Commercial

OneWeb raises $400 million
Broadband satellite company OneWeb announced Jan. 15 it has raised $400 million from SoftBank and Hughes Network Systems, allowing the company to continue deployment of its constellation.

Blue Origin launches New Shepard vehicle intended for crewed flights
Blue Origin flew a new model of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Jan. 14, a flight the company says brings it “really close” to finally flying people.

Hanwha Aerospace claims 30% stake in Satrec Initiative
Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea’s largest defense company, announced plans Jan. 14 to invest approximately $100 million to purchase 30% of the shares of satellite manufacturer Satrec Initiative.

Next-generation Dragon cargo spacecraft returns from space station
The first in SpaceX’s new generation of Dragon cargo spacecraft completed its mission with a splashdown off the Florida coast Jan. 13.

OneWeb slashes size of future satellite constellation
OneWeb says it’s drastically reducing the size of a proposed next-generation satellite constellation originally envisioned to have nearly 48,000 satellites.

SpaceX wins contracts for lunar lander, environmental satellite launches
SpaceX secured contracts Jan. 13 for the launches of a commercial lunar lander mission backed by NASA as well as a privately funded satellite to track methane emissions.

Blue Origin preparing for next New Shepard flight
Blue Origin is gearing up for the next test flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle as soon as Jan. 14.

NGA wants faster access to commercial geospatial data
The NGA and NRO are stepping up research to better understand the emerging commercial geospatial intelligence market.

45th Space Wing forecasts more than 50 launches in 2021
As many as 53 space missions are projected to lift off in 2021 from Florida’s Space Coast, the vice commander of the 45th Space Wing said Jan. 12.

Aerojet Rocketdyne completes assembly of its first AR1 rocket engine
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed the assembly of the first AR1, a new rocket engine funded by the U.S. Air Force.

Exotrail demonstrates miniature Hall-effect thruster in orbit
Update: This article was updated on Jan. 12 at 1:09 pm Eastern time with information about initial thruster testing.
SAN FRANCISCO – French startup Exotrail announced Jan. 12 that its miniature Hall-effect thruster ignited in or…

Iceye to launch three SAR satellites on SpaceX rideshare flight
Iceye is preparing to send three Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites into orbit on the SpaceX Falcon 9 small satellite rideshare mission scheduled for launch Jan. 21.

Intelsat orders two satellites from Airbus
Intelsat has ordered two geostationary communications satellites from Airbus Defence and Space that will support the satellite operator’s aviation connectivity business.

FCC grants permission for polar launch of Starlink satellites
The Federal Communications Commission will allow SpaceX to launch 10 Starlink satellites into polar orbit on an upcoming mission, but deferred a decision on a much broader modification of SpaceX’s license.

SpaceX launches Turksat 5A
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a Turkish communications satellite Jan. 7 to start what may be the busiest year yet for the launch company.

Arianespace seeks greater support from European governments
The head of Arianespace asked European governments to provide his company with more support in order to balance what he called government support of American competitors “with no precedent.”