Tag Archives: European Space Agency

In this episode of Space Economy Insights, Kevin O'Connell and Dr. Emma Gatti host Fani Kallianou de Jong, Principal in the Climate Strategy and Delivery Team of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Teams from Telespazio, ALTEC and Thales Alenia Space successfully completed the first System Validation Tests (SVTs) this week for the European Space Agency’s reusable Space Rider spacecraft. The ground segment tests aim to validate the interfaces between the ground and flight segment elements. This testing is a key aspect of the Space Rider Phase D activities which began last July. 

Axiom Space announced it plans to launch its third mission, Ax-3, on the 9th of January 2024.  Four commercial astronauts will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.

Researchers are using a human-machine collaborative approach to assess areas of poverty in underdeveloped nations. Providing an accurate assessment of poverty is a global challenge with 53 countries not conducting agricultural surveys in the past 15 years, and 17 countries not publishing a population census. To fill the data gap new technologies are being used to estimate poverty using alternative sources including street views, aerial photos, and satellite images. 

Kayrros, an environmental intelligence company, launched a free version of their Methane Map at COP28. It is an open-access, live map which draws insights from Kayrros’ Methane Watch product. With the new Methane Map, Kayrros aims to make climate data more accessible, and give governments, institutions, investors, insurers and individuals to gain insights at every level, from regional overviews to specific facilities. 

Euclid, a wide-angle space telescope launched in July 2023, after a period of testing and calibrating has released the first images. Euclide is a European mission, built and operated by ESA, with contributions from NASA. The Euclid Consortium – consisting of more than 2000 scientists from 300 institutes across 13 European countries, the US, Canada and Japan – is providing the scientific instruments and scientific data analysis. 

Terran Orbital Corporation, a satellite bus manufacturer based in Florida, announced on the 25th of October that its subsidiary Tyvak International has been chosen as prime contractor under a $4.7 million European Space Agency (ESA) contract. Under the contract the company will be responsible for proximity operation and in-orbit servicing mission that will deploy a nanosatellite spacecraft from Space Rider, the European uncrewed robotic laboratory.

Redwire corporation, an American aerospace manufacturer and space infrastructure technology company, announced on the 23rd of October that it has been awarded a contract with OHB Italia. Redwire will provide the onboard computer for the European Space Agency’s Comet Interceptor mission- Implementation Phase. ESA’s Comet Interceptor will be the first spacecraft to visit a long-period, dynamically new comet or interstellar object. 

Our Space Café WebTalk “33 minutes with Paul Liias – Is space legal in Estonia and why should you come to Tallinn for Halloween?” took place on Tuesday, 17th October 2023. Paul Liias is the Head of Space policy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication. Paul has created the Estonian Space Policy and Program 2020-2027. Today, he is working on Estonian national space legislation and a decentralized e-government solution for Space Traffic Management.

ESA announced the latest focused product release from the Gaia mission. Gaia was launched in 2013 and is mapping our galaxy and beyond in great detail, completing the most accurate stellar census.