Katy Perry blasts off – but not everyone's impressed
Six women, including Perry and the rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, made up an all-female crew on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket.
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In 2010, hitmaker Katy Perry released the self-described 'dance-pop self-empowerment anthem’ ‘Firework’. But yesterday, she was the one blasting off.
Hollie Cole of BBC News reported on the six women, including rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, who made up an all-female crew on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket:
‘Six women boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, marking the first all-female flight since 1963. That flight saw cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, orbit Earth 48 times on a solo mission lasting three days.
As quickly as they'd taken off, the crew landed back in Texas. On board, Katy Perry, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez experienced zero gravity, saw the moon and heard Perry's rendition of "What A Wonderful World".
Onlookers, including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, female astronauts and Perry's daughter Daisy, watched on as the rocket disappeared into the sky.
"Earth looked so quiet," journalist Lauren Sánchez said after the journey, while film producer Kerianne Flynn described it as the "most incredible experience of my life"’.
Not everyone was impressed. In the Guardian, Zoe Williams suggested that
‘Besides Bowe, the others were selected mainly for their contributions to culture – and again, yay Katy Perry – but also, presumably, because they’re all female. It’s framed as a feminist statement, and I guess we’re supposed to rejoice that space is no longer pale, male and stale. …
But something about the randomness of the guest list, coupled with the fact that they all have such nice hair, just … I don’t know … gives an impression of the gender that’s a bit incomplete. It may be one small step for some women; it does not feel like a giant leap for womankind.’
In Energy Intelligence, Antoine Rostand, President of energy and environmental intelligence leaders Kayrros, suggested that the age of ‘feel-good' climate policy’ was over, and smart climate action should from hereon lean heavily on space technology, including Earth Observation:
‘Earth observation — loosely defined, the fusion, processing and analysis of satellite data by artificial intelligence — now lets us track methane leaks in close to real time and attribute them precisely to the operators; we know who is releasing methane into the atmosphere.
Robust studies show that half of all methane reductions in oil and gas could be made at little or no cost, as stopping leaks saves money. We just need to target the few countries and companies that do not have proper procedures and operating practices in place, such as reinjecting gas into the pipeline instead of releasing it unburnt in the atmosphere. …
‘Nascent and developing forms of technology, supported by smart regulation like targeting polluters that can be detected by satellite, are the key to solving the climate crisis.’
Jason Rainbow of Space News reports that at the Space Symposium, speakers said that space businesses are under pressure to adapt both to artificial intelligence and shifting geopolitics, both of which are rapidly reshaping the industry:
‘Todd Probert, president of U.S. government business for Earth observation operator HawkEye 360, said improved AI tools are urgently needed to make sense of an increasingly hyper-instrumented world, driven in part by a surge in satellite deployments.
AI’s transformative role extends beyond data processing. Matt Magaña, president of defense and national security at space infrastructure provider Voyager Space, said increasingly powerful connectivity and AI tools are changing how the industry interacts with data, markets — and even talent. …
Amid heightened geopolitical tensions, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to a far-reaching trade war and the U.S. reassessing its global security role, governments are ramping up defense budgets and rethinking their industrial strategies for space.
Europe, in particular, has pledged hundreds of billions of euros in new defense investments, with an emphasis on developing homegrown capabilities and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
Space companies have long looked to the United States as the industry’s primary customer and top source of venture capital, Desborough said.’
In DW, Lisa Louis spoke about Europe’s rearmament push with Jean-François Morizur of optical communications Cailabs, as well Kayrros’ Chief Analyst and co-founder, Antoine Halff:
"Our installations are less easy to detect as they don't rely on radio signals. However, they are still too large to be deployed on the frontline," Cailabs CEO Jean-Francois Morizur told DW.
The company nevertheless makes half of its revenue in the military sector. That share is en route to 80%. "For now, most of our products are sold in the US, but that could soon change, especially when Europe starts to massively invest," Morizur said
Paris-based Kayrros recently signed its first batch of defense contracts. The startup uses artificial intelligence to analyzes changes in satellite images. These changes could soon include troop movements.
"France will play an important role through its expertise regarding space technology, as it has a mini Silicon Valley and lots of excellent research institutions in that field," Kayrros co-founder Antoine Halff pointed out to DW.
‘Two blokes in a Cardiff garage’ are about to launch a ‘game-changing space factory’, reports Thomas Moore of Sky News:
‘Space Forge will ship its prototype manufacturing satellite in the coming weeks from an industrial park in the city to the US, where it will be sent into orbit on a SpaceX rocket.
ForgeStar-1 is already loaded up with the raw ingredients to make a new generation of super-efficient semiconductor chips that would be impossible to produce on the planet's surface.
Joshua Western, the company's co-founder, said: "This is the next industrial revolution but it's in space, it's not on Earth."
Semiconductors are found in almost all electronic technology. They're currently made from silicon crystals, but the material has a performance ceiling.
However, in the microgravity and vacuum of space it's possible to make crystals from a new mix of chemical compounds that would allow computer chips to work faster while consuming less power.’
Paulo Lopes, in The Portugal News, reports on how Portugal’s space tech ambitions are ‘taking off’:
‘As space becomes increasingly cluttered with debris and defunct satellites, the urgency for sustainable orbital solutions has never been greater. Amid this growing concern, a Porto-based startup is making waves across Europe. SPACEO, born from Portugal’s dynamic startup ecosystem and incubated at UPTEC Mar, has emerged as a leader in the race to keep space clean; and is now spearheading a project that could define the future of post-mission satellite management.
In a major milestone for Portugal’s space industry, SPACEO is leading an international consortium that recently secured a €3 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA). The mission: to develop an innovative system designed to safely deorbit satellites at the end of their life cycle, mitigating the growing issue of space debris.’