International
Stories around the biggest global space news, including from Europe, India, and Japan.
Spaceflight to Launch Space Tugs on Arianespace’s Vega C
Spaceflight Inc has partnered with Italian launch broker SAB Launch Services (SAB-LS) to fly its Sherpa space tugs aboard Arianespace-managed, Avio-built Vega C rockets, making use of an ESA-initiated service. We’re going to need a diagram if this gets any more complicated. What’s in it for Spaceflight + SAB-LS? Founded in 2018, SAB-LS offers launch…
Report: SES, Intelsat in Merger Talks
Consolidation is the order of the day in the legacy satellite world. The latest: Luxembourg-based SES and American satellite operator Intelsat are in talks to tie the knot, the FT reports. The GEO operators are long-standing competitors, and in recent memory, duked it out in bankruptcy court. Is it time to let bygones be bygones? …
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…
Airbus ($AIR) Reports H1 2022 Earnings
Airbus ($AIR) reported its H1 2022 earnings yesterday. Supply chain issues led the European aerospace giant to cut commercial aircraft estimates, but Airbus expects little short-term impact as it maintains its free cash flow targets. The overall numbers: Revenue = €24.8B ($25.3B), a 1% YoY increase Free cash flow = €2.0B ($2.0B) Adj. EBIT = …
Eutelsat and OneWeb in Merger Talks
Yesterday, Eutelsat confirmed Bloomberg reporting that it is officially in talks to merge with OneWeb. Refresher: OneWeb is building a LEO broadband megaconstellation to rival the likes of Starlink and Kuiper. The UK company has launched 428 satellites (~66% of its planned constellation). France’s Eutelsat, founded in 1977, operates a fleet of 36 GEO satellites…
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…
Moscow Removes Rogozin from Top Roscosmos Role
Moscow removed Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin from his position on July 15, as part of a wider shake-up in the Russian government. No official reason was given for his ousting. Rogozin will be replaced by Yuri Borisov, who was previously the deputy prime minister for defense and space. Rogozin: Rogozin doubled down on his penchant for…
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…
Kongsberg Acquires Majority Stake in NanoAvionics
This morning, Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, a Norwegian technology company, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in NanoAvionics. The deal values the Lithuanian smallsat manufacturer at €65M ($67M). The terms: Kongsberg is taking a 77% stake in the company. The company’s leadership will remain unchanged for now, with CEO…
