A Spark of Independence
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover, slated for a 2028 launch to Mars, will feature the first European‑made Radioisotope Heater Unit (RHU) as part of the agency’s ENDURE programme. The RHU, which uses americium‑241 to generate heat, was prototyped by Perpetual Atomics and completed its first full‑scale core in April 2026. While NASA supplies an RHU for the rover’s critical systems, the European unit will be integrated into the landing platform, marking a symbolic step toward sovereign space‑power capability. The project still relies on US partner QSA Global for manufacturing, but Europe is building supply chains with Orano and commissioning studies to localise production.
Artemis 2 Is Not a European Triumph
Artemis 2 marked the first crewed Moon‑orbit mission in over 50 years, but Europe’s role remained largely invisible. ESA supplied three Orion Service Modules—totaling roughly $1.6 billion—and key Gateway hardware, yet no European astronaut flew; Canada’s Jeremy Hansen took the sole non‑U.S. seat....
What Does “Exclusively Peaceful” Really Mean?
On 30 January ESA appointed Laurent Jaffart to head a new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Directorate tasked with developing space‑based security and defence capabilities. The agency says it will honor the Convention by interpreting “exclusively peaceful” to ban only aggressive actions,...
Interview with RFA CEO Indulis Kalnins
In this interview, Rocket Factory Augsburg CEO Prof. Dr. Indulis Kalnins reflects on his first nine months leading a young, international team and outlines the company’s focus on completing the Helix engine development, finalizing the RFA ONE first stage, and preparing the...
The Death of the Earth Return Orbiter
The episode examines the abrupt termination of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, focusing on ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) and the implications of Daniel Neuenschwander’s declaration that the mission will not continue. It delves into the historical context of...