Commercial
OneWeb files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Satellite internet startup OneWeb filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday after its largest investor, Softbank, rejected a request for additional funding.
SpaceX wins NASA commercial cargo contract for lunar Gateway
NASA announced March 27 it has selected SpaceX to provide cargo transportation services for the agency’s planned lunar Gateway.
Avio, exempt from Italy’s coronavirus lockdown, seeks reopening of French Guiana spaceport
Since 60% of Avio’s revenue comes from manufacturing, the French government’s March 16 decision to suspend launches from the Guiana Space Center shouldn’t impact revenues as long as Europe’s South American spaceport reopens within two to three months, Ranzo said.
Iceye unveils radar imagery with 25-centimeter resolution
Iceye, the Finnish Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operator, unveiled a new product March 26: imagery with a resolution of 25 centimeters.
ArianeGroup expands GEOTracker telescope network • ITU forms info sharing platform for network resilience
A 35-50% decline in stock prices among several major satellite operators is likely indicative of deeper concerns than the coronavirus, according to Northern Sky Research.
SpaceX reports problem during Crew Dragon parachute test
SpaceX said March 24 that one of the final parachute tests for its Crew Dragon spacecraft went awry, a problem it blamed on the test setup and not a flaw with the parachutes themselves.
NASA to hand off spacecraft communications to industry
NASA is preparing to hand off to the private sector much of the work of communicating with spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit.
APT Satellite revenue down as competitors multiply
APT Satellite reported a 14% revenue drop in 2019 as regional competitors with new satellites started taking market share.
NASA to participate in SpaceX engine anomaly investigation
NASA representatives will be part of an ongoing SpaceX investigation into an engine anomaly on a recent Falcon 9 launch as the company prepares for a Crew Dragon mission carrying two NASA astronauts.
Astra rocket damaged in pre-launch tests
Small launch vehicle startup Astra has postponed its next launch attempt after the rocket was damaged in what local officials say was an “anomaly” during a prelaunch test.
Venezuela’s flagship communications satellite out of service and tumbling
Venezuela’s first and only state-owned communications satellite has been out of service since March 13 when a series of maneuvers left it tumbling in an unusable orbit.
Bigelow Aerospace lays off entire workforce
Bigelow Aerospace, the company founded more than two decades ago to develop commercial space habitats, laid off all its employees March 23 in a move caused at least in part by the coronavirus pandemic.
Space industry group warns small companies will not survive crisis without stimulus
CSF President Eric Stallmer: “The large companies will weather the storm. I’m worried about their suppliers."
Pandemic fuels demand for satellite imagery
Demand is growing for satellite imagery to gauge the economic impact of the new coronavirus and for remote monitoring of facilities and infrastructure.
Maxar warns pandemic could delay deliveries but work continues
Maxar Technologies warned customers that it may not be able to deliver spacecraft on time or on budget due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Soyuz launches 34 OneWeb satellites
Arianespace launched 34 small broadband satellites for OneWeb March 21, expanding the startup’s constellation to 74 satellites in low Earth orbit.
