A hackathon challenged aerospace students to develop a detailed digital system model for a robotic assistant for astronauts on the Moon, able to identify key areas of interest in advance of any humans landing, guide them to their habitat and even rescue any moonwalkers in distress. 

The winning team, from France’s Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, completed their task within just two weeks, using Model Based System Engineering to do so. This method involves creating digital models of space missions to manage their design, construction, test and operation – and has been highlighted by ESA Director General Josef

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD) together announced the signing of a definitive agreement for L3Harris to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $58 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.7 billion, inclusive of net debt. This marks L3Harris' second acquisition announcement of 2022, demonstrating its continued focus on delivering crit

Enjoy ESA’s Impact over the last quarter!

Welcome to this edition of ESA Impact, an interactive publication covering stories and images from the fourth quarter of 2022.

Carlsbad CA (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
Viasat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) report that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the company's Ka-band In-flight Connectivity (IFC) solution for Gulfstream G450 aircraft, a large cabin jet often deployed on long-distance, international expeditions. With this supplemental type certificate (STC) awarded by the FAA, Viasat's Ka-band connectivity system is now available on more than t

Denver CO (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
Voyager Space, a global leader in space exploration, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore how the CSA and the Canadian space sector could play a role in the planning and development of Starlab, Voyager's planned commercial space station, and the George Washington Carver Science Park, Starlab's on-orbit laboratory. This non-b

Sendai, Japan (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the universe, allowing astrologists to observe intense gamma rays in short durations. Gamma-ray bursts are classified as either short or long, with long gamma-ray bursts being the result of massive stars dying out. Hence why they provide hidden clues about the evolution of the universe. Gamma-ray bursts emit gamma rays as well as radio w

Wallops Island VA (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) ("Rocket Lab"), a leading launch and space systems company, has announced the launch window for its first Electron mission from U.S. soil has been rescheduled to January 2023. The move of the planned launch window from December 2022 to early 2023 was driven by weather and the additional time that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at

Seoul (AFP) Dec 19, 2022
North Korea carried out an "important final-stage test" for the development of a spy satellite, which it will complete by April next year, state media said on Monday. The report comes a day after Seoul's military said it had detected launches by Pyongyang of two medium-range ballistic missiles, the North's latest in a year of unprecedented weapons tests. Analysts say developing such a sa

Beijing (XNA) Dec 20, 2022
Chen Li, who owns a restaurant in Longlou, a coastal township in China's southernmost province of Hainan, said he is grateful to the country's space industry because it has boosted business at his eatery in recent years. "So many people came to Longlou before the launch of the Wentian space lab. There was 'a mountain of people, a sea of people'. A lot of tourists came to my restaurant to g

Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Dec 18, 2022
Kongsberg NanoAvionics has signed a contract with thermal data provider Constellr to supply it with two of its flagship MP42 microsatellite buses. Having recently raised 10 million euros, Germany-based Constellr will use the two satellites to develop the world's first scalable water stress monitoring system. Collaborating since the very early days of the German startup, NanoAvionics has al