Weekly Space Report 

By Natalia Godlewska (Chief Space News Editor)

Poland contributes to ExoMars mission

On April 14, Polish space company Astronika was selected to develop the communication antenna boom for upcoming European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission. This is a vital component for ensuring reliable communication between the Rosalind Franklin rover and mission control on Earth. Antenna boom is not the only project with which Astronika was entrusted it was also the rover’s egress ramp, which will facilitate the rover’s descent from the landing platform to the Martian surface. The ExoMars mission, a collaboration between ESA and various European partners, aims to search for signs of past life on Mars and better understand the planet’s environment. The Rosalind Franklin rover will be equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to conduct this research. Astronika’s involvement in ExoMars highlights Poland’s growing contribution to international space exploration efforts.

Poland’s National Satellite Constellation 

CAMILA – Constellation for Advanced Monitoring of Infrastructure and Land Applications, is Poland’s ambitious national satellite constellation project. Polish Space Agency (POLSA) supported by key governmental and scientific institutions aims to provide Poland with independent and secure access to high-resolution Earth observation data. This project is designed to support border security and national defense, environmental monitoring, disaster response and crisis management, precision agriculture and urban planning and infrastructure monitoring. The system will consist of both **optical** and **radar satellites**, ensuring round-the-clock data acquisition regardless of weather conditions. Beyond its technical scope, CAMILA also represents a major step in Poland’s long-term strategy to strengthen its autonomy in space-based services and become a competitive player within the European and global space sectors. 

The most controversial space flight ever 

On April 14, Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-31 mission. This mission was notable for featuring an all-female crew, the first such instance since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963. The six-member crew included: Aisha Bowe- Former NASA rocket scientist and CEO of STEMBoard; Amanda Nguyen- civil rights activist and founder of Rise, bioastronautics specialist; Gayle King- renowned journalist and television personality; Katy Perry- international pop star and philanthropist; Kerianne Flynn- film producer and advocate for women’s representation in media; Lauren Sánchez- Emmy Award-winning journalist, pilot, and Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. The suborbital flight lasted approximately 10 minutes and 21 seconds, during which the crew experienced a brief period of weightlessness. The mission aimed to inspire future generations and highlight the contributions of women in space exploration. Despite its goals, the mission faced huge criticism regarding commercialization of space travel and the qualifications of its participants as astronauts. No matter opinion about this project, it definitely shows that humanity is entering the era of commercial human-spaceflights.

Galaxy without Dark Matter 

Astronomers have found FCC 224, a galaxy in the Fornax Cluster, that appears to lack dark matter, a surprising find that challenges current theories of galaxy formation. Data from the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Observatory used by researchers shows that the galaxy contains many globular clusters ut shows little gravitational evidence of dark matter. The discovery raises new questions about how galaxies form and evolve without the unseen mass thought to bind them together.