International
Stories around the biggest global space news, including from Europe, India, and Japan.
Op-ed: A Resilient Europe Means Learning from the US Model
Amid shifting global power balances and an ongoing war on European soil, it’s more important than ever for Europe to quickly address its fragmented, painfully slow, and overly cautious procurement process—or risk permanently lagging behind those who want to do it harm.
China Shares Moon Rocks, Steps Up Space Collaboration
China announced that it will share lunar samples with international researchers and fly other nations’ payloads aboard future Moon and Mars missions—a giant leap for Beijing’s space diplomacy efforts.
Europe’s New Spacecraft to Map World’s Forests in 3D
Europe will launch a satellite to map the world’s forests in 3D, to hunt down illegal logging and track climate change by mapping how forests store carbon.
US and Korean Space Officials Push For Closer Collaboration
Officials from the two countries’ civil space programs met in Washington, DC on Monday for the fourth US-ROK Civil Space Dialogue, which culminated in a bilateral commitment to increase collaboration on civil, military, and commercial space missions.
NATO Considers Reopening Space Policy Ahead of Schedule
“It’s not supposed to be even touched until 2027. Now they’re saying that’s probably too long. So let’s talk about—is now the time, based on what’s happening in the world,” Col. Jonathan Whitaker told Payload on the sidelines of Space Symposium.
Lunar Cubesat Constellation to Search for Ancient Cosmic Signal
Blue Skies Space, a UK-based startup, will design a Moon-orbiting cubesat constellation to search for the oldest signal from the ancient universe.
New Report Catalogs Military Capabilities in Orbit
There is a widespread acknowledgement that future conflicts will take place, at least partially, in space.
NanoAvionics to Build Sats for SpinLaunch
The Lithuania-based company will build the satellites—which will be the first batch of a planned 1,200-satellite constellation—in its newly expanded production facilities in Vilnius.
Airbus to Build ExoMars Landing Platform
ESA has tapped Airbus to build a landing platform for Europe’s beleaguered ExoMars rover as the delayed mission hopes to reach Mars in 2030.
Isar Aerospace’s First Rocket Crashes After Brief Flight
Isar Aerospace has broken the European launch barrier.
Starlink Faces an Uphill Battle in Italy
Starlink’s potential five-year €1.6B ($1.72B) deal to provide the Italian government with secure telecom capabilities is in jeopardy.
ESA Launches its Launcher Challenge
The quickest way to get to space from Europe is to veer left at the UK, fly across the pond, and hitch a ride on a US-built rocket. ESA wants to change that.
ESA Calls for Funding Boost to Meet Long-Term Goals
The space agency laid out its long-term vision for the region’s space sector in its Strategy 2040 document.