Today marks the six-month anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine. Over the last half year, space-based services have played an integral role in each step of the conflict. Today, we’re providing a partial accounting of how space-based services and hardware have altered the course of the conflict (and how the space industry has itself been changed). […]
A new space station has moved one step closer to reality. Yesterday, Blue Origin and Sierra Space announced that their Orbital Reef project has passed its system definition review for NASA. The orbital outpost is now ready to enter the design phase. Orbital Reef 101 The ISS is destined for a watery grave in 2030—or […]
Today’s Pathfinder takes us back and forth across the Kármán line plenty of times. Our guest is Giuseppe Santangelo, president at Red Cat Holdings ($RCAT) and founder of Skypersonic. The company develops drones that can be remotely piloted from thousands of miles away, and operated in high-risk, confined, and GPS-denied locations. Santangelo is no stranger […]
DARPA, the Pentagon’s high-risk, high-reward R&D arm, has its mind on laser links. The agency is specifically working to develop an interconnected network of links for speedy and secure communications between military, civilian, and commercial space assets. The DARPA program, known as the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN), recently announced 11 Phase 1 awardees. Space-BACN: […]
Editor’s note: Payload space cadets Ryan Duffy (managing editor) and Mo Islam (cofounder) originally penned this essay for Not Boring, an uber-popular newsletter on tech, strategy, startups, and investing. Nearing 150,000 subscribers, Not Boring is primarily authored by Packy McCormick, with editing and research duties fulfilled by Dan McCormick and Rahul Rana. What you’re about […]
ICEYE signed a contract with the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation yesterday to provide the Ukrainian government with access to its SAR constellation’s imaging capabilities. The background: ICEYE has launched 21 satellites to date and owns the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation. SAR satellites can gather information day and night, in all weather conditions—a major asset […]
Earlier this week, Space in Africa published its report on the state of the African space industry. Between 2019 and 2021, the “new space” industry in Africa has reportedly seen major growth, and is valued at $19.5B as of the end of 2021. Africa’s space: The space industry in Africa is currently dominated by global […]
All is not well with the spacesuits aboard the ISS. Yesterday, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was instructed by Roscosmos ground control to “drop everything and go back” to the ISS when he was three hours into a spacewalk. The issue: a flaw in the Orlan EVA suit’s electrical system that caused an unexpected drop in […]
Skyrora has test fired the second stage of its three-stage Skyrora XL rocket. The successful test comes on the heels of the UK-based launch startup opening its new 55,000-square-foot production facility in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Skyrora XL 101: 22.7m tall and 2.2m wide Capable of launching 315kg payloads Third stage can be swapped out for a […]
Redwire announced yesterday it will develop the first commercially owned and operated space greenhouse. The project, funded by an award from the ISS National Lab, will generate insights to support both crop science on Earth and future exploration missions. Redwire Greenhouse will take flight no earlier than spring 2023 and, if all goes to plan, […]
Gone are the days of switching off your phone and laptop before takeoff and living a lonely, analog life until landing. The in-flight connectivity (IFC) industry has seen rapid growth over the past year, and the number of connected airplanes is expected to double within the next decade, per a new Euroconsult report on the […]
On today’s Pathfinder, we sit down with Emiliano Kargieman, who is CEO and cofounder of Satellogic ($SATL). Originally started in Buenos Aires, the now-global ~$500M microsat operator is developing a LEO constellation and aims to develop a high-res, live catalog of Earth. Satellogic launched nine satellites on SpaceX’s Transporter-4 and -5 missions in April and […]
