Andrew Parsonson
Isotropic Systems Gets a Fresh Coat of Paint, Rebrands to All.Space
Reading-based Isotropic Systems has gotten a rebrand. The UK antenna manufacturer, now known as All.Space, also has new product details to share. All.Space has unveiled its 5th-gen “smart terminal,” which is moving into initial production and slated for release before the year is out. Once it does, capacity will be booked out for at least…
Isar gets Green Light to Launch from French Guiana
Isar Aerospace is the first privately-funded operator to gain access to the Guiana Space Centre (GSC) in French Guiana. French space agency CNES announced the news on Thursday. GSC has been in operation since 1968 and has supported hundreds of missions. CNES responded to several requests from industry to open the site to privately-funded operators…
Astraius Looks to US for Rocket Motors
UK-based horizontal launch startup Astraius has selected Northrop Grumman and Exquadrum to supply three rocket motors for its vehicle. Northrop will supply the first and second-stage rocket motors. California-based Exquadrum will supply the upper-stage rocket motor. Buy vs. build: “From Day 1, we decided the best way to reduce risk, lower cost, and quickly deliver…
Europe is going to the Moon
It’s not hyperbole, nor is it a gimmicky marketing one-off. Europe is going to the Moon with the intent of being both an explorer and enabler of the new lunar economy. As part of NASA’s Artemis program, the European Space Agency is contributing both the service module for the Orion spacecraft and a key element…
Skyrora opens new 55,000-square-foot manufacturing plant
UK-based launch startup Skyrora has new digs: a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that the company says will be capable of producing up to 16 launch vehicles per year. “Opening the UK’s largest rocket engine manufacturing facility is a significant step towards Skyrora achieving the first sovereign orbital launch from British soil,” Skyrora COO Lee Rosen told…
Vega C Blasts Off from Kourou in Maiden Flight
The first Avio-built Vega C rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana at 15:13 CET (9:13 ET) today. The mission successfully deployed the LARES2 passive satellite for the Italian space agency (ASI) and six small secondary payloads. With the first flight of Vega C now complete, the European Space Agency will hand…
ESA Astronaut Candidates Get a Physical
ESA has confirmed that its astronaut selection process has entered the fourth phase. This is only the third time the agency has recruited new astronauts, with the last round occurring between 2008 and 2009. Progress thus far: ESA announced in Feb. 2021 that it had opened a call for new astronauts. The agency received a…
VOS closes €10M series A and rebrands to Latitude
French launch startup Venture Orbital Systems (VOS) has closed a €10M ($10.4M) Series A. The round was led by Crédit Mutuel Innovation and Expansion, which were joined by BPI, Comat, Nicomatic, and ADF. VOS is developing its two-stage Zephyr launch vehicle capable of deploying 100+ kg payloads to LEO. The company is currently targeting 2024…
ESA taps Airbus for €160M FORUM contract
The European Space Agency has inked a €160M ($168M) contract with Airbus UK for the agency’s ninth Earth Explorer mission. The FORUM satellite is slated to launch in 2027 and will measure radiation emitting from the Earth into Space. The science: FORUM (Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring) will be the first satellite to observe…
Isar bolsters launch manifest with D-Orbit contract
Italy’s D-Orbit and Germany’s Isar Aerospace have inked a launch services deal. The mission will be launched aboard the German launch startup’s two-stage Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andøya Space no earlier than 2023. D-Orbit offers “last-mile” space transportation services via its ION Satellite Carrier. The orbital transfer vehicle is capable of deploying several satellites into…
United Kingdom commits £30M to ESA exoplanet telescope
The UK has announced that it has committed £30M ($36.9M) to ESA’s Ariel exoplanet telescope. What is it? The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) telescope will be the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and atmospheric thermal properties of exoplanets. To do this, the telescope will study ~1,000 known exoplanets in visible…
ION-X raises €3.8 million for disruptive smallsat thruster solution
French startup ION-X has raised €3.8M ($4.1M) to fund further R&D and field a demo mission of its scalable small satellite propulsion system. Joining the round: Bpifrance, the French public investment bank. TF Participations, the investment arm of deeptech startup studio TechnoFounders. Geodesic, an investment vehicle that will make way for the future Expansion fund,…
Vega C debut set for first week of July
Arianespace’s head of sales for the Asia-Pacific region Vivian Quenet said last week that the debut of the Avio Vega C would occur in the first week of July. The announcement came during Asia Satellite Business Week in Singapore. During the chat, Quenet also revealed that the maiden flight of Ariane 6 would occur towards…
