Astra finalizes plans for first Florida launch

Astra Space will launch four NASA-sponsored cubesats on its Rocket 3.3 vehicle as soon as Feb. 5 on a mission that will be the first to use a streamlined set of commercial launch regulations.

Xplore to fly sensors on OrbAstro nanosatellites

Xplore announced a contract Jan. 25 to purchase Orbital Astronautics Ltd. satellites for a variety of Earth-observation and astronomical missions.

Kleos reveals results of RF reconnaissance demonstration

Kleos Space presented a technical paper at the GEOINT 2021 Symposium that highlighted better-than-expected performance of RF reconnaissance satellites.

Orbital Micro Systems and Thomas Keating forge weather data pact

ST. LOUIS – Orbital Micro Systems announced an agreement Oct. 5 with UK technology firm Thomas Keating Ltd. to jointly fund design, development and testing of millimeter-wave instruments for commercial weather satellites.

OMS launched the…

Thinking outside the box: Aerospace Corp.’s thin DiskSats

The Aerospace Corp., an early adopter of the cubesat standard, is proposing a new shape for small satellites: a thin, round plate.

Exponential growth of cubesats may be tapering off

The use of cubesats has grown dramatically in recent years, but some are wondering if the form factor has reached the limits of its usefulness.

Lunar cubesats head to the launch pad

The first cubesats designed to study the moon are scheduled to launch late this year, with more in development in the next few years.

D-Orbit unveils third mission for ION Satellite Carrier

D-Orbit plans to transport satellites into six distinct orbits and to host three satellites on the third mission of the Italian firm’s In-Orbit Now (ION) Satellite Carrier.

On National Security | Army not being shy about its need for satellites

A turf battle is brewing in the Pentagon over the possibility that the Army may want to buy its own satellites. The Army is now stepping into Space Force territory with a new effort to invest in what it calls a “tactical space layer.”

University of Illinois taps Blue Canyon for scientific cubesat mission

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign awarded a contract to Blue Canyon Technologies to provide cubesats for a space mission sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The value of the award was not disclosed.

SpaceX bid on launch of NASA cubesat mission

A NASA competition to launch a cluster of cubesats attracted a bid from SpaceX, who appeared to offer a vehicle other than its current Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy.

Toast-shaped ThinSats attract educational and government customers

ThinSats, the toast-shaped miniature satellites designed primarily as teaching tools, have attracted Small Business Innovation Research funding from NASA and the U.S. Space Force.

NASA Astrophysics Division embraces cubesats and smallsats

SAN FRANCISCO – Early next year, NASA plans to select a maximum of three Astrophysics Pioneers missions, investigations with a maximum price tag of $20 million, Michel Garcia, NASA Astrophysics Division smallsats lead program scientist, said at …

Aerospace Corp. seeks to license laser communications

The Aerospace Corp. is working to license commercially a laser communications subsystem that downlinked data at a rate of 200 megabits per second from three-unit cubesats.

German cubesats to showcase formation flight technology

The four-satellite NetSat mission launched Sept. 28 on a Russian Soyuz rocket is designed to showcase technology for formation flight.

NanoAvionics triples revenue and expands product line

Revenues for Lithuanian Nanosatellite manufacturer NanoAvionics tripled in the last 12 months as the company signed contracts with startups and industry veterans.

ExoTerra quadruples production capacity to meet government, commercial demand

ExoTerra Resources, a Colorado firm focused on propulsion and in-situ resource utilization, is preparing to quadruple production capacity to meet government and commercial demand.

Lockheed Martin teams with USC and Momentus on cubesat program

USC students will build the satellites and integrate them with Lockheed Martin’s SmartSat mission payload.

Exolaunch and NanoAvionics sign contracts for SpaceX flights

German launch services provider Exolaunch announced contracts June 29 with Lithuanian nanosatellite manufacturer NanoAvionics to integrate two cubesats on SpaceX’s rideshare missions.

D-Orbit preps for in-orbit transportation business with upcoming Arianespace and SpaceX launches

Bruno Carvalho, D-Orbit’s vice president of business development, said the company hopes to launch one of its InOrbit Now (ION) propulsive cubesat deployers every two to three months after proving out the system and lining up customers.