SEDS Bocconi

Mitsubishi Corporation has joined Starlab Space, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space, which is focused on the development of a commercial space station. The company's Infrastructure, Ship & Aerospace Division COO has expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, emphasizing its potential to spur innovation in space exploration. The company aims to enhance Starlab’s value by leveraging space research to support product development in various industries and providing Japanese industry access to Starlab’s capabilities. Airbus Defense and Space’s CEO Mike Schoellhorn highlighted Mitsubishi’s strong history in the space industry and its alignment with Starlab’s goals. This collaboration may also aid in securing funding from the Japanese government for Starlab. The establishment of Starlab arose from a collaboration between Voyager and Airbus, with the goal of better penetrating European markets and exploring opportunities following the International Space Station (ISS) era in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). This development could potentially enable European Space Agency - ESA to continue its presence in low Earth orbit through the utilization of commercial vehicles developed within Europe. Overall, Mitsubishi’s involvement in Starlab enhances the venture’s capabilities and market reach, positioning it as a key player in the future of space exploration and commercialization.

🛰️The newest article is here!  🚀An overview of startups in the aerospace sector: the forefront of innovation in their specific domains, fueling economic advancement and fostering ongoing development within the aerospace landscape. #startups #satellitetechnology

Californian start-up Elve, Inc. has succeeded in obtaining $15 million in funding to develop an innovative millimetre-wave #amplification technology. The technology is based on travelling wave tubes (TWTs) and it's able to offer an efficient and stable service with very small dimensions. These TWTs offer high bandwidth and low latency and are therefore ideal for a high-speed #communication application. This has attracted investment from several venture capital funds as it is thought that these amplifiers can improve the speed and accessibility of communication, having a big impact in the space but also on ground applications over long distances. The CEO, Diana Gmazina, emphasised the importance of reducing the cost of amplifiers by about a factor of ten in order to revolutionise wireless communication. It is interesting to note the attention of venture capital funds on this type of market, as it represents a very important segment of the space economy that will have great developments in the future.

SpaceX recently announced the re-entry of 100 #Starlink satellites from orbit, which will be completely destroyed upon impact in the atmosphere. This decision stems from a common issue within this group of #satellites, prompting SpaceX to deem the action: "the right thing to do to keep space safe and sustainable". Since Starlink inundated the market, satellite costs have plummeted by 77%, reaching $260 per month per megabit per second of capacity. However, the satellite industry is moving away from traditional wholesale leasing towards other types of solutions and changing strategy. To avoid complex asset management, space companies are tending towards different, simpler and easier-to-manage service packages. The looming question is whether costs are trending towards stabilization at present, casting uncertainty over the future of strategies.

✨The latest report embarks on a cosmic journey of discovery by delving into the secrets of the Bennu asteroid and the groundbreaking Psyche mission! 🪐 NASA's Psyche mission aims to unlock the mysteries of a metal-rich asteroid like never before. An exploration thought to harbour clues about the Earth's enigmatic metal core, that promises to revolutionise our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. Both Psyche and Earth share similar metallic compositions, offering a serendipitous glimpse into our planet's core. 🌍Delve into the significance of studying Bennu for planetary defense and unravel the origins of life on Earth. #BennuAsteroid #PsycheMission #CosmicExploration

SpaceX is about to carry out its third flight test in February 2024, taking an important step forward in its space exploration journey. This mission has an importance that goes beyond a simple flight test, as it will test some very important technologies in the future of the #Artemis programme, in which Starship will participate. Of great importance is the ability to transfer propellant into space, for which it is thought a dozen refuelling flights will be required to prepare the rocket for the Artemis mission, attempting a manoeuvre never seen before. However, the impact of the Starship's advancement is not limited to the realm of space exploration as it is capable of changing society's perception of what is possible in #space. The Starship, through the Artemis II missions in 2025 and Artemis III in 2026, is in fact attempting to redefine the concept of space travel by trying to introduce new opportunities. This is precisely where SpaceX's very interesting mission is positioned, demonstrating that the space economy is not only an engine of innovation and a source of new investment, but that it is also a revolution in the way we conceive space and the Universe.

🌌 Space, once an endless frontier of possibilities, now faces a pressing challenge: space debris. 🛰️ As humanity ventures deeper into the cosmos, our orbital endeavors leave behind a trail of non-functional satellites and spent rocket stages, posing serious threats to space activities. 🚀 The latest report dives into the heart of this cosmic conundrum by exploring innovative startups tackling the complexities of space debris: new technologies that are reshaping the future of space sustainability and safety. #SpaceDebris #CosmicChallenges #SustainabilityInSpace

Voyager 1’s famous #PaleBlueDot, taken on February 14, 1990, remains the farthest view of Earth ever taken by a spacecraft. The NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration probe was 3.7 billion miles (6 billion km) from the Sun at the time. Carl Sagan is the man who led the mission of #voyager1, started in 1977, that will end in 2025 when the RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generators) won’t be able to produce the electricity needed, after 48 years of service, being the farthest man-made object from Earth, at about 161.9 AU (24 billion 225 million km) from the Sun. These are the words used by Sagan to describe the uniqueness of the picture:”Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.” Another example that reminds us how miserable is the human spieces in the infinite and unimaginable #space.

✨ Welcome to the New Year! 🚀 SEDS Bocconi is ready to tackle the unknown, face new horizons, and make 2024 a chapter filled with triumphs and personal milestones! 🌌Today, let's dive into the fascinating realm of Multimessenger Astronomy! From gravitational waves rippling through spacetime to neutrinos traveling straight from the most violent astrophysical events, let's embark on a cosmic journey to uncover the secrets of photons, cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gravitational waves. The newest report discovers the birth of this groundbreaking field in 2015, marking a revolution in our understanding of the universe. 🌐 Get ready for a celestial adventure in 2024! #NewYearNewDiscoveries #CosmicExploration #MultimessengerAstronomy

The procurement of the contract by BLUE ORIGIN , the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, to launch the #ESCAPADE mission to Mars using its New Glenn rocket for $20 million has sparked significant attention. This mission aims to study at low cost the interaction between Mars' magnetosphere and the solar wind. The rocket, based on methane thrusters and reusable stages, will have to prove its reliability on its first launch, which is why so much is being sought to understand the technical and planning risks. Although planning is uncertain, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration ‘s VADR contract, which focuses on low-cost launch services, precisely underlines the importance of Blue Origin's innovative approach in the industry. This represents a big step forward in the success of Blue Origin, which could expand into the space market thanks to the innovations proposed with the New Glenn, which would reduce launch costs. Moreover, it should be noted that all this accentuates the ongoing competition between #JeffBezos and #ElonMusk, which is becoming increasingly fierce, playing a major role in the development and #spacerace.