In case you missed it, in this week's edition of the newsletter, I explored why ArianeGroup's future may depend on the success of MaiaSpace. French trade unions are also warning that the company has no Plan B. europeanspaceflight.substack…

Part two of my WTF is going on with the Polish Space Agency? series has been published. In this issue, I obtained a 24-page report from Poland’s State Labour Inspectorate through a freedom-of-information request. Read the issue here: europeanspaceflight.substack…

Yesterday, DLR successfully launched the suborbital MAPHEUS-17 mission from Esrange, carrying several small experiments and technology demonstrators.

ESA's response. It reads a little like they're tired of Isaacman publicly discussing these things while negotiations are still underway.

ICEYE and Arianespace have signed an MoU to potentially launch ICEYE satellites aboard Ariane 6 rockets. The bulk of ICEYE satellites launched to date have flown aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, while none have been launched aboard European launch vehicles. Beyond a significant change in ICEYE's launch providers, the announcements also signal commercial interest in Ariane 6. It's still just an MoU right now, but it's an interesting development. I wonder if this is a result of Falcon 9 rideshare missions seemingly coming to an end?

Some beautiful footage from Saturday's Spectrum launch. Credit: Isar Aerospace

I got lucky enough to ask @Soph_astro about her testing of the EuroSuit prototype aboard the ISS. Apart from NASA ISS updates, this is probably the first confirmation that the tests have actually occurred. Thank you, @esa, for giving us a chance to chat to Sophie.

In this week's newsletter, I asked: WTF is going on with the Polish Space Agency? Following the wild circumstances behind her predecessor's departure, the agency's new president, Dr. Marta Ewa Wachowicz, has not made many friends with her efforts thus far europeanspaceflight.substack…

Liftoff of Ariane 62 carrying the next Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite.

LAUNCH COMING: The next Ariane 6 rocket will be launched at 22:10 CEST today, carrying the final piece of Europe's Meteosat Third Generation imaging constellation. Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja

After completing her spacewalk today, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will become the first European woman to have completed two spacewalks. Image credit: NASA / Jack Hathaway

German financial filings reveal that ArianeGroup secured a €42 million contract from Blue Origin in 2023. In this week’s newsletter, I follow the paper trail to uncover what the European launch company was providing Jeff Bezos' rocket company. europeanspaceflight.substack…

I have updated this article with a quote from an ESA spokesperson clarifying why MAGPIE exceeded the cost limit for the agency's Small Missions for Exploration initiative. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-…

RFA ONE is on its launch pad! The next step is a first stage hot fire test. Credit: RFA

I'm coming up on a milestone for European Spaceflight. Five away from 1,000 articles. I'm doing a fair bit of reflection as I approach it.

I have updated this article to include some additional details. According to ESA, a total of four engines have been delivered, with an additional “flight spare” still to be delivered.

PROGRESS! Rocket Factory Augsburg has completed the integration of all nine engines on its RFA ONE first stage. One step closer to the launch pad. Image credit: RFA

Some incredible footage of vapour cones forming around the P160C boosters during the most recent Ariane 6 flight. Credit: ESA / S.Corvaja

Isar Aerospace is targeting 15 June at 8:00 pm UTC for the launch of its second Spectrum flight. Image credit: Isar Aerospace

ESA's SMILE was succesfully launched aboard a Vega C rocket earlier this morning. The flight was the first Vega mission managed by Avio following the company's split with Arianespace.