Weekly Space Report 

By Natalia Godlewska (Chief Space News Editor)

Poland contribute to ESA’s Lunar Navigation System

Researchers from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (UPWr) are playing a pivotal role in developing a lunar navigation system under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Moonlight program. The team, comprising Dr. Grzegorz Bury, Dr. Radosław Zajdel, and Prof. Krzysztof Sośnica, is tasked with designing and testing models that describe the motion of satellites in lunar orbit. This initiative aims to establish a satellite-based positioning system on the Moon, facilitating precise navigation for future missions. Their work is crucial for developing accurate positioning algorithms necessary for the Moonlight system, which will consist of four lunar orbiters and a ground network of reference stations, telescopes, and laser stations.

First IGNIS Mission Experiment Installed on the ISS

The first from 13 Polish experiments of the IGNIS mission was successfully installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Developed by KP Labs from Gliwice, LeopardISS is a compact data processing unit designed to test artificial intelligence algorithms in orbit without launching a full satellite. he device was mounted inside the European Columbus module on the ISS, using the ICE Cubes platform. Its first task is to run 3D terrain mapping software developed by Poznań University of Technology, intended for future Lunar and Martian rover missions. LeopardISS marks a milestone for Poland’s space sector as the first domestically developed technology placed on the ISS.

Vienna Symphony Sends Strauss’s “Blue Danube” to Space

On May 31, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra has transmitted Johann Strauss II’s iconic waltz, „The Blue Danube”, into space nearly half a century after its surprising omission from NASA’s Voyager Golden Record. Originally launched in 1977, the Voyager probes carried a selection of music and sounds of Earth intended to represent our civilization to any extraterrestrial listeners. While it included works by Bach and Beethoven, Strauss’s famous waltz was noticeably absent, even it appeared in the film „2001: A Space Odyssey”. The broadcast was both a tribute to classical music and a symbolic gesture day after European Space Agency’s 50th anniversary. Sent using high-frequency transmission equipment in partnership with the Austrian Space Forum now travels through interstellar space.

China Achieves Dual Space Milestones

In a significant advancement of its space exploration program, China successfully launched two major missions only one day apart of each other: the Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission and the Shijian-26 satellite. 

On 28 May 2025, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched the Tianwen-2 mission aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The mission aims to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, with a planned return to Earth in 2027. Following the sample return, the spacecraft is scheduled to journey to the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving around 2035. This dual-destination mission underscores China’s growing capabilities in deep-space exploration and its commitment to advancing planetary science.

Just a day later, on 29 May 2025, China launched the Shijian-26 satellite aboard a Long March 4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. While specific details about the satellite’s mission remain classified, it is known to be used for national land surveys, environmental management, and other fields, providing information services to support national economic development.