To subsidize or not to subsidize 🚀
Issue 7. Subscribers: 239.
In this issue, I’m testing a new format. The lead story only includes the introduction, with the full story published on the website. This makes the whole newsletter a little more manageable for readers that aren’t interested in the main story and are just here for the news. There is also a new bonus section at the end.
Subsidies vs. Launch Contracts? Why not both?
In a recent article from Peter B. de Selding, it was revealed that both the German and Spanish governments are against subsidizing launch startups in favor of allowing companies to compete for launch contracts. This was in response to France moving towards offering development subsidies to its launch startups in one form or another.
My response to this statement was that if given a choice, launch startups in those countries would likely jump at the chance to compete for launch contracts over subsidies. This sentiment was backed up by PLD Space CEO Raúl Torres, who commented on my post stating, “subsidies not only create stagnation but also poor competitiveness.”
News of the week
A German rides a Dragon home - ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn returned home from the International Space Station aboard the Crew-3 Dragon spacecraft early this morning after six months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Nikolina joins the family - The European Union Agency for Space Programme announced 5 May that Galileo satellite GSAT0223 has successfully entered service. The satellite was launched in December 2021 and will "add extra layers of accuracy and robustness to the EU's positioning system." Interestingly, each Galileo satellite is named after a child that wins a drawing competition held regularly by the European Commission. In this case, the satellite is named Nikolina, a winner from Croatia.
Look, mom, I can see our boats from here - The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment announce 3 May that it’s working with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to develop a three-satellite constellation for maritime surveillance. The operations of the satellite will be conducted by the Kongsberg Satellite Services in a new 6,000 square meter building under construction in the city of Kongsberg. The budget for the new facility and satellite constellation is NOK 300 million (€30.2 million).
I wish I was a little bit taller - The first Vega-C got a little taller this week, with the Zefiro 40 second stage successfully mated with the interstage atop the P120C booster on 4 May. The next element to be stacked will be another interstage, followed by the Zefiro 9 third stage.
Where in the world is EnMap? - DLR's EnMAP hyperspectral Earth observation satellite launch late last year aboard a Falcon 9 has sent its first images back to Earth. The images (which are displayed below) show a strip approximately 30 kilometers wide and 180 kilometers long over Istanbul, Turkey.
A Barracuda swims into view - Netherlands-based sounding rocket startup T-minus revealed its largest rocket to date at the ESA PAC symposium in France this week. The Barracuda sounding rocket stands at approximately 4.5 meters and is capable of carrying a 15kg payload up to an altitude of 200km. The rocket is powered by a solid rocket motor that the company developed in-house and validated last year.
Close but no cigar - Rocket Lab launched its There And Back Again missions on 2 May, carrying a number of small satellites. The mission included the first midair recovery attempt of a rocket booster, which was partially successful. The mission also carried a number of satellites for European customers:
Scottish satellite provider Alba Orbital’s Unicorn-2 tech demonstration satellite and three other PocketQube satellites for the company's customer ACME AtronOmatic.
Finish company Aurora’s AuroraSat-1, a 1.5U tech demonstration CubeSat equipped with the world's smallest water thruster and a plasma brake for deorbiting.
French maritime tracking startup Unseenlabs’ Bro-7 satellite.
An inspector reviews a goddess - Franco-German startup The Exploration Company has successfully conducted a system design review for its uncrewed Nyx (named after the Greek goddess of the night) spacecraft. The review looked at the vehicle’s ability to address market requirements. The board that oversaw the review was headed by a former ESA General Inspector and included experts from ESA, CNES, DLR, and industry. The maiden Nyx demo flight is slated for 2024.
New: Startup of the week
This is a new section of the newsletter I’m trying out. The idea is to highlight and briefly introduce European space startups that I find interesting. This week, it’s Space Forge.
Space Forge was founded in 2018 with the aim of offering in-orbit manufacturing capabilities. The company is currently developing its reusable ForgeStar platform that will enable the manufacture and return of products back to Earth. To date, the company has raised close to €10 million and is aiming to launch its first demonstration mission aboard a Virgin Orbit LauncherOne later this year.