News

The UN’s New Pact for the Future Addresses Collaboration, Debris and Peaceful Uses of Space

At the Summit for the Future, all 193 member states of the United Nations signed a new Pact for the Future that highlights a renewed commitment to global collaboration, including active debris removal, space traffic management, and peaceful uses of space.
According to an article in Orbital Today, the pact reaffirms the Member States’ commitment to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which it says “must be recognized as the cornerstone of the international legal regime governing outer space activities”, given humanity’s increasing reliance on space for day-to-day life.
Amongst other things the pact states “The growth in the number of objects in outer space, the return of humans to deep space, and our expanding reliance on outer space systems demands urgent action.”
They also announced the UNISPACE IV conference, set to take place over several weeks in Vienna in 2027 it will be the fourth UNISPACE convention since the first in 1968 and the first to be held in the 21st Century.  The announcement states that "2027 is a pivotal year for the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, as workstreams on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, Space Resources, and Sustainable Lunar Activities converge" and cites "the growing momentum around space activities". 
 

Multiple satellites launched in one day as constellations continue to grow

Thirty-five satellites were launched in one day by France, the US and China, as satellite constellations continue to grow. 
Launches on Friday 20 September included five satellites launched by French startup Kinéis on aboard an Electron launched from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, six Jimin-1 Kunafu imaging satellites launched aboard a Long March-2D carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, four satellites for the Tianqi constellation launched on a Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, and twenty SpaceX Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.  

  

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US launches beta test of new Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS)

Space News reports on US plans, announced by Richard DalBello, director of the Office of Space Commerce, at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference on 20 September, to commence user testing of the initial Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) system by the end of September.
This would see a “minimum viable product” being used by a group of beta testers, with feedback taken into account in upgrades of TraCSS over the next few months.
Ultimately TraCSS will replace Space-Track, but the transition will be gradual, and likely to be complete by the end of 2025. 
 
Image credit: NOAA

NASA creates space sustainability division to consolidate orbital debris activities

SpaceNews reports that NASA has established a space sustainability division that will consolidate much of the work the agency is doing on orbital debris and related issues.
Speaking at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference last week, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said the division will be part of the Space Operations Mission Directorate, which includes the International Space Station, and will be led by Alvin Drew, a former astronaut that the agency recently named the first director of space sustainability a position created as part of the space sustainability strategy NASA unveiled in April. 

Starlink satellite emissions interfere with radio astronomy

Apparently unintended radio waves from Starlink satellites which are in danger of blinding ground-based radio telescopes, reports Science.
The radio emissions from the second generation of Starlink satellites, which are at a much lower frequency than the bands used by the satellites to communicate and deliver internet services, are up to 30 times higher than from the first generation, and 10 million times brighter than the dim astronomical sources which are being studied using ground based telescopes such as LOFAR. 
Astronomers fear that, once SpaceX has launched tens of thousands of satellites it may be impossible for ground-based radio telescopes to find an area of the sky to observe which is not contaminated.  

  

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New French SST LEO programme launched

SpaceNews reports on the unveiling of a new Low Earth Oribt (LEO) space surveillance programme by the French Defence Innovation Agency and armament agency (DGA) at the Space Defense and Security Summit.  The programme with involve french startup U-space, working with multinational missile supplier MBDA, and is part of the French efforts to develop "active defence capability" in space, according to Eva Portier, Deputy for Space at the DGA, which is committed to protecting assets within 36,000 km of Earth.
 The programme, known as "Toutatis", which will include a 12-unit "Spotter" cubesat and a smaller target cubesat.  This pair of satellites will demonstrate spacecraft detection, categorisation and targeting.  The satellites are expected to reach orbit in the next few years.
 

  

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The Aerospace Corporation calls for improved re-entry detection

The rate of increase of satellite launches, particularly for mega-constellations, is causing increased concern about atmospheric re-entry of defunct space hardware, reports SpaceNews. 
Researchers and experts at The Aerospace Corporation have highlighted the lack of a single, coordinated and consistently funded US effort to understand and manage re-entry across disciplines. 
The majority of re-entries of space hardware are uncontrolled and unpredictable, causing what Marlon Sorge, the executive director for The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS), called "a challenging area of research”.
Concern is rising due to realisation that the growth of large satellite constellations could potentially add significant amounts of material to the stratosphere, with unknown effects.  The UK Space Agency is funding research into this process, known as Atmospheric Ablation, through the Universities of Southampton and Durham.  
Feature Image: An artist’s depiction of an ESA Cluster-series satellite reentering the atmosphere.
Credit: ESA/David Ducross
 

Geostationary Market will be overtaken by 2028

According to research published by Novaspace, revenue from constellations in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO) will overtake that from Geostationary orbits by 2028, reports SpaceNews. 
The latest edition of Novaspace's Satellite Connectivity & Video Market report shows a dramatic eightfold increase in global satellite capacity supply, 80% of which is delivered by Starlink.  New LEO constellations, including Amazon Kuiper, alongside second generation Starlink and OneWeb constellations, are expected to drive continued growth.  
Read the Novaspace press release.
 
