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• Jason Rainbow
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.
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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.
Eutelsat has signed a broadcasting deal covering Central and Eastern Europe, adding to its business in the region. The available report does not disclose the customer, contract value, duration or capacity involved, leaving the commercial scale of the agreement unclear.
Turkey’s Aselsan is under contract to build in-orbit prototypes for Astralink, a planned 198-satellite low Earth orbit constellation serving military, civil government and emergency services. The first satellite is scheduled to launch in 2028, an early step toward a multi-user national space communications system.
The Turkish defense electronics company is investing in space R&D to build end-to-end capabilities in geospatial imaging and satellite communications. Its expansion also includes work on a government-backed low-orbit broadband constellation planned to comprise 198 satellites.
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