Spaceflight Industries
Draper bids on NASA commercial lunar lander competition
The organization that helped NASA’s Apollo spacecraft land on the moon a half-century ago is now working with an industry team that includes a Japanese lunar lander company to propose a commercial return to the lunar surface.
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 signs agreement with Virgin Orbit
Spaceflight announced June 25 an agreement with Virgin Orbit for a future dedicated rideshare mission as it seeks to diversify its options for launching smallsats.
Spaceflight books launch slots on two Arianespace Vega missions
Spaceflight Industries has secured rideshare opportunities on two Vega rocket missions for tiny satellites.
Smallsat launch providers face pricing pressure from Chinese vehicles
Companies that are developing small launch vehicles or who provide rideshare launch services say they expect new Chinese launch vehicles to drive down launch prices, raising concerns among some of unfair competition.
Spaceflight raises $150 million for BlackSky constellation
Spaceflight Industries announced March 13 that it has raised $150 million to fund development of the next phase of its BlackSky Earth imaging constellation, with Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio taking minority stakes.
Industry worried about regulatory backlash after unauthorized cubesat launch
The launch of several cubesats by an American company without authorization from a federal agency has the rest of the industry worried of a potential regulatory and public relations backlash.
First BlackSky operational satellite ready for launch
Spaceflight Industries said March 6 that the first operational satellite for its BlackSky Earth imaging constellation is now complete and awaiting launch later this year.
Rideshare demand grows despite development of small launch vehicles
Despite the ongoing development of a fleet of small launch vehicles, both launch providers and customers continue to see demand for flying small satellites as secondary payloads on larger rockets.
Spaceflight purchases Electron launch for medium-inclination payloads
Spaceflight, a company that arranges launches for small satellites, announced May 17 is it purchasing a launch from Rocket Lab for payloads seeking access to a less common orbit.
Broad supplier base lending material support to smallsat revolutionaries
When Hawkeye 360 solicited proposals in 2016 to build its radio-frequency monitoring satellites, the firm found 25 companies capable of meeting its requirements.
SpaceX delays force Spaceflight to find alternative launches
Delays in SpaceX’s launch schedule have led an aggregator of secondary payloads to find alternative rides for dozens of satellites it planned to fly on a Falcon 9.
Spaceflight to launch Terra Bella satellites on Falcon 9 mission
Spaceflight Industries will launch multiple imaging satellites for Google-owned Terra Bella in 2017 as part of a “dedicated rideshare” Falcon 9 mission Spaceflight purchased from SpaceX last year.
Spaceflight Industries raises $18 million to acquire software company
Spaceflight Industries announced June 21 that it has raised $18 million that the company will use to acquire a software company to support its plans for a constellation of Earth imaging satellites.
Spaceflight waits out SpaceX delays, expands rideshare business to larger satellites and GEO orbit
Spaceflight Services started by arranging rideshare launches for a few cubesats at a time before moving to dozens at a time, with 87 to launch this spring on a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Spaceflight’s Sherpa tug.
Spaceflight Industries Buys Falcon 9 Launch
A Seattle company that arranges launches of small satellites as secondary payloads had acquired a SpaceX Falcon 9 for its first dedicated launch in 2017, the company announced Sept. 30.
