Rocket Lab unveils Photon smallsat bus

At the 35th Space Symposium here, Rocket Lab unveiled Photon, a smallsat based on the kick stage the company uses on its Electron rocket.

Vega rocket-builder Avio sees revenue jump, new rockets progressing

Avio, the company that builds Europe’s light-lift Vega rocket and the future Vega C, reported a double-digit jump in revenue for its first full year as a publicly traded company.

LeoStella looks for more customers as it opens satellite factory

As LeoStella inaugurated the factory that will be used to produce a series of Earth imaging satellites, the joint venture of Thales Alenia Space and Spaceflight Industries continues to look for other customers.

Smallsat industry faces new challenges to growth

The small satellite field, which has enjoyed significant growth and investment in the last few years, will face new challenges this year demonstrating their business plans, with some expecting a shakeout in some parts of the sector.

Op-ed | We can — and should — democratize the economy of space, from communications to deep space exploration  

It's time to rethink manufacturability and seriously consider “pop-up” manufacturing, an on-site manufacturing center brought to customer hubs.

Firefly investor Noosphere Ventures eyes satellite manufacturing sector

Noosphere Ventures, two years after providing a lifeline investment in small launcher company Firefly, is gearing up to make another space investment, this time in the small-satellite manufacturing sector.

SpaceX launches all-smallsat Falcon 9 mission

A SpaceX Falcon 9 exclusively dedicated to small satellites launched Dec. 3, at 1:34 p.m. Eastern, carrying 64 satellites to low Earth orbit.

PLD Space, after ESA input, doubles lift capacity of smallsat launcher

The changes follow a 10-month European Space Agency review that concluded launching up to 300 kilograms to a 500-kilometer orbit on a single rocket would be better than 150 kilograms as originally envisioned.

Bankers see a growing industry shift to smallsats

Investment bankers increasingly believe that the satellite industry is fundamentally shifting from large geostationary spacecraft to constellations of low Earth orbit smallsats, forcing existing companies to respond while creating opportunities for investors.

French space startup raises $4.1 million to develop smallsat electric thruster technology, software

French space startup Exotrail has secured $4.1 million in funding to develop its electric thruster technology and software for smallsats.

ÅAC Clyde looks to constellations as future of business

ÅAC Clyde, the company being formed by Sweden’s ÅAC Microtec and Scotland’s Clyde Space, says its primary business is shifting from satellite subsystems to constellations as smallsat operators begin fielding more satellites.

New thruster aims to help microsats bust out of the kiddy pool

LOGAN, Utah — Stellar Exploration, a space technology company based in San Luis Obispo, California, is in the midst of qualification testing of a miniature propulsion system for planetary microsatellite missions.

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NASA bolsters smallsat science programs

NASA is responding to the growing interest in, and capabilities of, small satellites for science applications with an initiative that will spend $100 million a year on a series of projects.

Loft Orbital unveils 21-partner supply chain for small condosat missions

Loft Orbital, a startup that raised $3.2 million last year to run a satellite fleet for people who want to put payloads in space but not operate them, has announced a team of 21 partners to build, launch and communicate with its future spacecraft.

Spaceflight gears up for dedicated Falcon 9 launch

Spaceflight announced Aug. 6 that it’s beginning final preparations for a dedicated Falcon 9 launch later this year carrying more than 70 smallsats for a variety of commercial, government and educational customers.

Spaceflight books three Electron rockets

Satellite rideshare company Spaceflight Inc. on June 11 signed on as the anchor customer for three Electron launches from Rocket Lab.