24 Feb 2023
Key moments approaching for New Space, but division threatens our shared success
Numerous debut launches expected in coming months (Image: Adobe Stock)
In the coming months we are set to see yet more key moments which will define the future of New Space. On Wednesday Relativity Space announced a launch date for their highly anticipated Terran-1 orbital rocket, paving the way for their bigger, fully reusable Terran-R rocket. Whilst the company has some substantial distance to make in order to catch-up with the likes of SpaceX, the latter rocket is designed in part to be a direct competitor for the workhorse Falcon-9 rocket.
As well as utilising reusability for later Terran-R, both rockets largely 3D printed vehicles, drastically reducing development times. According to the company “Relativity's proprietary Factory of the Future centers on Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printers, that create Terran 1, the world’s first 3D printed rocket, and the first fully reusable, entirely 3D printed rocket, Terran R, from raw material to flight in 60 days.” Furthermore, according to Space News, the company already has a launch backlog of more than $1.2bn for Terran-R. United Launch Alliance seem also a step closer to the maiden launch of their Vulcan rocket, which will carry Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, Amazon Kuiper satellites and will also feature the debut of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than May 4th.
SpaceX have also released more updates regarding the launch of their interplanetary launch vehicle, Starship. The company is anticipating the FAA license “in the very near future”, according to a senior SpaceX director. Recently, SpaceX made an attempt to fire-up all 33 Raptor engines, with 31 igniting successfully. Whilst no specific date has yet been tabled, it could be possible to see launch take place sometime in March. It would be a very significant moment to see both SpaceX and Relativity launch their game-changing rockets in the same month.
Paving the road to outer space
The future of Earth orbit also continues to take shape, with one space station developer, Vast, announcing on Tuesday that it has acquired launch services company Launcher Space. They aim to use Launcher’s technology to galvanise their station plans, and also continue development the company’s Orbiter OTV (Orbital Transfer Vehicle). Vast are amongst a host of companies lining up to provide commercial space stations in the near future, with their plans to build a station featuring artificial gravity, enabling populations to live and work in space.
Efforts are also underway to ensure a safe and sustainable future in orbit, as Swiss startup ClearSpace announced that they have begun procuring parts for their maiden debris removal mission. Their method involves using robotic arms to capture and de-orbit debris, and a demonstration will involve removing a spent 2013 Vega rocket second stage. The Clearspace-1 mission is set for 2026, on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA and European nations may be positioning themselves to become leaders in sustainable space, with the UK also taking an active role in attempting establish safe rules and norms, and through funding other debris removal companies, such as Japan-based Astroscale.
ESA also appear to be work more closely in planetary defence, an area so far dominated by the US and more recently, China. The Near-Earth Object Mission in the Infrared (NEOMIR) mission will detect asteroids using infrared light, the benefit being that it is more distinguishable from sunlight, and thus making it easier to detect threatening objects, and is due to launch around 2030.
In addition, ESA have announced that they have launched a new project aimed at researching the use of hydroponic farming on the Moon. Titled “Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertilizer from Beneficiated Regolith,” the project will enrol Solsys Mining in order to research how to extract the minerals from lunar regolith to create nutrient rich water for plants to root, and is due to last until the end of the year. It remains unclear what ESA would like to grow on the Moon, or indeed what will grow, but creating food and other consumables is one key component of long-term human habitation on the Moon. Last year scientists at the University of Florida grew a type of mustard greens in lunar soil, and more recently, Dutch company Fooditive announced it is researching ways to 3D-print food using plastic waste, and is hoped to be used in the first crewed Mars missions.
Crewed mission to the Martian surface may still seem way off, but SpaceX still retain that they could be ready for a Mars mission by 2030, and furthermore, US company Ad Astra claim to be developing an engine that is capable of powering a journey to the red planet within 45 days. Their Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine heats plasma up to five million degrees, providing speeds up to 123,000 miles per hour (197,950 kilometers per hour). NASA have also recently announced plans to demonstrate a thermo nuclear engine by 2027, also capable of Martian travel.
Step by step humankind’s road to space is being paved through national objectives and commercial innovation.
