CNES

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.

French startup Exotrail raises $13 million for propulsion, space software and on-orbit transport systems
Exotrail, a French startup that builds electric propulsion systems and designs flight software for smallsats, has raised 11 million euros ($13 million) from investors, the company announced July 16.

ESA confirms Ariane 6 delay to 2021
Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket won’t launch until the second half of 2021, a delay of at least six months if not more, the European Space Agency confirmed July 9.

Guiana Space Center launches to resume in June
Europe’s South American spaceport will resume launch preparations in late May under new protective measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

French space agency donates 90,000 face masks to hospitals
Hospitals in Toulouse, France, received 90,000 face masks from the French space agency CNES this week in an effort to help limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the agency’s president.

Kinéis raises 100 million euros to build and launch 25 IoT cubesats
French Internet of Things startup Kinéis has raised 100 million euros ($110.5 million) from private and public investors to fund a constellation of 25 cubesats.

Arianespace launches Eutelsat, ISRO satellites on first 2020 mission
WASHINGTON — European launch provider Arianespace completed its first launch of the year Jan. 16, sending two communications satellites into geostationary transfer orbits.

Space agency leaders discuss ever-expanding roles for AI
At the Space Tech Expo, space agency leaders said artificial intelligence will play key roles in many space programs of the future.

Decommissioned Earth science satellite to remain in orbit for centuries
A U.S.-European satellite that completed its mission earlier this month has been decommissioned but will remain in orbit for as long as 1,000 years, far beyond existing orbital debris mitigation guidelines.

FIRST UP Satcom | Argos constellation completed • S7 Group wants reusable launcher • GetSAT releases new antenna
After completing the purchase of Sea Launch in April, S7 Group now views expendable rockets as uncompetitive.

FIRST UP Satcom | Telesat tests Newtec modem with LEO satellite; Satellite IRG changes name; Maxar in home stretch on US domestication
FIRST UP Satcom is a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals.

CNES seeks 80 to 100 million Euros for CosmiCapital venture fund
The French space agency CNES plans to raise 100 million Euros ($1.16 million) by the first quarter of 2019 for CosmiCapital, a venture fund to support 50 European space-related startups.

French space agency pledges 10-million-euro boost to French Guiana economy
The French space agency CNES has agreed to allocate an additional 10 million euros ($11.7 million) to further the economic and social development of French Guiana, the South American territory home to Europe’s spaceport.

CNES creating a space startup fund
The French space agency CNES is creating an investment fund of 80 to 100 million euros ($95 to $119 million) to spur innovation in the space sector.

Fleet details 100 nanosat constellation for Internet of Things connectivity
The space industry has at least 10 startups all wanting to use cubesats or other small satellites to help keep all manner of interoperable devices connected to a rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.