Commercial
SpaceX’s GPS contract modified to allow reuse of Falcon 9 boosters
Gwynne Shotwell: "We are pleased that they see the benefits of the technology.”
Synthetic aperture radar finally shedding its mystique
SAR satellites can gather data day and night, but the resultant imagery is typically more expensive, less available, and more difficult to use than optical imagery. Technological advances are breaking down those barriers, positioning SAR for much more widespread adoption, according to experts.
NASA working with cosmetics company on space station commercialization
NASA is taking the next small step in its efforts to promote commercialization of low Earth orbit by flying a cosmetics company’s product to the International Space Station, a project that has prompted questions from one senator.
U.S. Space Command announces improvements in space debris tracking
The 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base is now providing “more meaningful” data on approximately 25,000 space objects.
SAR Renaissance: Pandemic slows but doesn’t stop constellation progress
Startups around the world continue building synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites even as the COVID-19 pandemic delays some launches.
Hemeria seeks niche in microsat manufacturing
French space and defense company Hemeria is taking steps to quickly scale beyond cubesats and find a niche building slightly larger classes of small satellites.
BlackSky to add high-resolution satellites in 2022, signs deal with U.S. Army
BlackSky's Gen-3 satellites will provide imagery with 50-centimeter resolution
U.S. military to test Isotropic Systems antennas with SES satellites
The U.S. Army plans to evaluate the performance of Isotropic Systems optical beam-forming antenna technology for sending communications through the SES satellites in geostationary and medium Earth orbit, under a contract of undisclosed value announced Sept. 24.
Spire adding cross links to cubesat constellation
Spire Global will launch its first cubesats with cross links over the next few months, beginning a refresh that will eventually replace its full constellation.
Airbus, Eutelsat win ESA study contracts • Leonardo CEO to lead industry group
The European Space Agency has awarded study contracts to Airbus and Eutelsat consortia to identify what solutions and “disruptive technologies” the agency should focus on.
Blue Origin considers entering commercial space station business
Commercial spaceflight company Blue Origin is considering development of commercial space stations, with NASA as a potential early customer.
Op-ed | Building a robust space economy requires more partnerships
While public-private partnerships are getting a lot of attention, the space industry has not traditionally leveraged non-supply chain partnerships as frequently or as fluidly as some industries.
Microsoft unveils Azure Orbital connecting satellites to its cloud
Microsoft unveiled Azure Orbital Sept. 22, a service to help customers move data from satellites directly into the Azure cloud for processing and storage. “With Azure Orbital, we’re taking our infrastructure to space, enabling anyone to access satellite data and capabilities from Azure,” CEO Satya Nadella said during the Microsoft Ignite 2020 conference.
Iceye raises $87 million in Series C investment round
Radar satellite operator Iceye raised $87 million in a Series C round announced Sept. 22, boosting the Finnish startup’s total investment tally to $152 million.
Arianespace’s revised OneWeb contract drops Ariane 6, two Soyuz launches
Arianespace and OneWeb on Sept. 21 announced a revised launch contract that covers OneWeb’s constellation deployment with three fewer launches than originally planned.
NGA building ‘huge appetite’ for commercial geoint
David Gauthier spoke with SpaceNews about the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s growing needs for commercial data and services.