Race to dominate LEO? (Image: Adobe Stock)
Relations resetting in New Space
Innovation continues to move quickly, but at the same pace we are also witnessing a resetting of relations in space, increasingly influenced by geopolitics and international relations. At the Munich Security Conference last weekend, US General Bradley Chance Saltzman said that space has “fundamentally changed” in just a few years, and that China (followed by Russia) are the most challenging threat. This comes as the latest tit-for-tat accusations between China and the US regarding the aggressive use of space, and heightened tensions since the shooting down of Chinese balloons over North America.
Furthermore, it is becoming more evident that space is, and will play a vital role in conflict, as proven in the Ukraine war. Satellites provide essential navigation, communications and imagery during such conflicts, and as a result we may also be witnessing a race to dominate low Earth orbit (LEO). China may now be looking to expand its capabilities in LEO, putting up competition to constellations operated by western nations. Western operators such as Starlink, Kuiper and OneWeb will have had a long head-start on any Chinese competition, and have already attracted a large number of customers. However, any new Chinese operators may be influential in attracting customers from newer space nations, developing countries and those that are not traditionally westward-facing. China’s plans also come amid their ongoing Belt & Road initiative, building international infrastructure and gaining global influence.
This new space race is expanding and has now also spread to the lunar surface, this week specifically in regards to resource utilisation. Last year it was realised that China and the US have chosen overlapping landing sites at the lunar south pole, with this region being rich in resources such as water. NASA now appear to be concerned about the race to utilise lunar resources for producing metals, and have announced that they are searching for researchers to explore ways of using extracted metals in 3D printing as part of their Lunar Surface Technology Research program. Resource utilisation such as this is not a new idea, and is already being explored by public and private sector entities. However, the fact that resource utilisation is also now becoming another aspect of the new space race really reflects the current state of the space sector.
The degradation of Sino-US relations also means that nations may now be looking to forge partnerships elsewhere and attract the loyalty and attention of new space players. US defence giant Lockheed Martin has announced plans to build a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK, in what would be its first outside the US. The UK may become an essential partner, especially considering the development of its own space industry and building of several spaceports in England, Scotland and Wales. Lockheed Martin are also exploring new relationships in India, another vital partner that could play ever-more decisive role in current geopolitical backdrop. The company has been in talks with India’s National Space Agency (ISRO) and private sector companies. We are set to experience many things come from India’s private sector, with the government reforming and regulating private sector activities in 2021.
The US are also continuing to increase its reliance on its own private sector, for innovation, increased competition, cost efficiency and more recently, for responsive capabilities. The Space Force is looking at how to use e.g. commercial companies producing satellites and launch vehicles in responding to crises, and named the new initiative the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserves, or CASR. Falling under this umbrella would be tactically responsive launches, and in May Firefly Aerospace will launch their Alpha rocket as part of a tactically responsive demonstration. Whilst the desire for responsive capabilities may prove to be a lucrative venture for some private companies, and also prove the case of the strength of the US commercial sector, it is again an unfortunate reflection of the current state of affairs, with nations and industry gearing-up for potential conflict.
Yet there is still some hope, that constructive relations can still exist, even in the most testing of times. ESA, despite stepping away from working with China on their new space station (Tiangong), have recently been working with China on the Solar wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission, a joint venture designed to study the interaction between solar winds and the Earth’s magnetosphere. China are providing propulsion, the satellite bus and will manage mission operations, and ESA will supply the payload module and launcher. Currently, SMILE is slated for launch in 2025. French, Italian and Swedish partners are also set to send payloads with China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2025, and so perhaps European nations could still play a role in bridging the gap in space between the superpowers of China and the US.
There are also signs of optimism in regards to building a universal regulatory framework for New Space. On 7th February, The Hague Institute for Global Justice revealed The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations, and according to Spacewatch Global, the signing of the Washington Compact “marks a significant step forward in promoting transparency, stability, and responsible behavior in the commercial space sector.” The Compact could hopefully provide be a step forwards in establishing a common rulebook for commercial space, and could be equated to an “Artemis Accords but for the private sector.” Whilst adversaries continue to move further apart, there are at least efforts being made to bring us together. Maybe new space nations and the private sector will have what it takes to build cohesion in New Space.
External Links
This Week
*News articles posted here are not property of ANASDA GmbH and belong to their respected owners. Postings here are external links only.
