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After keeping Donald Trump happy with a pledge to up defence spending at NATO's summit, Europe is now bracing for a key decision from the US president on the future of American forces on the continent.

The European company Eos X Space has acquired Space Perspective, one its key rivals in the nascent field of stratospheric balloon tourism. Florida-based Space Perspective has been developing a luxury balloon-borne capsule called Spaceship Neptune, which is designed to carry passengers on leisurely trips through the stratosphere for $125,000 per seat.

Held on 17 September 2025 in Paris, alongside World Space Business Week and the Space Defense & Security Summit, the event connects investors, industry leaders and startups. We have 5 free tickets for CASSINI startups! Want one? Pitch why in 280 characters and email it to: spin@nova.space.

As NATO considers its approach to space, the top U.S. Space Force general in Europe says he’s waiting for the alliance to finalize its approach to the domain. In the meantime, the U.S. is working with its allies to help build up their space capabilities and, in turn, make countries stronger together.

WASHINGTON: Europe needs to boost its defence capabilities as the US seeks to focus on countering China, the EU’s defence commissioner said on Monday. President Donald Trump has pushed for increased military burden-sharing with Europe since returning to office earlier this year, with Nato allies agreeing last month to boost their defence spending. “Europe is preparing to take responsibility for its own defence. You asked us to do that, and finally we are moving ahead,” Andrius Kubilius said in a speech in Washington.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has a comprehensive internal system in place to ensure that its collaboration with China will not raise security concerns or be affected by geopolitical changes, according to a senior director interviewed by Asia Times. After the ESA said in January 2023 that it would not send astronauts to China’s Tiangong space station, it continued to work with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on two scientific research programs.

ALL.SPACE, a provider of multi-orbit, multi-link SATCOM platforms, has been awarded a €3.42 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA). The award is for a ‘5G/6G and Sustainable Connectivity’ strategic programme line, under ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES), which supports the development of advanced satcom products and service

ESA has published a radar image of the Moon obtained by the JUICE spacecraft. It is interesting because it shows the same area of the surface as the iconic photo taken in 1968. In 2023, ESA launched the JUICE mission, targeting Jupiter’s three largest icy moons: Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. The spacecraft will study these moons and determine the characteristics of the oceans hidden beneath their surfaces.

The new Third Generation Meteosat (MTG-S1) satellite has successfully reached geostationary orbit and has been handed over to Eumetsat for management. This advanced 'sonder' with the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission revolutionises atmospheric observation, enabling faster and more accurate forecasts of extreme weather events and air quality monitoring across Europe.

A European satellite, Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1), designed to monitor weather and air quality, has been launched from Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite will operate in a geostationary Earth orbit and will undergo a commissioning period of 9-12 months before sending down usable data. This is the ninth flight for the Falcon 9 booster, and the 127th landing for the droneship "Just Read the Instructions."

The European Space Agency announced on 21 July that it had retested a pair of parachutes designed to enable its Rosalind Franklin rover to land safely on the surface of Mars. The ExoMars mission is currently scheduled for launch in 2028.

BRITAIN is leading plans to build a hypersonic plane that could fly on the edge of space and travel from London to New York City in 60 minutes. With a breakthrough design and cutting-edge technology, "The Sabre" will be able to fly at a speed of Mach 5 (4000mph) - which is five times the speed of sound.