OBERPFAFFENHOFEN, Germany - In the presence of Bavarian Minister President Dr. Markus Söder, OHB today announced the founding of the European Moonport Company. The new entity, headquartered at OHB’s site in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, will consolidate the company’s activities related to future lunar missions in Bavaria. Europe’s ambition to take a leading role in humanity’s return to the Moon is being supported by the development of a dedicated European lunar infrastructure.

The Moon is increasingly becoming a geopolitically significant target for spacefaring nations such as the United States, China, and India. In light of these developments, it is essential for Europe to formulate and consistently implement its own strategy for a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. At the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level last November, Germany assumed a leadership role within Europe.

The establishment of infrastructure on the Moon will lay the foundation for a future economic sphere. This requires not only independent access to the Moon but also the development of key technologies for a future lunar infrastructure - including launch and landing pads, energy, oxygen and propellant supply systems, as well as navigation and communication capabilities.

Together with Munich Airport International, OHB has developed an initial concept for a central launch and landing facility on the lunar surface, which was presented at today’s event. A Moonport, serving as a reliable hub for logistics flights and crewed spacecraft, is a key enabler for the emergence of a lunar economic ecosystem.

As a space company with decades of experience in conducting studies and projects related to space exploration - and with a broad network of industrial and academic partners - OHB is excellently positioned to play a leading role in shaping the vision of a permanent European infrastructure on the lunar surface.

Source: OHB
Associated URL: https://www.ohb.de/en/news/ohb-founds-european-moonport-company

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Rocket Lab Corporation successfully launched its 81st Electron rocket and second launch in eight days to deploy a satellite for an Earth-observation constellation by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea’s leading university dedicated to science and technology.

‘Bridging The Swarm’ lifted off on January 30th at 2:21 p.m. NZDT (01:21 UTC) from Rocket Lab’s private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, to deploy the NEONSAT-1A satellite to a 540 km low Earth orbit. NEONSAT-1A is an advanced Earth observation satellite that will test the capabilities of the South Korean government’s future constellation of NEONSAT satellites to monitor natural disasters and national security events along the Korean Peninsula.

The first satellite of this constellation, NEONSAT-1, was deployed by Rocket Lab in 2024 on a mission called ‘Beginning of The Swarm’. 'Bridging The Swarm' was Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2026 and 81st launch overall. Upcoming launches in 2026 include missions for commercial Earth observation, international space agencies, national security, and hypersonic technology development.

Source: Rocket Lab
Associated URL: https://rocketlabcorp.com/updates/mission-success-rocket-lab-launches-korean-earth-imaging-satellite-completes-2nd-launch-in-8-days/

SANDY HOOK, Conn. - AI data centers are a growing trend across many markets. The gas turbine market in particular is benefitting from a vast amount of orders pouring in for power to supply these centers. Elon Musk has proposed a vastly different solution, just do it in Space.

The merger of SpaceX and xAI represents a massive strategic bet on moving the future of computing off-planet to solve the power constraints facing artificial intelligence. We are rapidly hitting a point where AI’s hunger for electricity simply exceeds what Earth’s power grids can sustainably provide. The proposed solution is to use the Starship rocket to launch orbital data centers that run on constant, cost-free solar power. By aiming to launch a million tons of satellite hardware annually, this initiative plans to bring 100 gigawatts of new compute capacity online every year. If executed as described, the abundance of solar energy could make space the most cost-effective place to train AI models within just two to three years, effectively decoupling AI growth from Earth's environmental limitations.

Starship is the centerpiece of this drive. With the ability to launch a large number of satellites depending on size, a constellation can be built quickly and to the scale that is required. Space has many benefits that Mr. Musk is surely attempting to exploit.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://www.spacex.com/updates
Author: C. Palmer