Our future in space
Numerous debut launches expected in coming months (Image: Adobe Stock)
24 February 2023
Key moments approaching for New Space, but division threatens our shared success
In the coming months we are set to see yet more key moments which will define the future of New Space. On Wednesday Relativity Space announced a launch date for their highly anticipated Terran-1 orbital rocket, paving the way for their bigger, fully reusable Terran-R rocket. Whilst the company has some substantial distance to make in order to catch-up with the likes of SpaceX, the latter rocket is designed in part to be a direct competitor for the workhorse Falcon-9 rocket.
As well as utilising reusability for later Terran-R, both rockets largely 3D printed vehicles, drastically reducing development times. According to the company “Relativity's proprietary Factory of the Future centers on Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printers, that create Terran 1, the world’s first 3D printed rocket, and the first fully reusable, entirely 3D printed rocket, Terran R, from raw material to flight in 60 days.” Furthermore, according to Space News, the company already has a launch backlog of more than $1.2bn for Terran-R. United Launch Alliance seem also a step closer to the maiden launch of their Vulcan rocket, which will carry Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, Amazon Kuiper satellites and will also feature the debut of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than May 4th.
SpaceX have also released more updates regarding the launch of their interplanetary launch vehicle, Starship. The company is anticipating the FAA license “in the very near future”, according to a senior SpaceX director. Recently, SpaceX made an attempt to fire-up all 33 Raptor engines, with 31 igniting successfully. Whilst no specific date has yet been tabled, it could be possible to see launch take place sometime in March. It would be a very significant moment to see both SpaceX and Relativity launch their game-changing rockets in the same month.
Paving the road to outer space
The future of Earth orbit also continues to take shape, with one space station developer, Vast, announcing on Tuesday that it has acquired launch services company Launcher Space. They aim to use Launcher’s technology to galvanise their station plans, and also continue development the company’s Orbiter OTV (Orbital Transfer Vehicle). Vast are amongst a host of companies lining up to provide commercial space stations in the near future, with their plans to build a station featuring artificial gravity, enabling populations to live and work in space.
Efforts are also underway to ensure a safe and sustainable future in orbit, as Swiss startup ClearSpace announced that they have begun procuring parts for their maiden debris removal mission. Their method involves using robotic arms to capture and de-orbit debris, and a demonstration will involve removing a spent 2013 Vega rocket second stage. The Clearspace-1 mission is set for 2026, on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA and European nations may be positioning themselves to become leaders in sustainable space, with the UK also taking an active role in attempting establish safe rules and norms, and through funding other debris removal companies, such as Japan-based Astroscale.
ESA also appear to be work more closely in planetary defence, an area so far dominated by the US and more recently, China. The Near-Earth Object Mission in the Infrared (NEOMIR) mission will detect asteroids using infrared light, the benefit being that it is more distinguishable from sunlight, and thus making it easier to detect threatening objects, and is due to launch around 2030.
In addition, ESA have announced that they have launched a new project aimed at researching the use of hydroponic farming on the Moon. Titled “Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertilizer from Beneficiated Regolith,” the project will enrol Solsys Mining in order to research how to extract the minerals from lunar regolith to create nutrient rich water for plants to root, and is due to last until the end of the year. It remains unclear what ESA would like to grow on the Moon, or indeed what will grow, but creating food and other consumables is one key component of long-term human habitation on the Moon. Last year scientists at the University of Florida grew a type of mustard greens in lunar soil, and more recently, Dutch company Fooditive announced it is researching ways to 3D-print food using plastic waste, and is hoped to be used in the first crewed Mars missions.
Crewed mission to the Martian surface may still seem way off, but SpaceX still retain that they could be ready for a Mars mission by 2030, and furthermore, US company Ad Astra claim to be developing an engine that is capable of powering a journey to the red planet within 45 days. Their Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine heats plasma up to five million degrees, providing speeds up to 123,000 miles per hour (197,950 kilometers per hour). NASA have also recently announced plans to demonstrate a thermo nuclear engine by 2027, also capable of Martian travel.
Step by step humankind’s road to space is being paved through national objectives and commercial innovation.