Feature Image: Satellite Connectivity & Video Market Infographic
Credit: Novaspace
 

  

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Chinese commercial company Sustain Space to launch demo satellite

Chinese commercial on-orbit servicing company Sustain Space has secured financing to support launching its first demonstration satellite.
Spacenews reports that applications include satellite and active debris removal (ADR), satellite refuelling and on-orbit satellite repair and manufacturing.  
Sustain Space will be operating in similar areas to Astroscale of Japan. In the U.S., Orbit Fab is aiming to create a sustainable infrastructure for satellite fuelling. ClearSpace, a European company, is also focused on space debris removal. It is backed by an ESA contract for a mission to remove a defunct satellite from orbit.
 
Feature Image: Render of a Sustain Space active debris removal satellite in orbit. 
Credit: Sustain Space

  

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ESA Space Traffic Management service

SpaceNews reports that ESA plans to test space traffic management services offered by Portuguese startup Neuraspace.
Under a contract announced today, ESA’s Space Debris Office will integrate Neuraspace services with its existing  tools at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany.
Klaus Merz, senior collision avoidance analyst for ESA’s Space Safety Program Office, said in a statement - ESA’s Space Safety Program is focused “on the perils in space that threaten critical components of our modern society,” adding, “If not managed properly, resident space objects ultimately threaten the economically vital Earth orbits to become unusable”.
 
 
Featured Image: ESOC main control room
Credit: Courtesy of ESA

  

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$30m investment in AI-powered solutions for SST

Slingshot Aerospace have announced a commitment of $30m in growth capital from Trinity Capital Ltd, to develop AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation.  This will allow Slingshot to continue to scale their operations and fund growth. 
“As space becomes more crowded, platforms like Slingshot are becoming increasingly vital to conducting in-orbit operations,” said Ryan Thompson, Managing Director, Tech Lending at Trinity. “We are thrilled to partner with the team at Slingshot, whose innovative technology, data, and insights strive to make space safer and more secure.” 
 

SpaceX launches 21 additional Starlink Satellites on record-breaking launch

Spaceflight Now reports on the launch of 21 Starlink satellites from the West Cost on a Falcon 9 rocket. 
Th launch, at 6:45pm PDT on Thursday 12 September sets a new record at Vandenberg Space Force Base.  It was the 31st orbital mission to launch from the base in 2024, the first time so many have launched in one calendar year. 30 of those launches were from SpaceX, with the other being from Firefly Aerospace
13 of the satellites launched have direct-to-mobile capability, bringing the number of such satellites in the SpaceX constellation to 207 in the SpaceX.  
 
Featured image: Falcon 9  launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Credit: SpaceX
 

Project Kuiper cost doubles

A newly published market analysis, reported by GeekWire, shows the total cost of Amazon's Project Kuiper has doubled from the initial estimate of $10bn to $20bn, and could potentially be even higher.  
Amazon successfully launched two prototype Kuiper satellites last year and plans to launch over 3,000 satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to provide broadband services.  Rival service Starlink from SpaceX has already launched over 6,000 satellites.  A feature in the Telegraph (Paywall) examines the competition between SpaceX and Amazon in delivering broadband services from low Earth orbit. 
The report indicates that each Kuiper satellite will weigh 600kg, will have a solar array span of 8m, and will cost up to $2m to manufacture.  As well as broadband services, Amazon have given hints of an upgrade which would enable Kuiper to eventually provide a GPS alternative for Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT).  
 

5 Satellites launched for AST direct-to-smartphone broadband constellation

SpaceNews reports that AST have launched the first 5 satellites for their SpaceMobile constellation, which will provide satellite broadband direct to mobile phones.
They will need to launch around 45-60 satellites to provide continuous service in the US.  These first 5 satellites will only be able to provide intermittent service - in total less than 1 hour per day in the US.  They initially expect this to be used for services such as remote monitoring devices or emergency backups. 
“It is too early to give a specific date on when this service will become available,” he added, “but the Sept. 12 satellite launch is a major milestone toward making this vision a reality.”
 

  

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Astroscale and ClearSpace get funds to advance double satellite de-orbit mission

The UK Space Agency has awarded funding to consortiums led by Astroscale and ClearSpace to continue developing a servicer capable of removing two spacecraft from low Earth orbit (LEO).
Phase 2 of the project builds upon the preliminary design phase, successfully completed by both companies earlier this year, to further develop and derisk the key technologies required and provide a comprehensive understanding of the risks and costs involved.  This additional £4.7m funding will enable the ventures to continue working on their technologies until March, when the Agency is expected to decide which will conduct the demonstration mission.

