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Space Intel Report

EU governments’ failure to pre-book launches leaves Ariane 6 demand unconverted into orders, ILA panel warns European governments have spent years trying to stimulate demand for Ariane 6 heavy-lift, but EU officials’ reluctance to book launches in advance risks diverting missions to non-European providers. A panel discussion at ILA Berlin said launcher makers still need firm orders to support any production ramp-up.

2026-06-12T05:58:42.590243-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

cosine Italia signs two ILA Berlin 2026 contracts for hyperspectral camera hardware for ESA RAMSES’ 2029 Apophis rendezvous cosine Italia has signed two contracts at ILA Berlin 2026 to deliver hyperspectral camera equipment for ESA’s RAMSES mission. RAMSES will rendezvous with asteroid Apophis during its exceptionally close 2029 flyby of Earth, in a once-in-a-generation target-encounter window.

2026-06-12T01:12:57.430930-07:00

SpaceNews.com

ESA awards €10.9M to AAC Clyde Space to complete and demonstrate VDES satellites for Inflecion maritime domain awareness The European Space Agency has awarded AAC Clyde Space a €10.9 million contract (about $12.6 million) to complete development and demonstrate VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) satellites for Inflecion. The satellites are intended to support maritime domain awareness under the program.

2026-06-11T17:26:25.982824-07:00

Via Satellite

Space Forge wins €310m ($13.4m) ESA-backed boost to move reusable satellite heat-shield tech toward commercial readiness Space Forge has secured a €310 million ($13.4 million) investment routed through ESA’s General Support Technology Programme, funded via the UK Space Agency. The funding supports maturation of its reusable Pridwen heat-shield technology, targeting commercial readiness after the ESA backing.

2026-06-11T06:59:34.414931-07:00

European Spaceflight

2026-06-10T08:42:13.297629-07:00

ESA Awards Initial €700M Contr

SpaceWatch Global

ESA contracts Vast to fly Czech reserve astronaut Aleš Svoboda to the ISS in 2027 The European Space Agency has signed an agreement with Vast for an ISS mission that will carry Czech reserve astronaut Aleš Svoboda, a military pilot, aiming to make him the first Czech in ISS orbit in 2027. The flight is part of NASA’s first PAM to the ISS awarded to Vast.

2026-06-10T00:41:51.395221-07:00

Space Intel Report

Canada and ESA weigh industrial and program-response moves after NASA shelves Lunar Gateway Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell and former NASA Chief Economist Alexander MacDonald say Canada is positioned to benefit from NASA’s abrupt shift away from the Lunar Gateway—prompting ESA and Canadian stakeholders to decide how to respond to the cancellation and realign work and roles.

2026-06-04T08:56:15.588429-07:00

SpaceNews.com

ESA’s SMILE solar-wind mission sets May 19 launch on Vega-C to probe how space weather drives magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling ESA’s SMILE spacecraft is scheduled to launch May 19, 2026, on a Vega-C rocket, aiming to advance understanding of solar wind interactions with Earth’s magnetosphere and improve space-weather prediction. The mission underscores Europe’s push to operationalize heliophysics observations through targeted instrumentation.

2026-06-03T11:41:30.326016-07:00

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