Race to dominate LEO? (Image: Adobe Stock)
Relations resetting in New Space
Innovation continues to move quickly, but at the same pace we are also witnessing a resetting of relations in space, increasingly influenced by geopolitics and international relations. At the Munich Security Conference last weekend, US General Bradley Chance Saltzman said that space has “fundamentally changed” in just a few years, and that China (followed by Russia) are the most challenging threat. This comes as the latest tit-for-tat accusations between China and the US regarding the aggressive use of space, and heightened tensions since the shooting down of Chinese balloons over North America.
Furthermore, it is becoming more evident that space is, and will play a vital role in conflict, as proven in the Ukraine war. Satellites provide essential navigation, communications and imagery during such conflicts, and as a result we may also be witnessing a race to dominate low Earth orbit (LEO). China may now be looking to expand its capabilities in LEO, putting up competition to constellations operated by western nations. Western operators such as Starlink, Kuiper and OneWeb will have had a long head-start on any Chinese competition, and have already attracted a large number of customers. However, any new Chinese operators may be influential in attracting customers from newer space nations, developing countries and those that are not traditionally westward-facing. China’s plans also come amid their ongoing Belt & Road initiative, building international infrastructure and gaining global influence.
This new space race is expanding and has now also spread to the lunar surface, this week specifically in regards to resource utilisation. Last year it was realised that China and the US have chosen overlapping landing sites at the lunar south pole, with this region being rich in resources such as water. NASA now appear to be concerned about the race to utilise lunar resources for producing metals, and have announced that they are searching for researchers to explore ways of using extracted metals in 3D printing as part of their Lunar Surface Technology Research program. Resource utilisation such as this is not a new idea, and is already being explored by public and private sector entities. However, the fact that resource utilisation is also now becoming another aspect of the new space race really reflects the current state of the space sector.
The degradation of Sino-US relations also means that nations may now be looking to forge partnerships elsewhere and attract the loyalty and attention of new space players. US defence giant Lockheed Martin has announced plans to build a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK, in what would be its first outside the US. The UK may become an essential partner, especially considering the development of its own space industry and building of several spaceports in England, Scotland and Wales. Lockheed Martin are also exploring new relationships in India, another vital partner that could play ever-more decisive role in current geopolitical backdrop. The company has been in talks with India’s National Space Agency (ISRO) and private sector companies. We are set to experience many things come from India’s private sector, with the government reforming and regulating private sector activities in 2021.
The US are also continuing to increase its reliance on its own private sector, for innovation, increased competition, cost efficiency and more recently, for responsive capabilities. The Space Force is looking at how to use e.g. commercial companies producing satellites and launch vehicles in responding to crises, and named the new initiative the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserves, or CASR. Falling under this umbrella would be tactically responsive launches, and in May Firefly Aerospace will launch their Alpha rocket as part of a tactically responsive demonstration. Whilst the desire for responsive capabilities may prove to be a lucrative venture for some private companies, and also prove the case of the strength of the US commercial sector, it is again an unfortunate reflection of the current state of affairs, with nations and industry gearing-up for potential conflict.
Yet there is still some hope, that constructive relations can still exist, even in the most testing of times. ESA, despite stepping away from working with China on their new space station (Tiangong), have recently been working with China on the Solar wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission, a joint venture designed to study the interaction between solar winds and the Earth’s magnetosphere. China are providing propulsion, the satellite bus and will manage mission operations, and ESA will supply the payload module and launcher. Currently, SMILE is slated for launch in 2025. French, Italian and Swedish partners are also set to send payloads with China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2025, and so perhaps European nations could still play a role in bridging the gap in space between the superpowers of China and the US.
There are also signs of optimism in regards to building a universal regulatory framework for New Space. On 7th February, The Hague Institute for Global Justice revealed The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations, and according to Spacewatch Global, the signing of the Washington Compact “marks a significant step forward in promoting transparency, stability, and responsible behavior in the commercial space sector.” The Compact could hopefully provide be a step forwards in establishing a common rulebook for commercial space, and could be equated to an “Artemis Accords but for the private sector.” Whilst adversaries continue to move further apart, there are at least efforts being made to bring us together. Maybe new space nations and the private sector will have what it takes to build cohesion in New Space.
Share this article
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This Week
*News articles posted here are not property of ANASDA GmbH and belong to their respected owners. Postings here are external links only.
