Smallsats
General Atomics opens satellite factory in Colorado
The new 33,514 square foot facility in Colorado triples the company’s capacity for satellite production.
Rocket Lab to acquire smallsat component manufacturer
Rocket Lab announced March 16 that it is acquiring a Canadian smallsat component company as it seeks to build up its satellite division.
Smallsat industry faces challenges to growth
While the smallsat industry continues to grow, experts warn that several blind spots could slow its growth in the near future.
Accion Systems raises $11 million Series B for space propulsion
Space propulsion startup Accion Systems has raised $11 million in a new round of funding designed to allow the company to increase production of its electric thrusters for smallsats.
2010-2019: The decade in space
It was a decade of enormous change. When it began, SpaceX was on the ropes, cubesats were teaching tools, NASA’s lunar ambitions were back on hold and no one in Washington was calling for a Space Force.
EchoStar, fresh off Helios Wire acquisition, orders S-band smallsats from Tyvak
EchoStar has ordered two tiny S-band satellites from Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems to jumpstart a low-Earth-orbit constellation using spectrum gained through its October acquisition of IoT startup Helios Wire.
Electric-propulsion startup Orbion raises $9.2 million Series A
Orbion aims to eventually build and ship thrusters in six to eight days from receiving an order.
Lacuna Space aims to ride IoT wave with a 32-cubesat constellation
Whether Lacuna Space will rise to the front is still to be determined. But Spurrett believes the company’s emphasis on offering the lowest price service will make it a winner.
Mecano ID, with help from CNES, making its first smallsat deployer
The deployer, still under development, is Mecano ID’s first smallsat product, Didier Zely, manager of Mecano ID’s deployment systems product line, said by email.
Exolaunch qualifies, begins selling microsatellite separation system
German launch services provider Exolaunch sees strong demand for the microsatellite separation system, CarboNIX, it qualified on the July 5 Soyuz rideshare mission
FCC’s streamlined licensing rules seen as boon for smallsat industry
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s streamlined licensing rules for small satellites sailed through a vote Aug. 1, establishing a path for companies to secure spectrum rights much faster and cheaper than current regulations allow.
FCC outlines proposed smallsat licensing rules
Under newly proposed rules, smallsat operators will be able to choose a licensing path — for authorization as a domestic operator or for U.S. market access as a foreign operator — for $30,000 instead of the $472,000 fee required today for satellites in non-geosynchronous orbits.
Parsons planning more merger and acquisition moves
Fresh off its purchase of geospatial intelligence firm OGSystems in January, Parsons is searching for more companies to buy that would further expand its presence in space, among other industries.
Kinéis takes control of Argos system, finalizes successor constellation plans
Kinéis, a subsidiary formed last year by French maritime company CLS, has taken over operation of the Argos hosted payload system, and finalized manufacturing agreements for a constellation of 25 small satellites for Internet of Things connectivity.
ÅAC Clyde raises $9 million amid hiring spree
Craig Clark, chief strategy officer at ÅAC Clyde, said the company is hiring more staff this year to support a backlog of smallsat business for customers who are finalizing decisions on what spacecraft they want.
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.
