For a long time, on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) seemed just out of reach. Now, multiple startups have successfully demonstrated the technology, and many more are developing OSAM capabilities for refueling, repairing, and towing satellites around in orbit. But as this tech becomes more common, industry and policy voices have to consider potential dark […]
Radian Aerospace recently emerged from stealth to unveil what it’s been developing for the last six years: a fully reusable, single-stage-to-orbit, horizontal-takeoff-and-landing spaceplane. It’s the stuff of science fiction—and often hailed as the holy grail of human spaceflight. Developing that holy grail is no overnight process. When ditching its stealth cloak, Radian also announced a […]
Yesterday, NASA announced it had awarded 12 launch services contracts totaling $300M to support its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) missions. The VADR contracts are fixed-price, indefinite delivery agreements with a five-year ordering period. The biggest names in launch made appearances on the list of awardees: ABL Space Systems Astra Blue Origin L2 Solutions Northrop […]
Image: D-Orbit. See investor deck here. On the heels of Satellogic ($SATL) completing its reverse merger just this week, another space player is preparing to go public via SPAC. This morning, D-Orbit announced its intentions to merge with Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:BREZ). D-Orbit offers “last-mile,” in-space transport services via its ION Satellite Carrier. D-Orbit has used ION […]
Last week, Switzerland-based CYSEC announced it had extended its seed round by 4M Swiss francs ($4.3M) to 7M Swiss francs (~$7.5M). Founded in 2018, the company creates “confidential computing” products designed to harden highly sensitive data used in clouds, data centers, and at the “edge.” The fintech-focused cyber startup plans to use new funds to […]
Antitrust cops have stepped in to block Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE:LMT) proposed $4.4B takeover of Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD), the US’s last-standing large independent missile- and rocket-motor maker. The FTC sued Tuesday to block the deal, which was announced in December 2020. Aerojet shares dropped nearly 19%, while Lockheed finished the day up 3.7%. Strategically speaking, the acquisition would give […]
This morning, SCOUT Inc. announced an autonomy suite for spacecraft operators to better understand what’s going on way above our heads. Alexandria, VA-based Scout’s tech stack for satellites and spacecraft spans data fusion software, proximity operation algorithms, pose estimation, docking assistance, star-tracking, and attitude determination. Put all of the above together and you get Scout […]
NASA has released Spinoff 2022, an annual report that tracks scientific and technological spillovers from the space agency into society. As NASA is fond of noting, plenty of space program innovations have been productized in the private sector and taken up by top research labs around the country. Spinoff 2022 profiles 45+ research projects that tapped […]
Isar Aerospace has won 10 million euros (~$11.3M) in prize money from the European Commission’s “Low-Cost Space Launch” competition. The prize specifically recognizes Spectrum, Isar’s two-stage orbital launch vehicle for small and medium satellites. Founded in 2018, Isar is based in Ottobrunn and Munich, Germany. Spain’s PLD Space and Rocket Factory Augsburg, another aspiring German launcher, were […]
OneWeb has struck up a six-year partnership with a distributor in India, Hughes Communications India (HCIPL), to sell its broadband services within the country. OneWeb does not yet have regulatory approval to operate within India. Both OneWeb and Starlink, which was recently ordered by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to stop preselling the service in the country, […]
Earlier this month, the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) awarded SpaceX a $102M, five-year contract for its rocket cargo transportation program. The contract, first reported by Aviation Week, is a part of AFRL’s rocket cargo project, which seeks to tap into advertised commercial launch capabilities as a leased service. No Rocket Cargo funding is going toward […]
Mission Space, a startup out of Luxembourg focusing on space weather awareness and forecasting, has signed a contract with EnduroSat, a Bulgarian nanosatellite startup, to launch the first private space weather forecasting payloads in Q4 2022. EnduroSat will also be one of the first customers for Mission Space’s “nowcasting” analytics platform. The companies say the […]