FAA to complete orbital debris upper stage regulations in 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration is moving ahead with efforts to develop rules for the disposal of upper stages as another Centaur upper stage breaks apart in orbit as reported in Space News.
That incident, as well as the breakup of a Chinese Long March 6A upper stage in low Earth orbit shortly after the launch of 18 broadband satellites Aug. 6, serve as reminders of the threat upper stages pose to space sustainability.  The FAA is reviewing public comments it received on the draft regulations. “
It’s a high priority for our organization,” said Kelvin Coleman, FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation, at the Commercial Developments in Low Earth Orbit symposium Sept. 6 organized by George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and The Aerospace Corporation. “We expect to have our orbital debris rule published some time in 2025.”

  

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Upgraded In-orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) facility to re-open at Westcott

The Satellite Applications Catapult Orbital Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) facility at Westcott in Buckinghamshire is re-opening in September following upgrades made possible by a £2m grant from the UK Space Agency.  
These upgrades include physical changes such as reconfigurations of the robots and track, as well as updates to safety systems, camera-based positioning, and the electrical work needed to make these improvements possible.  There are also numerous software improvements which will improve communications with the robots.  
This will enable better simulation of in-orbit operations and make the yard more versatile.
 
 
 

Chinese Researchers call for improved Space Situational Awareness

Researchers in China have raised concerns that the country's space situational awareness capabilities require further development to avoid falling behind those of the US, reports SpaceNews.
In an article entitled "A Review of Space Situational Awareness Satellites: Silentbarker”, they review the development, status and future trends of Space Situational Awareness (SSA), the ability to detect, catalog and track objects and activities in space, and notes a trend towards high mobility, high sensitivity and development of SSA constellations by the US.  
The report's authors call from China to expand its SSA capabilities, particularly commercial capabilities, which can assist with optimising satellite operations and managing space traffic.

SGAC–UK Space Agency Scholarships for SGC/IAC 2024 Announced

The UK Space Agency in partnership with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) will sponsor 2 young professionals or students to attend the 22nd Space Generation Congress (SGC) and the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on 10 – 12 October and 14 – 18 October, 2024, respectively in Milan, Italy.  
 
The scholarships will be awarded to –
– 1 student or young professional who is UK citizen and/or resident  – 1 student or young professional who is non-UK citizen/resident The total amount per scholarship is 2,000 GBP. The grant will be provided as total or partial reimbursement to cover:
Registration for SGC and IAC.  Round trip travel costs to Milan, Italy, via economy airfare Accommodation Visa costs (if any) Participants must be eligible SGAC members (registered on the SGAC website) between the ages of 18 and 35 years as of the 18th of October, 2024.
Apply Here
Application deadline: 3rd September 2024, 23:59 GMT

Blog: To Summit Up...

July was busy!  While it may be a quiet month for many rolling down the hill toward summer holidays, we were climbing the peak of planning for, and then participating in, the Summit for Space Sustainability in Tokyo.
The Summit is an important annual date in our space sustainability calendar and led by our US partner, the Secure World Foundation (SWF).  This year’s event was held in partnership with the Japanese Cabinet Office and during the same week as SPACETIDE, the region’s leading commercial space conference, which broadened the UK delegation’s opportunities for engagement with Japanese organisations.
While many valuable interactions took place throughout the week, the primary focus for our Sustainability & ADR team was the two-day Summit.  Through our sponsorship, the UK Space Agency had various speaking slots in panels and roundtables.
Our CEO, Paul Bate, took part in a keynote with Richard Dalbello of the US Office of Space Commerce – an interesting conversation largely on space situational awareness and their great rapport made even more engaging.  Julie Black, Director of Discovery & Sustainability, joined a panel on space situational awareness, sharing updates on our lunar exploration activities and the Axiom Space astronaut mission.  Our Head of Sustainability, Ray Fielding, participated in another panel on debris remediation discussing our work towards a national debris removal mission and the importance of space sustainability for everyone.
While all these moments ‘in the limelight’ are important ways to showcase UK leadership in space sustainability, the receptive aspect of attending such events is just as beneficial.
A real example of this is last year’s Summit at which the issue of atmospheric ablation – the potential environmental impact of space debris burning up in Earth’s atmosphere – was repeatedly raised.  We acted on this and are currently funding the Universities of Southampton and Durham to identify gaps in existing analysis and how we can mitigate this.  
The summit of my event highlights, though, was meeting the eight scholarship awardees we funded in collaboration with the Space Generation Advisory Council and SWF.  What an inspiring group of students and young professionals!   Coming from Germany, Kenya, Maldives, Uganda and the UK, we were all impressed by their intelligence, ambition, professionalism and passion for space sustainability. 
One of the UK awardees, Ashley Sofocleous, has told us that “The summit highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of the space sustainability challenge, showcasing the collaborative efforts of engineers, lawyers, economists, policymakers, and other space professionals. It was inspiring to see the UK Space Agency playing a leading role in discussions, advocating for space sustainability and supporting innovative companies like Astroscale and ClearSpace in their pioneering space debris removal efforts”. 
Another awardee, Ruth Jebet from Kenya, said “Attending the 6th Space Sustainability Summit was a transformative experience that offered deep insights into global collaboration efforts in space sustainability. The event not only broadened my understanding but also reinforced the importance of international cooperation and innovative approaches to address the challenges we face in ensuring a sustainable future for space exploration.”

