Tag: European Commission
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ESA and European Commission Expand Flight Ticket Initiative for European Launchers
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC) have launched a new call for proposals under the European Flight Ticket Initiative, expanding opportunities for European launch providers to compete for institutional launch contracts. The two-part call invites European launcher developers to apply for framework contracts while also opening competition for the fifth batch…
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France Pushes European Preference for Space Defence Assets Amid Security Shift
France is calling for a stronger preference for European-made space assets linked to defence, arguing that the bloc must rapidly reduce reliance on foreign equipment as global security dynamics shift, French and German ministers said on Tuesday. “Time is of the essence” for Europe to develop a space policy that relies far more heavily on…
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EU Still Reliant on U.S. for Space Security as IRIS² Years Away, Commissioner Says
The European Union remains dependent on the United States for critical defence and space services and cannot yet replace U.S. capabilities, despite ambitions to build its own satellite infrastructure, EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euronews. Kubilius said the EU’s Governmental Satellite Communications programme, known as GOVSATCOM, is intended as an interim solution…
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EU Awards Ariane 6 Contract to Launch Next-Generation Galileo Satellites
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has signed a new contract to launch second-generation Galileo navigation satellites using Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, reinforcing the bloc’s push for independent access to space, the agency said on Tuesday. Under the agreement, the Ariane 6 launcher will deploy two Galileo L18 satellites. Ariane 6, developed…
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Rocket Factory Augsburg Wins Two ESA-EU Launch Contracts Under Flight Ticket Initiative
German rocket manufacturer Rocket Factory Augsburg has been awarded launch service contracts for two missions under Europe’s Flight Ticket Initiative, strengthening its position in the continent’s emerging small-launch market, the European Space Agency said. The contracts, announced on Jan. 22, cover two missions comprising a total of three satellites and were awarded through the Flight…
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Europe Urged to Set Roadmap for Space-Based Data Centres as Industry Opportunity Grows
Europe risks ceding leadership in a rapidly emerging industry unless it urgently develops a roadmap for placing data centres in orbit, according to a new report from the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). The institute’s analysis concludes that space-based data centres could become a transformative sector for Europe’s digital and space industries, with the global…
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EUMETSAT, ESA launches combo MTG-S1, Sentinel-4 satellite on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A with the Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1) satellite from the European Oganisation for the Exploration of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now A European satellite designed to augment both weather monitoring and assessments of air quality and pollution for Europe and North Africa…
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Vega-C return to flight launch slips a day to allow for ‘further precautionary checks’
Copernicus Sentinel-1C standing proud on its payload adapter between the two fairing halves that will protect the spacecraft on the launch pad and on its ascent towards space. Sentinel-1C, the third satellite in the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, is set to launch in December 2024 on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Image:…
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SpaceX launches European Commission’s Galileo satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Commission’s constellation lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on April 27, 2024. The last time SpaceX launched an expandable Falcon 9 rocket was back in November 2022, 146 missions ago. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch…
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Photos: Falcon 9 launches and lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base
This composite image captures the launch of the the Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-4E at Vandenberg, followed by the booster’s return to Landing Zone 4 more than eight minutes later. Credit: Brian Sandoval / Spaceflight Now These photos show the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Nov. 21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in…