parts of the world way before Africa. This may mean that Africa is late to the party, but perhaps it's more encouraging to see it as Africa being able to learn the best model for space development from other more advanced spacefaring nations.

by Christophe Bosquillon   At most conferences, there’s always the excuse of a plane to catch if you want to skip that last lunch keynote address. In the case of the latest von Braun Space Symposium thou, it would have been ill-advised. Mike Griffin delivered a compelling call to arms …

The Independent Enquiry Commission, set up by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, has concluded its findings on the test anomaly during the static firing test of the modified Zefiro40 engine. The Director General set up the Enquiry Commission to understand the cause of the test anomaly and propose recommendations. The ESA Inspector General, Giovanni Colangelo, chaired the Commission, which also comprised experts from CNES, ASI, ESA, Arianespace and academia.

Vodafone and Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) communications initiative, announced a collaboration through which Vodafone and Vodacom plan to use Project Kuiper’s network to extend the reach of 4G/5G services to more of their customers in Europe and Africa. In addition, Vodafone and Vodacom plan to use Project Kuiper’s high-bandwidth, low-latency satellite network to bring the benefits of 4G/5G connectivity to areas that may otherwise be challenging and prohibitively expensive to serve via traditional fiber or microwave solutions.

A bold ambition for Europe in space exploration has received enthusiastic support from politicians, business leaders, and independent experts from across Europe at an event held today in Vienna. Delegates discussed the immense international, economic, and societal importance of space exploration for Europe – and how to establish the way forward.

CS GROUP has announced that it has finalized the acquisition of 100% of the capital of HE Space, a space engineering company, strengthening its European presence. 

The European Parliament has greenlit the new network of European Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) telecommunication satellites. The Parliament endorsed the network with 603 votes to 6 and 39 abstentions, and the text will undergo formal adoption by the Council before its signature and publication in the Official Journal. As a result, the network will be active from 2024. 

Director-General Timo Pesonen on behalf of the European Commission signed a Copernicus Cooperation Arrangement with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan.

This is the second part of an op-end article reflecting the EuroDefense network ongoing work from several national chapters with the objective to recommend a common ambitious high-level vision for European advancement in the Space Domain as it proves critical to Europe’s prosperity, security and defence.   Europe should build a space strategic culture that accentuates its strengths, minimizes its weaknesses and articulates and justifies its goals to the world and to itself.

The least we can say is that 2022 has been an eventful year on the world stage, and with no doubt, space took a major part in the headlines. From global environmental challenges to the sudden perception of a war fought Europe's backyard, the space domain and its technology have suddenly reached a level of public awareness and public utility never experienced before. What have we learned from the year that has just gone by, and what still needs to be addressed?