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Russia, US clash over UN Resolution against putting Nuclear Weapons in Space: Russia vetoed a UN resolution against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. However, before the vote Russia had suggested an amendment to ban the deployment of all weapons in space.

• The United Nations (UN) proposed a resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, aimed at preventing a nuclear arms race in space.

• Prior to the resolution, there were reports that Russia was developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon. This led to the U.S. and Japan proposing a resolution at the United Nations (UN) aimed at preventing a nuclear arms race in space.

• The resolution called upon all nations to refrain from deploying nuclear weapons in outer space. However, Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, vetoed this resolution.

• Nebenzia criticized the resolution as a “dirty spectacle” and a “cynical ploy,” arguing that it didn’t go far enough in banning all types of weapons in space.

• Thirteen nations, including the United States, voted in favor of the resolution, while China abstained.

• Following the veto, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, questioned Russia’s motives for vetoing the resolution.

• Despite vetoing the resolution, Russia and China proposed an amendment that calls for a complete ban on the placement of weapons in outer space.

• After the veto, Russia circulated a U.N. resolution calling on all countries to take urgent action to prevent putting weapons in outer space “for all time”. This proposed resolution goes further than the U.S.-Japan proposal, not only calling for efforts to stop weapons from being deployed in outer space but for preventing “the threat or use of force in outer space,” also “for all time”.

Space Foundation released The Space Report 2024 Q1: Q1 has been a dynamic period for the space sector, marked by significant growth in the U.S. private space workforce, an unprecedented number of launches, and frequent moon landings, despite growing international challenges. The report is a comprehensive overview of the current state of the space sector in the US and its global influence.

• The U.S. private space workforce grew by 4.8% in 2023, with strong hiring related to launches.

• The year 2024 has had the fastest start of the Space Age, with 41 launches before March.

• Moon landings are reaching their highest frequency since the early 1970s.

• Lost payloads have climbed to an eight-year high, but the overall loss percentage remains stable.

• The U.S. government ended months of budget gridlock with a deal to keep civil and military space spending flat for 2024 and proposed flat spending again for 2025.

• Despite the increase in lost payloads, the rise in total deployments has kept the percentage lost stable with an average failure rate of 1.2%.

• The threat of warfare reaching space came into stark focus in February, with the revelation of a Russian program that could use atomic weaponry to destroy satellites.

• Despite threats, commercial space continues to grow, with more entrants planning to grow constellations, especially in low Earth orbit.

NASA has been directed by the White House to create a standard for time on the Moon, called Coordinated Lunar Time, under the direction of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The White House has directed NASA to develop a new time standard for cislunar missions, called the Policy on Celestial Time Standardization in Support of the National Cislunar Science and Technology Strategy. Released on April 2, 2024, this policy requires NASA to establish Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) by the end of 2026. LTC will be based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) but adapted for lunar operations due to relativistic effects that make a second on the moon different from one on Earth. The policy highlights the need for precision in navigation and space situational awareness, setting four major features for LTC: traceability to UTC, accuracy for precision tasks, resilience to loss of Earth contact, and scalability beyond cislunar space. It suggests using a network of atomic clocks on the Moon, similar to terrestrial time standards.

Africa

• Egypt and Italy have signed an MoU for long-term space investments and partnerships during a state visit by Italy's Minister of Industries, Adolfo Urso. The President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Teodoro Valente, and the CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA), Dr. Sherif Mohamed Sedky, were also present. This strategic collaboration aims to foster innovation, encourage investments, and facilitate joint projects in space science and technology, with a focus on Earth observation, climate change, and capacity development.

• The NewSpace Africa Conference 2024 took place in Luanda, Angola, from April 2nd to 5th. Organized by Space in Africa, the African Union Commission, and the Angola National Space Programme Management Office, it gathered decision-makers, national space agencies, industry leaders, NewSpace companies, and high-level stakeholders from the African space industry.

• A recent report published by Space in Africa indicates significant growth in Africa's satellite component manufacturing market. According to the latest data, the market was valued at USD 229.94 million in 2021 and is projected to increase to USD 231.16 million by 2026.
  
  The African Space Budget Analysis Report for 2024 was also published earlier this year. This report consolidates the annual budgets allocated by African governments to their space programs and examines the factors that influence these budgetary decisions, including technological priorities and national strategic objectives.

Asia

• On April 25, a team of three Chinese astronauts were sent out on a mission to the Tiangong Space Station, China's indigenous orbital outpost. This development comes amidst observations regarding the sustainability of China's ambitious space program in light of its economic trajectory. Announced on China’s Space Day (April 24), the Shenzhou-18 mission is China’s seventh crewed mission to the Tiangong space station and the country’s 13th human spaceflight mission overall.
  
  Operational since late 2022, the Tiangong Space Station is projected to outlast the International Space Station (ISS). Plans are underway to expand the Tiangong station from three to six modules, positioning it as an alternative platform for near-Earth missions for international astronauts as the lifespan of the ISS approaches its end.

