It was a busy year for space actors across the globe.
From China’s Moon landing to European investments to India’s ambitious space goals, here are five of our top international space stories of the year:
China Notches Fourth Successful Lunar Landing: China successfully soft landed an uncrewed spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, with the goal of bringing the first samples from this lunar region back to Earth.
India’s Budget Sets Aggressive Space Goals: Recent updates to the national space budget are intended to help the country meet its aggressive growth targets. The government’s budget for 2024-25 injects significant amounts of cash into both public and private space efforts.
Momentum Builds for Global Space Sustainability Policy: From the first IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines published in 2002 to ESA’s Zero Debris Charter in 2023, these efforts have varied in their content and structure, but over time they have grown sharper teeth, the report said.
Accelerator Announces First European Space Resources Cohort: The companies all boast business models that don’t depend on reaching the lunar surface to generate revenue, though they represent sectors ranging from in-situ manufacturing to power generation. ESA has dedicated over €1M ($1.1M) to financing the cohort, but getting to the Moon will require much more private investment.
The State of the Japanese Space Industry: Payload’s multi-story series on the Japanese space startup landscape, Tokyo’s lunar ambitions, and the Asia-Pacific’s commitment to space sustainability.
