BRUSSELS, 23 December 2020 (Airbus PR) — The European Commission has selected a consortium of European satellite manufacturers, operators and service providers, telco operators and launch service providers to study the design, development and launch of a European-owned space-based communication system.

The study will assess the feasibility of a new initiative aiming to strengthen European digital sovereignty and provide secure connectivity for citizens, commercial enterprises and public institutions as well as providing global coverage for rural and ‘not-spot’ areas. Complementing Copernicus and Galileo, this new EU flagship programme, once given the green light, would fully exploit the synergies of the technological potential akin to the Digital and Space industries. The contract value of the year-long feasibility study amounts to € 7.1 million.

LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg Space Agency PR) — On 10 December two new laws enhancing Luxembourg’s legal framework for space activities authorisation and supervision were submitted to Parliament for approval. The legislation responds to a growth and diversification of activities carried out by space players, especially from private industry.

The Chamber of Deputies unanimously voted the law on the approval of the Convention of the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (draft law n° 7270) and the Law on Space Activities (draft law n° 7317) was passed by 58 votes in favour and 2 against.

Axiom Space is developing a private space station, beginning with modules that will be attached to the International Space Station (ISS). The company is also planning to fly a private mission to ISS next year using a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle.

• Lunar Ascent will offer ride-share to lunar orbit 
• Organizations can place payloads starting at $US200,000 per kg 
• The Lunar Ascent mission is rapidly securing supporters including Deloitte, NSW & SA Governments

SYDNEY, Australia (Lunar Ascent PR) — Spacecraft for Australia’s first moon mission, Lunar Ascent, will be built by Australian aerospace pioneers Space Machines Company. Manufacturing will take place at a facility in Mascot close to the airport that Space Machines Company has identified as a suitable site. 

The mission will offer “ride-sharing” to organisations seeking to place payloads – for example, imaging or communications satellites in lunar orbit. Interested parties are able to book cargo starting at around US$200,000 per kg. This is one third less expensive than the US-based competition.

ELCHE, Spain (EMXYS PR) — EMXYS and the Royal Observatory of Belgium have been selected by the European Space Agency to provide a gravimeter for the Juventas spacecraft that will land on asteroid Dimorphos as part of the European Space Agency’s planetary defence programme.

• Letter of intent signed in anticipation of sales agency agreement
• The first step towards the social implementation of a device developed with the aim to create a sustainable space environment

TOKYO (Space BD PR) — Space BD Inc., the leading space startup in Japan that provides access to space using the International Space Station (ISS) Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” and rideshares on Japan’s flagship launch vehicle “H3”, and ALE, with the mission to make space closer for people announced that they concluded a Letter of Intent (LOI) on 26th August 2020 towards a global Sales Agency Agreement for the space debris prevention component utilizing ElectroDynamic Tether (EDT).

Virgin Orbit Program Updatevia Twitter Update from Mojave: as our teammates cleared their preventative quarantines, we got back into our pre-launch operations. Sunday and Monday, we completed our final wet dress rehearsal — the last big test we had planned prior to our launch. Our policies around social distancing were strict before, but we’ve since implemented even more extreme measures to ensure the health and safety of our team. A […]

SPARKS, Nev., December 22, 2022 (SNC PR) – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security company owned by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, is leveraging decades of expertise in navigation and guidance systems to develop enhanced vision technology for space applications, including moon and planetary landings.

“Navigation and landing systems, and collision avoidance, are really a sweet spot for SNC,” said SNC’s CEO Fatih Ozmen. “So much of what we have learned from our national security programs about sensor processing, display rendering techniques and pilot perception – how to display information effectively to safely guide a pilot – is directly applicable to crewed and uncrewed landings on the moon or Mars.”

CEDAR PARK, Texas, December 23, 2020 (Firefly Aerospace PR) – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a leading provider of economical and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, and Adaptive Launch Solutions (ALS), a designer of multi-manifest hardware, avionics and sequencers, and an integrator of single and multiple satellites, today announced they have signed a multi-year Launch Services Agreement (LSA) which includes four Alpha launches beginning in 2021.

“Small launch provides small satellite owners right sized, right priced access to space meeting their program and business goals,” said Phil Smith, CEO of ALS. “Our agreement with Firefly Aerospace will provide the flexibility and responsiveness demanded by government operators and commercial owners. Under the agreement, ALS is the launch service provider for Alpha Flights 2 and 3, planned for launch in 2021. These two missions offer our customers the earliest commercial launch opportunities on Firefly Alpha. ALS brings to our Firefly partnership decades of launch integration experience, most recently utilized on the United States Space Force (USSF) Launch Manifest Systems Integrator (LMSI) program. The LMSI program team delivers capabilities and integration approaches that establish U.S. government enterprise-wide capability for small satellite delivery to space.”

DENVER, DECEMBER 23, 2020 (Nanoracks PR) – Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. (Voyager), a global leader in space exploration, today announced its intent to acquire a majority stake in XO Markets and its largest subsidiary  Nanoracks. 

Nanoracks is the world’s leading provider of commercial space services, offering low-cost, high-quality solutions to the most pressing needs for satellite deployment and basic and educational research in more than 30 nations worldwide. As part of the transaction, Voyager will be infusing significant growth capital into the business to support the continued growth of Nanoracks utilization of the International Space Station, on behalf of itself and its customers, and the Nanoracks  Space Outpost Program for private space platforms.