24 Feb 2023
Key moments approaching for New Space, but division threatens our shared success
Numerous debut launches expected in coming months (Image: Adobe Stock)
In the coming months we are set to see yet more key moments which will define the future of New Space. On Wednesday Relativity Space announced a launch date for their highly anticipated Terran-1 orbital rocket, paving the way for their bigger, fully reusable Terran-R rocket. Whilst the company has some substantial distance to make in order to catch-up with the likes of SpaceX, the latter rocket is designed in part to be a direct competitor for the workhorse Falcon-9 rocket.
As well as utilising reusability for later Terran-R, both rockets largely 3D printed vehicles, drastically reducing development times. According to the company “Relativity's proprietary Factory of the Future centers on Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printers, that create Terran 1, the world’s first 3D printed rocket, and the first fully reusable, entirely 3D printed rocket, Terran R, from raw material to flight in 60 days.” Furthermore, according to Space News, the company already has a launch backlog of more than $1.2bn for Terran-R. United Launch Alliance seem also a step closer to the maiden launch of their Vulcan rocket, which will carry Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, Amazon Kuiper satellites and will also feature the debut of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than May 4th.
SpaceX have also released more updates regarding the launch of their interplanetary launch vehicle, Starship. The company is anticipating the FAA license “in the very near future”, according to a senior SpaceX director. Recently, SpaceX made an attempt to fire-up all 33 Raptor engines, with 31 igniting successfully. Whilst no specific date has yet been tabled, it could be possible to see launch take place sometime in March. It would be a very significant moment to see both SpaceX and Relativity launch their game-changing rockets in the same month.
Paving the road to outer space
The future of Earth orbit also continues to take shape, with one space station developer, Vast, announcing on Tuesday that it has acquired launch services company Launcher Space. They aim to use Launcher’s technology to galvanise their station plans, and also continue development the company’s Orbiter OTV (Orbital Transfer Vehicle). Vast are amongst a host of companies lining up to provide commercial space stations in the near future, with their plans to build a station featuring artificial gravity, enabling populations to live and work in space.
Efforts are also underway to ensure a safe and sustainable future in orbit, as Swiss startup ClearSpace announced that they have begun procuring parts for their maiden debris removal mission. Their method involves using robotic arms to capture and de-orbit debris, and a demonstration will involve removing a spent 2013 Vega rocket second stage. The Clearspace-1 mission is set for 2026, on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA and European nations may be positioning themselves to become leaders in sustainable space, with the UK also taking an active role in attempting establish safe rules and norms, and through funding other debris removal companies, such as Japan-based Astroscale.
ESA also appear to be work more closely in planetary defence, an area so far dominated by the US and more recently, China. The Near-Earth Object Mission in the Infrared (NEOMIR) mission will detect asteroids using infrared light, the benefit being that it is more distinguishable from sunlight, and thus making it easier to detect threatening objects, and is due to launch around 2030.
In addition, ESA have announced that they have launched a new project aimed at researching the use of hydroponic farming on the Moon. Titled “Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertilizer from Beneficiated Regolith,” the project will enrol Solsys Mining in order to research how to extract the minerals from lunar regolith to create nutrient rich water for plants to root, and is due to last until the end of the year. It remains unclear what ESA would like to grow on the Moon, or indeed what will grow, but creating food and other consumables is one key component of long-term human habitation on the Moon. Last year scientists at the University of Florida grew a type of mustard greens in lunar soil, and more recently, Dutch company Fooditive announced it is researching ways to 3D-print food using plastic waste, and is hoped to be used in the first crewed Mars missions.
Crewed mission to the Martian surface may still seem way off, but SpaceX still retain that they could be ready for a Mars mission by 2030, and furthermore, US company Ad Astra claim to be developing an engine that is capable of powering a journey to the red planet within 45 days. Their Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine heats plasma up to five million degrees, providing speeds up to 123,000 miles per hour (197,950 kilometers per hour). NASA have also recently announced plans to demonstrate a thermo nuclear engine by 2027, also capable of Martian travel.
Step by step humankind’s road to space is being paved through national objectives and commercial innovation.
