HELSINKI, Finland, November 17, 2021 (ICEYE PR) – ICEYE, the global leader in persistent monitoring with radar satellite imaging and a provider of flood hazard data, today announced a new collaboration with Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, to provide insurers with flood hazard data following severe flooding events in Japan, helping them to reduce volatility and better understand the post-event impact on their portfolios.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Japan experiences an average of three typhoon landfalls and several flood events annually. In 2018 and 2019, the country was subject to three of the five largest wind and flood insurance losses in Japan’s history, with insurers settling claims of more than $30 billion over the two-year period.

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA has assigned astronaut Jessica Watkins to serve as a mission specialist on the agency’s upcoming SpaceX Crew-4 mission, the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.

This will be Watkins’ first trip to space following her selection as an astronaut in 2017. Watkins joins NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Robert Hines, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, as a crew member for the Crew-4 mission.

The partnership builds on a recent agreement between G42 and Yahsat to develop geospatial analytics-as-a-service and data fusion of different sensor modalities.

Dubai, UAE, November 17, 2021 (ICEYE PR) – G42, the leading Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company and ICEYE, a Finnish Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite and analytics provider, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing advanced SAR products.

The collaboration was formalized at a signing ceremony by Talal Al Kaissi, VP of the G42 Space Program and Jamil Kawar, Director of Global Sales at ICEYE, on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow.

HOUSTON, November 17, 2021 (Axiom Space PR) – Axiom Space, a leader in human spaceflight and human-rated space infrastructure, announced today the research underpinning its historic Ax-1 mission targeted for launch to the International Space Station in February 2022. On the first fully private mission to ever visit the ISS, the multinational crew of four private astronauts with Axiom’s Michael López-Alegría as commander will pioneer a new phase of microgravity utilization amongst non-government entities – laying the groundwork for a full realization of low-Earth orbit’s possibilities and bringing critical findings back down to Earth.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., November 16, 2021 (SCOUT Inc. PR) — The US Government’s formation of the US Space Force definitively established its commitment to space domain awareness (SDA), but only recently has it cast its focus to commercial innovative SDA. SCOUT Inc. is proud to announce that the Air Force Research Lab, via AFWERX, made a tangible commitment to revolutionary SDA capabilities with a Phase I SBIR contract awarded this month. SCOUT will work under contract to improve detection, tracking, and identification of resident space objects by fusing ground- and space-based sensor data.

SCOUT is supported in this effort by Kayhan Space, another startup focused on space situational awareness and collision avoidance technologies. Eric Ingram, the CEO, and co-founder of SCOUT, spoke of the partnership between SCOUT and Kayhan: “Kayhan Space is a provider of actionable orbital traffic management solutions, and will help us deliver better SDA data even faster.” 

• Fleet Space Technologies attracts $26.4m (USD) investment valuing company at $126m (USD)
• Series B Round oversubscribed
• Investment confirms confidence in Fleet Space advanced satellite technology 
• Tech drives radical Internet of Things (IoT) efficiencies 
• Investment is firm commitment to Australia’s rapidly emerging space industry  
• Investment creates 70 new jobs, including many desirable STEM positions 

ADELAIDE, Australia (Fleet Space Technologies PR) — Fleet Space Technologies announces that it has secured $26.4m (USD) in investment, valuing the company at $126 million (USD). This represents a major step forward for Fleet Space Technologies, which is committed to creating the world’s most advanced low-power satellite network, securing planet-wide coverage for millions of compatible Internet of Things (IoT) devices by using its in-house Nanosatellite technology. This funding will underpin significant expansion in Fleet Space’s manufacturing footprint and will expand the company’s highly skilled workforce. 

SEATTLE, November 17, 2021 (Orbite PR) –– Orbite, the premier space training company for ultimate adventurers, has partnered with world-renowned French creator Philippe Starck to design its state-of-the-art Astronaut Training and Spaceflight Gateway Complex in a to-be-announced, U.S.-based location. The revolutionary facility will reimagine preparation for the human spaceflight experience and provide space explorers with the tools and training needed to maximize the impact and enjoyment of their journey. 

The complex will include cutting edge training spaces and equipment, the highest level of amenities for extended training and pre-mission quarantine, and other immersive experiences for individuals to learn more about and prepare for space travel. The development of the Astronaut  Training and Spaceflight Gateway Complex enables Orbite to deliver on its core mission of holistically preparing individuals to experience and explore space safely. 

KOUROU, French Guiana (ESA PR) — Arianespace announced liftoff of Vega’s twentieth flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 9:27 GMT (10:27 CET; 06:27 local time). Vega delivered three CERES payloads for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Each payload is equipped with high-performance sensors. Flying in formation in low Earth orbit, they will offer all-weather observation, daily revisit frequency, and can collect data enabling the characterisation and location of transmitters.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (NASA PR) — NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). The mission will help determine if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course. DART’s target asteroid is not a threat to Earth.

DART is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1:20 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 24 (10:20 p.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 23) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — A meeting of the Council of Chief Designers was held at the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Samara, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), at which issues on the creation of the Soyuz-5 space rocket complex (KRK) were considered. Representatives of RSC Energia took part in the work of the Council of Chief Designers, chaired by the General Director of the Progress RSC – the chief […]

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Despite condemnation from Western governments, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu seemed rather pleased with the results of an anti-missile test (ASAT) test that destroyed a defunct Soviet satellite, scattered more than 1,500 pieces of debris in Earth orbit, and endangered the seven-member crew of the International Space Station (ISS). TASS reports:

WASHINGTON (Nov. 16, 2021) — The National Transportation Safety Board has proposed codifying its investigative procedures for commercial space accidents and incidents, it announced through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register Tuesday.