Address to UK Space Conference 2019
Science Minister Chris Skidmore
24 September 2019
Excerpt
Back in June, I was delighted to announce that Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit will push forward with work to develop facilities to enable small satellite launch, thanks to a £20 million [$24.7 million] funding package from UKSA, but also Cornwall Council. This is in addition to the £31 million [$38.3 million] we have invested in vertical launch at Sutherland.
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MMX on-orbit configuration (Credit: JAXA)
PARIS (JAXA PR) — Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has agreed to cooperate with German Aerospace Center (DLR) on the study-phase activities in JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission.
Asteroid Ryugu with north polar boulder (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu and AIST)
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA] has agreed to cooperate with Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) on the study-phase activities in JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission and analysis of Hayabusa2-returned samples.
Five feasibility studies on launch services using microlaunchers in Europe, contracted within ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme in 2018, proposed solutions for economically viable and commercially self-sustaining microlaunch services. (Credit: ESA)
PARIS (ESA PR) — A flourishing small satellites market is driving demand for new ways to access space. Recent industry feasibility studies backed by ESA for new microlauncher services, are creating new business opportunities.
ESA intends to strengthen European industry by fostering a globally competitive European space sector with increased industry participation in launcher development.
Microlauncher concepts (Credit: ESA)
PARIS, 16 November 2018 (ESA PR) — Access to space was in the spotlight at this week’s Φ event which followed an ESA-hosted workshop on Europe’s emerging microlaunch services held in Paris, France for industry, investors and institutions.
Joint Statement By Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), The Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, represented by its Executive Board (The German Aerospace Center DLR) on Joint Study Activities for a Rover onboard Martian Moon eXploration Mission (MMX) The DLR – CNES asteroid lander MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) onboard Hayabusa 2 is intended to land on the surface of […]
PARIS (ESA PR) — Small satellites usually ride piggyback on larger missions but finding a suitable match is difficult because the launch date and orbit are set by the primary payload.
A microlauncher can place a small satellite typically used for Earth observation, technology demonstration, education and telecoms into low orbits, starting from the ground or from an aerial platform.
ESA has chosen five feasibility studies from industry proposing an economically viable, commercially self-sustaining microlauncher, without public funding.
NASA is seeking “proposals for trade studies and design, fabrication, and testing of critical components and subsystems for acquisition and processing of extraterrestrial resources into water, oxygen, and fuel.”
The broad agency announcement (BAA) came in an appendix to the space agency’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships 2 (NextSTEP-2) program, which has been working with commercial companies on facilitating space exploration and development beyond Earth orbit.
MMX on-orbit configuration (Credit: JAXA)
Japan is planning a complex mission that will study the moons of Mars and return soil samples to Earth.
Set for launch in September 2024, the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission would spend three years exploring Phobos and Deimos before departing in August 2028 for a return to Earth 11 months later.
VANCOUVER (UrtheCast PR) — UrtheCast is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Elecnor, S.A. to acquire the Earth Observation business, Deimos. UrtheCast will soon acquire Deimos ownership, operation of the Deimos-1 and Deimos-2 satellites, and the Deimos global archive of Earth imagery.
“This is an incredible acquisition that epitomizes technological and operational synergy,” explained Scott Larson, UrtheCast Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. “UrtheCast is rapidly accelerating its mission to democratize Earth Observation imagery, and bring a unique dataset and distribution model to customers and users that up until now, haven’t had this type of access.”
