rideshare
Made In Space Europe and Momentus plan robotic spacecraft
Made In Space Europe, a Redwire subsidiary, announced an agreement Sept. 1 with space transportation company Momentus to jointly develop a robotic spaceflight mission to launch in 2022.
Kepler signs launch agreement with Exolaunch
Kepler Communications announced a launch agreement Aug. 18 with Exolaunch of Germany for two cubesats scheduled for flight in September on a Russian Soyuz rideshare mission. Under the contract, Exolaunch will provide launch, mission management, integration and deployment services for Kepler’s two six-unit XL cubesats.
GK Launch Services offering lunar smallsat rideshare opportunity
The Russian company that markets commercial Soyuz launches says it is offering capacity on a launch of a Russian lunar mission next year for smallsat secondary payloads.
Benchmark to provide propulsion for Spaceflight’s Sherpa-NG
Satellite propulsion startup Benchmark Space Systems announced an agreement Aug. 4 to provide non-toxic chemical propulsion for rideshare provider Spaceflight Inc.’s next-generation orbital transfer vehicle, Sherpa-NG.
New NASA office coordinates rideshare launches of smallsat science missions
NASA has established an office to coordinate rideshare launch opportunities for its growing number of smallsat science missions, taking advantage of excess capacity on launches of larger spacecraft.
Swarm works with Exolaunch to fly 24 SpaceBees on SpaceX Falcon 9
Swarm Technologies is working with Exolaunch of Germany to send 24 SpaceBee satellites into orbit on the SpaceX Falcon 9 small satellite rideshare mission scheduled to launch in December.
Momentus to fly hosted payloads in 2021
In-space transportation startup Momentus announced plans Aug. 3 to begin flying hosted payloads for customers in 2021.
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.
Cubesat built in Monaco reveals new partnership approach
Orbital Solutions Monaco paid for and built the six-unit cubesat based on the Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems design. In return, OSM will share in revenues generated by GeoOptics’ weather satellite fleet.
Momentus and EnduroSat sign two launch agreements
In-space transportation provider Momentus announced agreements June 16 with Bulgaria’s EnduroSat to provide transportation for two cubesats scheduled to launch in February 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare flight.
Exolaunch arranges rides for Loft Orbital satellites
German launch services provider Exolaunch announced an agreement to launch two Loft Orbital microsatellites on SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions.
Planet unveils tasking and API for expanding SkySat fleet
Planet unveiled a cloud-based dashboard and API June 9 to allow customers to task the firm’s growing SkySat constellation.
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.
SpaceX rideshare program putting downward pressure on prices
Planet VP Mike Safyan: “We are seeing launch providers starting to get more creative.”
With regulatory legwork complete, Swarm shifts focus to tackling launch delays
In an interview, Swarm chief executive Sara Spangelo said a trifecta of setbacks prevented the company from getting its constellation in orbit in the timeframe envisioned.
Exolaunch signs first launch agreement with SpaceX
German launch services provider Exolaunch announced plans April 14 to send multiple small satellites into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission scheduled for December.
