DARMSTADT, Germany (EUMETSAT PR) — Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT, will become the largest operator of the Copernicus programme’s Sentinel satellite missions under an agreement signed with the European Commission today. Copernicus is a component of the European Union Space Programme. It looks at our planet and its environment for the benefit of all European citizens. It offers information services that draw from satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data.

TOKYO (ispace PR) –- Today, ispace announced that it began the assembly of the flight model for its lunar lander, which is to be used in the company’s first mission scheduled to launch in 2022. This is a major engineering milestone in the development of the lander and part of the final stretch toward our first mission.

MUNICH, July 23, 2021 (Mynaric PR) — Mynaric today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JR Aerospace to accelerate its entry into the Indian aerospace market. JR Aerospace is a newly established Indian investment and technology company with an existing network in the Indian aerospace sector and with relevant organizations. The MoU sets out the principal terms and conditions upon which Mynaric and JR Aerospace will enter into detailed legally binding agreements intended to be signed subsequent to the MoU.

MONTREAL, CANADA, July 22, 2021 (NorthStar Earth & Space PR) — NorthStar Earth & Space (NorthStar) announced that it is collaborating with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) to develop a prototype Earth Observation Monitoring System for Marine and Coastal Environments (EOMCE) to improve information quality and deliver critical knowledge on marine pollution, ice conditions, and coastal ecosystems directly impacted by climate change.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Vector Acquisition Corp. PR) — Vector Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: VACQ) (“Vector”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company backed by leading technology investor Vector Capital, today announced that its Annual Meeting of the Company’s shareholders (“Annual Meeting”) to consider the previously announced business combination (“Business Combination”) with Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (“Rocket Lab”), a global leader in launch and space systems, has been set for August 20, 2021. Shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2021 (“Record Date”) are eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Uses AWS to help manage complex missions for D-Orbit ION satellite carriers, downlink and process data from multiple satellites, and enable bi-directional communication between D-Orbit’s satellites and Aurora

Lisbon, Portugal, July 22nd, 2021 – D-Orbit, a leader in the space logistics and transportation service industry and an Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology partner, today announced integration of AWS Ground Station with D-Orbit’s AURORA cloud-based mission control software. D-Orbit uses AWS Ground Station to power AURORA, manage increasingly complex missions for D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier such as the ongoing PULSE mission, and strengthen the D-Orbit space transportation and logistics infrastructure. D-Orbit also plans to use AWS Ground Station with AURORA to communicate with its WILD RIDE mission, launched on June 30th, and with D-Orbit’s future fleet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA and Boeing are proceeding with plans for the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station following a full day of briefings and discussion during a Flight Readiness Review that took place at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for 2:53 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30, […]

WEBSTER, Texas (Ad Astra Rocket Co. PR) — Ad  Astra Rocket Company’s VASIMR® VX-200SS  Plasma Rocket has completed 88 hours of  continuous operation at 80 kW at the company’s  Texas laboratory near Houston. In doing so, the  company establishes a new high-power world endurance record in electric propulsion. The test  also demonstrates the maturity of the VASIMR® engine technology as a competitive option for  high-power in-space electric propulsion with  either solar or nuclear electric power. Electric  rockets operating above 50 kW/thruster are  considered “high-power.” 

ATLANTA, July 22, 2021 (SpaceWorks PR) – SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc (SEI), along with Earthly Dynamics LLC (EDC) and Aerial Delivery Solutions LLC (ADS), will attempt to autonomously land SEI’s RED-4U Capsule within specified range of a target after release from an altitude of 100k ft. This test will be the latest in a steady progression to advance SpaceWorks’ product line of Reentry Device (RED) capsules, including the RED-25 and RED-4U, that provide on-demand downmass capabilities from Earth orbit. The mission, designated Suborbital Test Vehicle 2 (STV-2), is funded through NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program.

NOAA reports engineers have brought the GOES-17 weather satellite out of the safe mode that it entered on Thursday after a computer glitch. “Engineers expect its six instruments to return to normal operations soon. The probable cause of yesterday’s anomaly appears to be a memory bit error in the spacecraft computer. The engineering team says the computer has been responding correctly to commands,” the agency said in a statement. “Earlier […]

The UK branch of the orbital transportation company will focus on logistics coordination and process standardisation between different European spaceports and launcher providers

CORNWALL, UK, July 20th, 2021 (D-Orbit PR) — The UK branch of D-Orbit, a leader in the orbital transportation industry, has announced the signing of a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) under the Boost! Project with ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support Programme.

The Responsive Microlauncher Service, which provides end-to-end delivery of payloads in orbit, is designed to utilise the upcoming small launchers that are due to be launching regularly from UK starting from 2022. The contract will focus on logistics coordination and process standardisation between different European spaceports and launcher providers.