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European Spaceflight • Andrew Parsonson

As ESA Chief Pushes for European Autonomous Human Spaceflight, Agency Prepares Reusable Orbital Spaceplane Proposal

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher says Europe must build an autonomous human spaceflight capability, framing it as a strategic requirement rather than a “luxury.” In parallel, ESA is set to propose a reusable orbital spaceplane to close gaps in Europe’s independent post-ISS transportation capabilities.

2026-05-19T07:54:42.246339-07:00

Space Intel Report

ESA and CNES pledge €1 billion over three years to upgrade Kourou’s Guiana Space Centre; Vega-C VV29 scheduled for ESA’s Smile m

2026-05-18T10:23:53.882356-07:00

Payload

U-Space selects Skynopy to run LEO mission ground stations for SOAP and PANDORE, partnering with ESA to trial X-band dynamic mod

2026-05-18T05:40:07.250951-07:00

FlightGlobal

Air Arabia Q1 profit drops ~20% on Gulf conflict disruption as Gulf carriers signal a demand “comeback” into the 2026 summer pea

2026-05-17T23:25:03.150278-07:00

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European Spaceflight

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As ESA Chief Pushes for European Autonomous Human Spaceflight, Agency Prepares Reusable Orbital Spaceplane Proposal ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher says Europe must build an autonomous human spaceflight capability, framing it as a strategic requirement rather than a “luxury.” In parallel, ESA is set to propose a reusable orbital spaceplane to close gaps in Europe’s independent post-ISS transportation capabilities.

2026-05-19T07:54:42.246339-07:00

As ESA Chief Pushes for European Autonomous Human Spaceflight, Agency Prepares Reusable Orbital Spaceplane Proposal

Space Intel Report

ESA and CNES pledge €1 billion over three years to upgrade Kourou’s Guiana Space Centre; Vega-C VV29 scheduled for ESA’s Smile m ESA and CNES have signed a three-year commitment to maintain and upgrade Europe’s equatorial Guiana Space Center, backed by a combined €1 billion investment. The funding supports launch readiness at Kourou, where Vega-C is scheduled to fly VV29 carrying ESA’s Smile (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission on 19 May.

2026-05-18T10:23:53.882356-07:00

ESA and CNES pledge €1 billion over three years to upgrade Kourou’s Guiana Space Centre; Vega-C VV29 scheduled for ESA’s Smile m

Payload

U-Space selects Skynopy to run LEO mission ground stations for SOAP and PANDORE, partnering with ESA to trial X-band dynamic mod U-Space has selected Skynopy to provide ground-station services for its two low-Earth-orbit satellites, SOAP and PANDORE. The companies also worked under an ESA PUSH effort to develop and validate X-band dynamic modulation on U-Space’s platforms, with ESA and Skynopy funding the program at no cost to U-Space.

2026-05-18T05:40:07.250951-07:00

U-Space selects Skynopy to run LEO mission ground stations for SOAP and PANDORE, partnering with ESA to trial X-band dynamic mod

FlightGlobal

Air Arabia Q1 profit drops ~20% on Gulf conflict disruption as Gulf carriers signal a demand “comeback” into the 2026 summer pea Air Arabia reported first-quarter pre-tax and net profit declines of around 20% to 22%, blaming ongoing disruptions from the Middle East conflict while it maintains confidence in recovery. Across the region, Gulf carriers are attempting a restart amid lingering uncertainty, with the industry heading into the summer peak facing geopolitical and fuel-market volatility.

2026-05-17T23:25:03.150278-07:00

Air Arabia Q1 profit drops ~20% on Gulf conflict disruption as Gulf carriers signal a demand “comeback” into the 2026 summer pea

SpaceNews.com

ESA–China SMILE mission slips into its launch phase May 19 to map the shape of Earth’s magnetosphere ESA and China’s SMILE spacecraft is scheduled to launch May 19 after about a decade of preparation. The mission aims to deliver a “wide and unique” view of how solar wind streams and bursts of radiation from the Sun reshape Earth’s invisible magnetic shield—after an extensive pre-launch journey.

2026-05-15T11:15:23.779720-07:00

ESA–China SMILE mission slips into its launch phase May 19 to map the shape of Earth’s magnetosphere

European Spaceflight

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OHB Space UK awarded €320.7M to build and test spacecraft for ESA’s EnVision Venus mission; Thales Alenia Space granted prelimin OHB Space UK has secured a €320.7 million contract to assemble and test the spacecraft for ESA’s EnVision Venus explorer mission. Separately, OHB Space UK and Thales Alenia Space signed a Preliminary Authorisation to begin work estimated at about €24 million, advancing the mission toward integration and verification.

2026-05-15T01:30:24.960347-07:00

OHB Space UK awarded €320.7M to build and test spacecraft for ESA’s EnVision Venus mission; Thales Alenia Space granted prelimin

European Spaceflight

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ESA opens €16M Boost! sounding-rocket call to fly five experiments in 2027-28 ESA has reopened a €16 million call under its Boost! programme to support one or more European sounding-rocket mission campaigns carrying five experiments in 2027 or 2028. The initiative is designed to spur European companies developing and operating space-transport services.

2026-05-14T02:37:04.116348-07:00

ESA opens €16M Boost! sounding-rocket call to fly five experiments in 2027-28

European Spaceflight

Thales Alenia Space ships ExoMars structural test models to Cannes for vibration and acoustic testing Thales Alenia Space has shipped structural models for ESA’s ExoMars mission to Cannes, where they will be used for planned vibration and acoustic testing. The move signals continued integration of ground-validation hardware ahead of the mission’s next engineering and qualification milestones.

2026-05-13T08:25:51.191285-07:00

Thales Alenia Space ships ExoMars structural test models to Cannes for vibration and acoustic testing

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ESA News

As ESA Chief Pushes for European Autonomous Human Spaceflight, Agency Prepares Reusable Orbital Spaceplane Proposal

ESA and CNES pledge €1 billion over three years to upgrade Kourou’s Guiana Space Centre; Vega-C VV29 scheduled for ESA’s Smile m

U-Space selects Skynopy to run LEO mission ground stations for SOAP and PANDORE, partnering with ESA to trial X-band dynamic mod

Air Arabia Q1 profit drops ~20% on Gulf conflict disruption as Gulf carriers signal a demand “comeback” into the 2026 summer pea

News Timeline