Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering: ‘How do we create an environment where new companies that have real solutions can come in?’

In Tenerife, Spain, stands a unique duo: ESA’s Izaña-1 and Izaña-2 laser-ranging stations. Together, they form an optical technology testbed of the European Space Agency that takes the monitoring of space debris and satellites to a new level while maturing new technologies for commercialisation.  

Space debris is a threat to satellites and is rapidly becoming a daily concern for satellite operators. The Space Safety Programme, part of ESA Operations, managed from ESOC in Germany, helps develop new technologies to detect and track debris, and to prevent collisions in orbit in new and innovative ways. 

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NASA is still working on a strategy to procure a Mars communications spacecraft funded in the budget reconciliation bill even as the agency moves towards a services approach to communications.

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Will Bruey, CEO and co-founder of Varda Space Industries — a company developing in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing.

SAN FRANCISCO – Viridian Space Corp. won a $1.25 million award from the U.S. Air Force for very low Earth orbit (VLEO) electric-propulsion technology.

SAN FRANCISCO – Nuview, a Florida startup building a constellation of lidar satellites, announced a $5 million award Aug.