SpaceWatch Global
• Torsten Kriening
Day three of the Riyadh gathering covered satellite identification, cybersecurity threats in space, live interference in geostationary orbit and progress at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The recap also assessed the three days’ implications ahead of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.
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BlackSky Technology announced a seven-figure extension contract Oct. 15 with Australian non-Earth imagery company HEO. The agreement extends their work to gather imagery of objects beyond Earth, linking BlackSky’s capabilities with HEO’s specialized imagery business.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) says he and Senate colleagues will ask the Defense Department inspector general to investigate Ukraine’s sudden loss of access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink. The disruption reportedly hampered Ukrainian forces’ ability to intercept Russian drones.
BlackSky Technology signed a seven-figure deal to extend its partnership with non-Earth imaging provider HEO for another year. The renewed agreement adds BlackSky’s Gen-3 imagery to support space domain awareness.
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Day three of the Riyadh gathering covered satellite identification, cybersecurity threats in space, live interference in geostationary orbit and progress at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The recap also assessed the three days’ implications ahead of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.
A warning that the United States is unprepared for conflict in space underscores the vulnerability of satellite-dependent systems. Widespread disruption to satellites could cripple the global economy, making the resilience and protection of space infrastructure a consequential issue beyond the military domain.
JAXA has selected ArkEdge to conduct two demonstrations aimed at lunar navigation, where future explorers will lack GPS-like technology. The effort focuses on a basic operational challenge for missions to the Moon: determining position and navigating without the infrastructure available on Earth.
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The UK Space Agency selected the British unit of Luxembourg-headquartered ClearSpace as prime contractor for a mission to remove two defunct small satellites from orbit. Announced Oct. 15, the 2029 mission advances a government-backed effort to demonstrate active debris removal.
Researchers at Stanford University led large-scale tests showing that space-based instruments can accurately detect methane plumes. The results provide evidence for the technology’s performance in monitoring emissions, though the available report does not specify the instruments, test locations or detection metrics.
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