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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Swiss-based Internet of Things (IoT) network operator Astrocast has agreed to acquire Netherlands-based IoT-as-a-Service provider Hiber. The deal comes as Astrocast preps for a second IPO. “Hiber’s focus on satellite-enabled IoT solutions, innovation, and production aligns with Astrocast’s strategic go-to-market priorities for 2022 and beyond,” said Astrocast CEO Fabien Jordan. “We’re excited to welcome Hiber […]
OneWeb, Astroscale, the UK Space Agency, and ESA have partnered to launch a space junk servicer by 2024. The partnership comes with a €14.8 million ($15.8 million) investment that will allow Astrocale to advance its ELSA-M debris removal spacecraft from design through manufacturing and up to the satellite’s pre-integration phase. Once launched, ELSA-M will complete […]
Earlier this week, Astra announced plans to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in the United Kingdom. Pending regulatory approvals, Astra hopes to begin launching from the facility by 2023. According to Astra, SaxaVord will expand the company’s capacity at key inclinations and accelerate access to space for customers launching in the UK. One of the key […]
Italian rocket builder Avio announced late last week that it had successfully tested its M10 methalox upper stage engine at its test facility in Sardinia. The engine will power the third stage of the company’s Vega-E rocket, which it expects to debut in 2026. The M10 at a glance: Vehicle: Vega-E Thrust: 98 kN Specific […]
Franco-German startup The Exploration Company has successfully completed a system requirement review of its Nyx spacecraft. TLDR: The Exploration Company was founded in 2021 with the aim of supplying long-duration in-orbit hosting services to customers, at a fraction of the cost of the ISS. The company is developing a modular spacecraft capable of extended stays […]
Graphic: Andrew Parsonson German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has won the second and final round of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) microlauncher competition. The award comes with a €11M ($11.7M) check and a requirement to carry 150 kgs of institutional payloads free of charge aboard the RFA One’s first two flights. “We are […]
BryceTech has released its 2022 Q1 report examining rocket launches and satellite deployment. Who’s leading the race? SpaceX tops the charts with 11 rockets launched and 502 spacecraft deployed. China takes silver this quarter, with eight launches and just 38 spacecraft deployed. Although Roscosmos takes bronze for launches with four, Arianespace takes third for the […]
German thermal remote sensing startup ConstellR has acquired Belgian hyperspectral startup ScanWorld to offer better agricultural insights for end users. According to ConstellR, ScanWorld’s hyperspectral product development know-how will complement its own thermal infrared and data processing capabilities. Both companies were founded in 2020 with the aim of offering Earth observation (EO) data to the […]
Today, there is currently only one initiative developing crewed launch capabilities in Europe. It’s not ESA, CNES, or a private startup. It’s a moonshot venture from a group of enthusiasts working in their spare time, funded by donations. Their north star: develop a single-person suborbital vehicle. The scrappy underdogs Founded in 2011, Denmark-based Copenhagen Suborbitals […]