• China has successfully launched two Yaogan-42 satellites. The Yaogan (“remote sensing” in Chinese) payloads were launched weeks apart, onboard Long March 2D rockets. Lifting off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the Zeyuan Township of the Sichuan Province (China), both rocket and payload were developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation’s (CASC) Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The Yaogan satellites have been described as multifunctional, serving a range of purposes including land surveying, crop yield estimation, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and reduction.

• The Indian Space Association (ISpA) convened the 2nd Indian DefSpace Symposium at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi from April 18-20, 2024. The event gathered military leaders, policymakers, scientists, and industry executives to enhance defense space capabilities, focusing on space domain awareness, satellite communications, funding, partnerships, and a cohesive defense space strategy. It also featured a Space Exhibition showcasing domestic defense space capabilities and innovative indigenous technologies.

Australia

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg has become the first qualified astronaut representing Australia. The current Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency, completed the European Space Agency’s astronaut training in April 2024 after 13 months of training. Selected from 22,500 applicants, she is one of six graduates. She is now part of an elite group of "space-ready" individuals who are eligible for consideration in future space missions. Before her Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas, were born in Australia but held U.S. citizenship during their missions.

• On April 30, 2024, the Australian Government declared the allocation of funds for three collaborative space initiatives with India, designed to fortify the space economies of both nations. These projects, which will collectively receive A$18 million (INR₹ 98 crore, $11.9 million) under the International Space Investment India (ISI) Projects program, will engage multiple Australian and Indian partners. The initiatives are intended to tackle climate change, enhance manufacturing capabilities, and advance artificial intelligence, among other goals. This collaboration represents a significant advancement in Australian-Indian commercial space partnerships and the promotion of civil-space innovations.

Europe

• On April 27, 2024, European Commission successfully launched and placed into orbit two of its Galileo satellites, GM25 and FM27. This marked the first time that Galileo satellites, which are akin to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), were deployed from U.S. soil. The satellites were launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (US), onboard US based aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The successful operation of the satellites was later confirmed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

• In April 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) formally inducted five new members into its astronaut corps. These individuals successfully completed a rigorous year-long training program and represent only the fourth astronaut class since the agency's inception in 1978, selected from a competitive pool of 22,500 applicants. The newly appointed astronauts are Sophie Adenot from France, Raphael Liegeois from Belgium, Rosemary Coogan from the United Kingdom, Pablo Alvarez Fernandez from Spain, and Marco Alain Sieber from Switzerland. The total number of astronauts in the ESA’s corps now stands at 11. The agency has also negotiated three positions on forthcoming Artemis moon missions with NASA, although these opportunities are expected to be allocated to more experienced astronauts.

• In April, Switzerland and Sweden became the 37th and 38th signatories of the Artemis Accords, a set of principles guiding space exploration, in separate ceremonies held at NASA headquarters and in Sweden, respectively. This comes after Uruguay signed the Accords in February, 2024. The Accords, established in 2020 by the United States and seven other nations (Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg UAE, and UK), although not binding, commit signatories to responsible and transparent space exploration especially in the use of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids. The agreement signifies the countries’ interests in space exploration and their readiness to cooperate internationally.

North and South America

• Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is finally set for a crew flight test on June 1, 2024, at 12:25 PM EDT. This mission will transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station. Having faced multiple challenges and delays, including a helium leak (May 6 launch attempt) and propulsion system vulnerability, the mission aims to demonstrate the spacecraft’s readiness for regular crew transportation to the International Space Station. This comes as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which has invested $4.2 billion in Boeing to develop a reliable and cost-effective crew transportation system.

• A total solar eclipse was visible over parts of Mexico, 15 U.S. states, and eastern Canada. It was the first total solar eclipse visible from Canada since August 1, 2008, over Mexico since July 11, 1991, and the first over the United States since August 21, 2017.

• NASA and its international partners received scientific research samples and hardware as a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Sunday, April 28, 2024. The spacecraft, which arrived at the station on March 23 after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, will undock from the station’s zenith port of the Harmony module at 1:05 p.m. and move a safe distance away from the station. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida. Dragon will carry back to Earth more than 4,100 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments designed to take advantage of the space station’s microgravity environment. These include the Flawless Space Fibers-1, which produced more than seven miles of optical fiber aboard the space station, and GEARS (Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space), which surveys the space station for antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Antarctica

• Thousands of meteorites could be lost forever as they sink in Antarctic ice, taking their cosmic secrets with them. Around 60% of meteorites found on Earth come from Antarctica, where the dark rocks stand out against the white ice, and the cold preserves them. However, global warming is causing these meteorites to absorb more heat, melting the ice and causing them to sink. For every 0.1°C rise in temperature, about 9,000 meteorites become irretrievable. By 2050, it's estimated that one-quarter of the 300,000 to 800,000 meteorites in Antarctica will be lost, equating to an annual loss of around 5,000 meteorites, five times the current collection rate.