NanoAvionics to Build Korea’s First Venus Observing Sat
The satellites—part of IBS’ CLOVE project—will carry UV and NIR observation instruments developed by IBS to monitor Venus’ cloud structures and atmospheric chemical makeup.
Northrop Grumman Invests $50M in Firefly’s Eclipse
Eclipse is the product of scaled-up tech from Firefly’s smaller launch vehicle—Alpha—and shared systems from Northrop’s flight proven Antares program.
SpaceX and Lockheed Team Up To Accelerate GPS Launch
“We’re trying to prove that we can quickly respond to an on-orbit failure of a vehicle.”
Turn Up the Sustain: The Gateway’s Demise
A “mix of old NASA thinking, new NASA thinking, and SLS shortcomings.”
Sierra Space Wins $3.6M NASA Lunar Logistics Contract
The contract—part of NASA’s NextSTEP-2 Appendix R set of studies—tasks Sierra Space with examining how it would upgrade its LEO space station technology to withstand the lunar environment, given the Moon’s sharp regolith and extra gravity.
Rocket Lab Snags IR Sensor-Maker In $275M Deal
“With this deal, Rocket Lab will officially enter the payload market as a disruptive prime contractor to US national security.”
Spire Emerges Anew After Nine Months Of Uncertainty
Inside CEO Theresa Condor’s plans for a revitalized satellite company.
Starship’s Ninth Test Flight Ends in Vehicle Loss
For the third flight in a row, SpaceX’s Starship upper stage exploded yesterday after losing control during its ninth test flight.
Apex Unveils Larger Satellite Bus, Dubbed Comet
“From cell phone towers in space for consumer technology [to] unique sensing missions, or as an interceptor platform for Golden Dome, Comet is the clear choice to accelerate the most ambitious space missions,” Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon said in a statement.
UN Releases Space Debris Primer
Decades ago, the UN was already thinking about the risks and liability concerns raised by debris falling out of orbit. Now, as falling space debris becomes a more common occurrence, the UN’s Office for Outer Space Affairs is reminding nations that it has a process for dealing with it.
Dark Sky Advocates Fight Against a Bright Future
Advocates for dark and quiet skies are outgunned.
EnduroSat Raises €43M to Scale Production, Boost US Presence
Bulgarian space startup EnduroSat has raised €43M ($48.8M) to ramp up production of a new, bigger ESPA-class sat.