by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

On Christmas Day 2021, an European Ariane 5 rocket roared off its launch pad in French Guiana with the most expensive payload the booster had ever carried, the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope. The launcher performed perfectly, sending the most powerful space telescope on a journey to its final destination 1.5 million km (900 million miles) from Earth. The launch was so accurate that Webb should have sufficient propellant to perform science operations for much longer than its planned 10-year lifetime.

There was a collective sigh of relief among the European, American and Canadian scientists and engineers involved in the long-delayed program. It was a superb Christmas gift to a world suffering through the second year of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

UK lays the foundation for rockets, high-altitude balloons and spaceplanes to lift off from spaceports across the UK, creating thousands of jobs in the process.

• lift-off moment for UK-US spaceflight as Transport Secretary makes landmark declaration in Washington
• partnership to cut red tape, making commercial launches from both countries easier and more streamlined 
• comes as UK prepares for first satellite launch from home soil this year, creating thousands of high-skilled jobs 

WASHINGTON (UK Government PR) — Future spaceflight will be made easier and cheaper, following a landmark partnership with the United States to help cut red tape and boost opportunities in the UK, signed by the Transport Secretary this week in Washington.

Agreement ensures combination of Viasat and Inmarsat will be a strong contributor to the UK National Space Strategy

CARLSBAD, Calif. and LONDON, March 21, 2022 (Viasat/Inmarsat PR) — Viasat and Inmarsat, the US and UK satellite communications groups, have agreed on a package of legally-binding economic undertakings with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of the proposed combination of the two companies. BEIS welcomed the constructive discussions that have taken place with both companies on their future plans. The transaction remains subject to the regulatory processes of the UK.

“We are fully committed to ensuring that our combination with Inmarsat supports the UK’s National Space Strategy with additional investment and job creation,” said Rick Baldridge, president and CEO of Viasat. “I am confident that together we can build upon the UK’s space agenda and help propel the country to the forefront of the global space race. I want to thank the UK Government for their engagement and look forward to a productive relationship for decades to come.”

• new powers to detain Russian aircraft and remove aircraft belonging to designated individuals and entities from the UK register
• ban on the export of aviation and space-related goods and technology, including technical assistance
• further ban on UK companies providing insurance and re-insurance services in relation to these goods and technology

LONDON (UK Government PR) — Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced a new suite of aviation sanctions giving the UK Government new powers to detain any Russian aircraft here in the UK. We have also strengthened the current overflight and landing ban on Russian aircraft, laying new legislation today to make it a criminal offence for any Russian aircraft to fly or land in the UK.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

In what is likely the first hostage drama involving communication satellites, the head of the Russian space program has demanded that the British government divest its shares in OneWeb and that the broadband satellite operator not provide services to foreign militaries in order to launch a new batch of spacecraft. The move comes amid growing tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions imposed on the country by western nations.

Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin tweeted that unless these demands are met, Russia will refuse to launch 36 OneWeb satellites that sit atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket currently on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch is scheduled for Saturday morning Moscow time.

Prestwick, Scotland (Prestwick Spaceport PR) — South Ayrshire Council has started the process of submitting a formal planning application for the Prestwick Spaceport development. The Proposal of Application Notice (POAN) is the first step in the planning process for Prestwick Spaceport and signals the intent to apply for planning permission in early 2022.

The submission of the POAN follows the Council’s submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Report last year which confirms that Prestwick’s space ambitions will not result in any significant adverse effects to the environment.

LONDON, UK, 17 November 2021 (Isotropic Systems PR) — Isotropic Systems, a leading developer of transformational broadband terminal technologies, has joined the consortium led by CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), which has been selected by the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the UK Space Agency, and the European Space Agency (ESA), to develop a demonstration of a hybrid satellite communications and terrestrial network for use on trains.

The project is part of a joint initiative in the UK to demonstrate the integrated use of 5G in the area of transport and logistics. The Satellites for Digitalisation of Railways (SODOR) project will deliver pilot demonstrations of improved network connectivity for train monitoring and passenger broadband in 2022.

• Isotropic Systems completes a new industry and VC-backed funding round, led by the world’s first listed space tech fund, Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC
• This latest funding round takes the total capital secured from investor and customer support to over $100 million
• Strong strategic investor support from existing investors including AEI HorizonX, Promus Ventures through its Luxembourg based space investment fund Orbital Ventures, SES and UK Government
• Secures production and commercialisation of Isotropic’s next-gen ground antennas, designed to vastly improve connectivity across the satellite ecosystem

LONDON, 27th September, 2021 (Isotropic Systems PR) – Isotropic Systems, a leading developer of transformational broadband terminal technologies, announces that it has raised over $37 million in an equity financing round, which fully funds the development of its game-changing multi-link antennas through to product launch in 2022.

MELBOURNE, Fla. (OneWeb PR) — OneWeb, the global communications company, powered from Space successfully demonstrated its turnkey satellite-based communications system to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on March 2nd.

The event, which was conducted in front of service representatives from the US Space Command at OneWeb’s demonstration facility in Melbourne, Florida, represents the first time the solution has been demonstrated to the U.S. Government.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Although the United Kingdom’s (UK) “Brexit” departure from the European Union (EU) on Jan. 1 will not affect its membership status in the European Space Agency (ESA), the nation’s participation in a number of European space programs is either ending or being curtailed.

On Christmas Eve, the UK and EU announced an agreement in principle that will govern trade, security and political relations after Brexit. Under the agreement, the UK’s participation in the:

• Galileo satellite navigation and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) program will end;
• Copernicus Earth observation satellite program will continue, contingent upon a further agreement to be worked out next year; and
• EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST) program will end, although the Britain will continue to receive data as a non-EU country.