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A milestone in space communication was celebrated in the Greek capital on Wednesday, as the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) was formally recognized by the European Space Agency (ESA) for its pivotal role in the first-ever optical communication link with a spacecraft in deep space, a landmark achievement in international space collaboration.

This year will mark the European Space Agency’s 50th anniversary and promises to be a landmark year for the European aerospace industry. This spring brings the second commercial mission involving a project astronaut to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 4, while events such as ESA's Living Planet Symposium and the International Paris Air Show will gather the space community face to face.

The EU Space Security Accreditation Board and the EU Satellite Centre agree to cooperate on the EU Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) pilot project.

Insiders say the "preferred partnership agreement" signed between Boston Consulting Group and Novaspace in June is the first step to a possible takeover, with parties agreeing to test their compatibility.

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE:SPIR), a $328 million market cap space-based data company, has secured a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide historical weather data collected by its satellites under ESA’s Third Party Mission (TPM) programme, according to a press release statement. According to InvestingPro data, the company currently trades near its Fair Value, though analysts expect sales to decline this year.

Unveiled at this year’s Paris Air Show, Mona Luna is a fully European lunar rover developed by Venturi Space across France, Monaco, and Switzerland, and is set to land on the Moon around 2030.

Non-EU countries such as Norway, Ukraine and the United Kingdom could yet join the EU's secure communication satellite network IRIS² as an alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink, Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euractiv.

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.