Startups
Stories about the new players changing the space game.
Capella Space Plans to Build NDSA-Compatible SAR Satellites
Yesterday, Capella Space said it would install optical communication terminals (OCT) on its commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. Capella aims to integrate new commercial craft with the SDA’s National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) by adding inter-satellite links from a partner. More on that in a sec. Catching up: The SDA is building a network of satellites in low-earth orbit…
Redwire Expands Space Portfolio, Picks up Techshot
Redwire has acquired Techshot, a space biotech company that got its start in 1988. The companies did not disclose terms of the space M&A deal, which was announced yesterday. The acquisition comes almost exactly two months after Redwire completed its SPAC merger. Techshot 101: The Indiana company develops space bioprinters and other biotech devices for microgravity. Techshot products, such…
Phantom Hires Chris Thompson as CTO
Phantom Space Corp. said today that longtime space exec Chris Thompson has joined the company as CTO. In the chief technologist role, Thompson will oversee the development of Phantom’s rockets and satellites. Thompson’s résumé, in reverse-chronological order: Chief engineer of advanced projects at Astra VP of advanced programs at Virgin Orbit 2nd “official” employee at…
Q3 Highlight: Space Infrastructure Investment
Space Capital has published its quarterly report tracking private investment in the space sector. Investors put roughly $8.7 billion to work in Q3 2021, backing a total of 112 space companies. In Q3, while the lion’s share of money went to growth- and late-stage companies, smaller startups pulled in $1.5 billion and represented 59% of all deals closed. NB: Space…
Varda Selects SpaceX for Launch
Yesterday, Varda Space Industries said it would launch its first microgravity factory as a Falcon 9 rideshare mission in early 2023. Founded last year and incubated at Founders Fund, Varda has raised $50+ million from VCs. In selecting SpaceX, Varda “immediately went with what we were comfortable with,”cofounder and president Delian Asparouhov told Payload. “It…
Cesium Mission 1 Kicks Off
CesiumAstro has successfully launched its first two CubeSats into space, hitching a ride Monday with NASA’s Landsat-9. HQ’d just outside Austin in Bee Cave, TX, CesiumAstro’s secret sauce is its active phased array payload. Coupled with the company’s software-defined radio and digital backend, the phased array could let satellite operators electronically steer and target beams.…
Arkisys Unveils First Component for its Port
Arkisys is a space infrastructure-as-a-service startup that’s stayed relatively quiet about engineering efforts until this week. Yesterday, the Southern California startup revealed a “port module wedge,” the first tangible building block toward its goal of creating an orbital outpost. At a Pasadena, CA, event, Arkisys showed off the ~1x~1 meter component to a group of…
OneWeb Partners with QuadSAT on Drone-based Antenna Testing
Today, OneWeb and QuadSAT announced they’ve partnered to test ground-based satellite antennas using automated drones. The companies carried out tests at the Telespazio teleport in Scanzano, Italy. QuadSAT drones are now bound for additional OneWeb sites. The announcement is timely for both players. Last week, OneWeb essentially reached the halfway mark for its proposed 648-satellite…