SGAC team and Scholarship Awardees, with Liz Cox and Paul Bate from the UK Space Agency,
at the Summit for Space Sustainability 2024, Tokyo

People in traditional dress in Tokyo
And then there’s Tokyo itself.  When I mentioned to friends that I was going in July, their pained expressions said everything … and it was indeed just as hot and humid as everyone said.  However, despite having minimal time to see anything other than the city, its vibrancy – incredible neon everywhere, great food (shrimp and avocado gyoza - oh yes!), and a surprising number of locals wearing traditional dress – melted away the heat.
So, with Summit 2024 successfully complete, we’re swiftly climbing towards IAC in Milan which has ‘Responsible Space for Sustainability’ as this year’s theme.  Watch this space for more information.
Read SWF article Watch recorded sessions on youTube

  

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Opportunities & Value of the IOSM Market

This study call for £208k on the Opportunities and Value of the IOSM Market, which was announced at the IOSM Conference in May, co-hosted by the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult, has been awarded to know.space.  
know.space are a specialist space economics and strategy consultancy, with offices in London and Edinburgh.
Work is underway, and due to complete in January 2025.
Watch this space for further information.

Chinese Thousand Sails satellites visible to naked eye

Sky and Telescope report on the brightness of the Chinese Qianfan ("Thousand Sails") constellation satellites, which will add 14,000 new satellites to Low Earth Orbit, at an altitude of 800km, above SpaceX's Startlink Satellites but below those of Eutelsat's OneWeb constellation.  
The first 18 Qianfan satellites were recently launched, and the launch vehicle broke apart causing a field of debris.  Observations of these initial satellites show that they are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.
Despite the lack of regulations governing satellite brightness, which can have a detrimental effect on stargazing and astronomy, both SpaceX and Starlink have taken steps to address this.
 

Amazon expands facility to speed up Kuiper deployment

SpaceNews reports that Amazon is investing $19.5 million to mitigate delays deploying its Project Kuiper satellites by expanding its satellite processing facility based at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.   
Project Kuiper will be a constellation of 3,200 satellites which will increase global broadband access, half of which must be deployed by July 2026, and the remainder by Jly 2029, under deployment rules linked to their Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licence.  
 

ESA de-orbit Cluster "Salsa" satellite

After 24 years studying the Earth-Sun interaction, ESA's Cluster mission has come to an end, and "Salsa", the first of the 4 Cluster satellites to be de-orbited, will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on 8th September as part of a targeted manoeuvre to ensure that the resulting debris lands in part of the South Pacific Ocean which is as far as possible from inhabited areas.
This targeted re-entry at the end of its useful life will ensure that the satellite does not become space debris, in keeping with ESA's sspace safety goals and demonstrating their commitment to reducing the problems of space debris and uncontrolled reentries.  
Salsa's re-entry will be followed by the other 3 Cluster satellites, known as Rumba, Samba and Tango in November 2025 and August 2026.  By studying how they burn up in the atmosphere, ESA hopes to learn more about how to build zero-debris satellites in the future.  Tim Flohrer, head of ESA's Space Debris Office, was quoted as saying “The lessons learned from this activity will help turn targeted reentries into a safe and well-understood option for the disposal of other space missions in similar orbits.”
Read more on ESA's website
Featured image courtesy of ESA.
 

CAS Space takes steps toward 1st launch of reusable rocket

The Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space is making serious progress on a new, reusable rocket as reported in Space.com. CAS Space is testing components of the Kinetica-2 — also known as Lijian-2 — rocket in preparation for a planned first launch next year.
"To recycle rockets is the major way to reduce the demand for rocket production capacity, as it's impossible for us to build production lines without limits. So we recycle the big stuff, which is the best way to improve the launch capacity," Shi Xiaoning, vice president of Beijing CAS Space, told China Central Television (CCTV).
The company aims to begin recovering and reusing the rocket's first stage and boosters by 2028.
Featured Image: Artist's impression of CAS Space's Kinetica-2 rocket lifting off. (Image credit: CAS Space via X)