The second flight of the Starliner, the USA will release a stamp with James Webb and the “Death Star” in the Solar System: News Digest

Selection of space news for breakfast: Boeing is ready for a new unmanned spacecraft test, and ExoMars is postponing the rover until 2028. Meanwhile, AVentures investment company believes that last year was the best for the Ukrainian technology industry.

DealBook Ukraine 2022 edition: Transactions in the venture capital market of Ukraine reached USD 832 million

AVentures Capital Venture Fund has published a recent study of the development of the venture and IT market of Ukraine for 2021: DealBook of Ukraine: 2022 edition. 

In 2021, the total volume of VC and PE investments in Ukrainian technology companies reached a record level of USD 832 million, which is 45% higher than in 2020.

• The volume of Seed & Grant transactions in 2021 increased by 100% compared to last year and reached USD 84 million.
• The volume of Series A transactions also increased by more than 30% and amounted to USD 158 million.

Starliner spacecraft is ready for the second test flight to the ISS

The promising spacecraft CST-100 Starliner is ready for the second test flight (Orbital Flight Test-2 – OFT-2) in unmanned mode to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for May 19, Director of the program for its development of Boeing Corporation Mark Nappi said on Tuesday during a NASA teleconference.

The US Postal Service will issue a new stamp for the James Webb Space Telescope

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the release of a postage stamp in honor of the new observatory later this year. JWT is the largest and most complex telescope ever deployed in space, capable of looking straight into early space and studying every stage of space history. Currently, it orbits the Sun at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

Market News

ExoMars official says a launch is unlikely before 2028

A key representative of the European ExoMars mission believes that the launch of the rover will be postponed until at least 2028 for the changes after the discontinuation of cooperation with Russia.

ExoMars was scheduled to launch in September on a Proton rocket as part of a partnership between Roscosmos and the European Space Agency. Roscosmos has also provided a landing platform for the ESA-built Rosalind Franklin rover.

The war in Ukraine puts the spotlight on spy satellites for hire

From Russian tanks to mass burial sites, commercial imaging spacecraft are shedding light on the Kremlin’s war on its neighbor. Ukrainian troops hunting for Russian tanks and tracking the movement of troops receive images from a growing number of commercial spy satellites. This gives Kyiv access to intelligence that once belonged to only a few governments. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on his neighbor coincided with a boom in the number and complexity of commercial surveillance satellites, hundreds of which are now in orbit.

NaraSpace Technology closes USD 7.88 million Series A for Nanosatellite Project

South Korean startup NaraSpace Technology has announced that it has raised USD 7.88 million in a Series A funding round to continue developing optical nanosatellites for remote probing.

Including the USD 2.76 million raised under the preliminary Series A in August 2020, the Pusan company has raised USD 10.65 million since its founding in 2015. Investors are the Korean Development Bank, Lane Ventures, Kolon GLotech, BNK Venture Capital, Posco Capital and Hi Investment Partners.

QuantX Labs and SmartSat CRC accelerate the development of orbital space clocks

SmartSat CRC today announced the allocation of a million dollars to help QuantX Labs develop a satellite payload with an optical atomic clock, which will become the heart of Australia’s future independent navigation and timekeeping. This partnership will accelerate the space qualification and commercialization of a new type of atomic clock.

Accurate timing is vital to our modern society and is used daily by global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as GPS, which generate trillions of dollars in economic benefits worldwide every year.

Interesting

Mimas — the “Death Star” in the Solar System

On May 4, fans of the cult saga of George Lucas celebrate the day of “Star Wars”. This date was chosen because of the famous quote May the Force be with you, which many fans say as May the fourth be with you. On the occasion of this “Star Wars” day, the editors of The Universe Space Tech would like to tell some interesting facts about Mimas, a rather remarkable moon of Saturn, which is often compared to the Death Star because of its appearance.

Amid tensions on Earth, the United States claims that ‘conflict in space is not inevitable’

In less than three decades since then, humanity has witnessed the creation of the US Space Force, the testing of anti-satellite weapons by major space powers and the rapid development of weapons that can interfere with, break or destroy space objects.

No wonder there are many concerns about the potential of war in space. But the belief in the inevitability of space becoming the next major battlefield runs the risk of becoming, as space law expert Steven Freeland writes, “a self-fulfilling prophecy if care and restraint is not exercised.”

Nelson criticizes “plague” of cost-plus NASA contracts

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson offered a surprisingly strong endorsement of fixed-price contracts and competition at a congressional hearing May 3, calling traditional cost-plus contracts a “plague” on the agency.

Canada considers adding moon crimes to its Criminal Code

The budget bill, in which this is proposed, passed the first reading in the lower house of the country, the House of Commons. Canada is working on legislation that would allow legal action against crimes committed on the moon, among other space locations.

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