Race to dominate LEO? (Image: Adobe Stock)
Relations resetting in New Space
Innovation continues to move quickly, but at the same pace we are also witnessing a resetting of relations in space, increasingly influenced by geopolitics and international relations. At the Munich Security Conference last weekend, US General Bradley Chance Saltzman said that space has “fundamentally changed” in just a few years, and that China (followed by Russia) are the most challenging threat. This comes as the latest tit-for-tat accusations between China and the US regarding the aggressive use of space, and heightened tensions since the shooting down of Chinese balloons over North America.
Furthermore, it is becoming more evident that space is, and will play a vital role in conflict, as proven in the Ukraine war. Satellites provide essential navigation, communications and imagery during such conflicts, and as a result we may also be witnessing a race to dominate low Earth orbit (LEO). China may now be looking to expand its capabilities in LEO, putting up competition to constellations operated by western nations. Western operators such as Starlink, Kuiper and OneWeb will have had a long head-start on any Chinese competition, and have already attracted a large number of customers. However, any new Chinese operators may be influential in attracting customers from newer space nations, developing countries and those that are not traditionally westward-facing. China’s plans also come amid their ongoing Belt & Road initiative, building international infrastructure and gaining global influence.
This new space race is expanding and has now also spread to the lunar surface, this week specifically in regards to resource utilisation. Last year it was realised that China and the US have chosen overlapping landing sites at the lunar south pole, with this region being rich in resources such as water. NASA now appear to be concerned about the race to utilise lunar resources for producing metals, and have announced that they are searching for researchers to explore ways of using extracted metals in 3D printing as part of their Lunar Surface Technology Research program. Resource utilisation such as this is not a new idea, and is already being explored by public and private sector entities. However, the fact that resource utilisation is also now becoming another aspect of the new space race really reflects the current state of the space sector.
The degradation of Sino-US relations also means that nations may now be looking to forge partnerships elsewhere and attract the loyalty and attention of new space players. US defence giant Lockheed Martin has announced plans to build a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK, in what would be its first outside the US. The UK may become an essential partner, especially considering the development of its own space industry and building of several spaceports in England, Scotland and Wales. Lockheed Martin are also exploring new relationships in India, another vital partner that could play ever-more decisive role in current geopolitical backdrop. The company has been in talks with India’s National Space Agency (ISRO) and private sector companies. We are set to experience many things come from India’s private sector, with the government reforming and regulating private sector activities in 2021.
The US are also continuing to increase its reliance on its own private sector, for innovation, increased competition, cost efficiency and more recently, for responsive capabilities. The Space Force is looking at how to use e.g. commercial companies producing satellites and launch vehicles in responding to crises, and named the new initiative the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserves, or CASR. Falling under this umbrella would be tactically responsive launches, and in May Firefly Aerospace will launch their Alpha rocket as part of a tactically responsive demonstration. Whilst the desire for responsive capabilities may prove to be a lucrative venture for some private companies, and also prove the case of the strength of the US commercial sector, it is again an unfortunate reflection of the current state of affairs, with nations and industry gearing-up for potential conflict.
Yet there is still some hope, that constructive relations can still exist, even in the most testing of times. ESA, despite stepping away from working with China on their new space station (Tiangong), have recently been working with China on the Solar wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission, a joint venture designed to study the interaction between solar winds and the Earth’s magnetosphere. China are providing propulsion, the satellite bus and will manage mission operations, and ESA will supply the payload module and launcher. Currently, SMILE is slated for launch in 2025. French, Italian and Swedish partners are also set to send payloads with China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2025, and so perhaps European nations could still play a role in bridging the gap in space between the superpowers of China and the US.
There are also signs of optimism in regards to building a universal regulatory framework for New Space. On 7th February, The Hague Institute for Global Justice revealed The Washington Compact on Norms of Behavior for Commercial Space Operations, and according to Spacewatch Global, the signing of the Washington Compact “marks a significant step forward in promoting transparency, stability, and responsible behavior in the commercial space sector.” The Compact could hopefully provide be a step forwards in establishing a common rulebook for commercial space, and could be equated to an “Artemis Accords but for the private sector.” Whilst adversaries continue to move further apart, there are at least efforts being made to bring us together. Maybe new space nations and the private sector will have what it takes to build cohesion in New Space.
Share this article
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This Week
*News articles posted here are not property of ANASDA GmbH and belong to their respected owners. Postings here are external links only.