Europe's Space Industry Does Not Take Holidays
Plus: Christmas holiday highlights and milestones from Europe’s space industry.
Welcome to Aerospace Insider 🚀
In this week’s issue, we’re diving into the latest and greatest from Europe’s booming space sector. Big things are happening!
Today’s summary:
🚀 Aerospace News: The space industry doesn’t stop! Catch up on the latest highlights.
💼 Top Space Jobs: Looking to kickstart your space career in the new year?
🔍 Deep Dive: Taking a break this week, but will be back soon. Merry Christmas!
Aerospace Weekly Roundup
Catch the latest European space industry highlights you can't afford to miss!
💸 The UK invests £691K in space sustainability
ClearSpace, Astroscale, and D-Orbit have secured £691K from the UK Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology to develop a Regulatory Sandbox for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO). These missions are key to advancing In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), a market valued at £14B globally over the next decade. With the UK aiming to capture 25% of this high-value market, the initiative will help regulators better understand these technologies while positioning the UK as a leader in space sustainability.
🚀 ESA awards €350M for Vega upgrades
ESA has granted Avio €350M to boost Vega C’s launch rate and complete Vega E’s development. Vega E, debuting in 2027, will feature a new methalox-powered stage, increasing payload capacity by 30%. Funding also supports adapting an Ariane 5 facility to allow parallel Vega C assembly, aiming for six launches annually by 2025.
🛰 ICEYE secures $65M, raising a total of $158M in 2024
ICEYE has secured $65M in additional funding, bringing its 2024 total to $158M. The investment will enhance its SAR satellite constellation, advancing Earth observation, disaster monitoring, and intelligence systems. With this funding, ICEYE aims to expand its capabilities to serve a growing global customer base and maintain its leadership in space-based surveillance and monitoring.
🇩🇪 Germany commits €95M to microlaunchers
Germany has allocated €95M to support Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and HyImpulse ahead of their inaugural launches. Funded through ESA’s Boost! programme, the investment aims to strengthen Germany’s technological sovereignty. The funding also prepares these startups for the European Launcher Challenge, which will be defined further at the ESA Ministerial Council meeting in 2025.
🇨🇳 China nears record launch year
China has completed its 65th and 66th orbital launches of 2024, bringing its total to over 260 spacecraft in orbit. With just two more launches needed to surpass its 2023 record of 67, China continues its high launch cadence, marking a milestone in its growing space capabilities.
🚀 Starship’s next flight set for January
The FAA has updated SpaceX’s license for Starship Flight 7, expected in the first half of January. The mission will have the same flight profile as previous flights: Super Heavy booster will (attempt to) return to Starbase, and Starship’s upper stage will splash down in the Indian Ocean. The flight will feature an upgraded version of Starship with increased propellant capacity and new design features for better heat protection during reentry.
Space Jobs Spotlight 🔍
Curated roles to accelerate your career in Europe’s thriving space sector.
🚀 Internships & Graduates
Fleet Engineer Intern — D-Orbit (Fino Mornasco 🇮🇹)
Modelling Engineer Intern — HyPrSpace (Le Haillan 🇫🇷)
Mechanical Engineering Intern — Exotrail (Toulouse 🇫🇷)
Spectrum Intern — Intelsat (London 🇬🇧)
CAD Design Intern — RFA (Augsburg 🇩🇪)
💼 Space Jobs (ranked by experience)
Avionics Engineer — Orbital Paradigm (Madrid 🇪🇸)
Manufacturing Quality Engineer — OhmSpace (Rome 🇮🇹)
Mechanical Design Engineer — Pangea Aerospace (Toulouse 🇫🇷)
Transient Phases Engineer — Sirius Space Services (Nanterre 🇫🇷)
GNC Engineer — The Exploration Company (Munich 🇩🇪)
Business Developer — AIKO (Toulouse 🇫🇷)
GNC Systems Engineer — Astroscale (Didcot 🇬🇧)
Mission Analysis Engineer — HyImpulse (Glasgow 🇬🇧)
Launch & Ground Segment Engineer — Sirius Space Services (Paris 🇫🇷)
Program Manager — Latitude (Reims 🇫🇷)
Ground Segment Lead Engineer — MaiaSpace (Paris 🇫🇷)
Founder Associate — AIRMO (Munich 🇩🇪)
🔥 Special Opportunities
Still open so hurry: become a Prospero Space Fellow
Like these jobs or think something is missing? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know!
As we approach the Christmas holidays, I’m keeping things light this week. So no deep dive article today, but rest assured, we'll return with a special, end-of-the-year issue next week.
Until then, enjoy the week.
In other news
Liechtenstein signs the Artemis Accords. Read more.
The review of 2024 for NASA. Read it here.
Thanks for reading Aerospace Insider.
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To your success,
Jaime