E-letter: Briefs

Rocket Lab signed a contract for a dedicated Electron launch for Orora Technologies (OroraTech), a German wildfire-detection startup, Rocket Lab announced Jan. 22. The launch is set to deploy eight […]

Astroscale Japan will develop in-space refueling technologies under a new program with the Japanese government, the “Key and Advanced Technology R&D through Cross Community Collaboration Program” (K Program), the company […]

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) opened a new research and development imaging cleanroom at the company’s headquarters in Guildford in the U.K. This facility will play a role in advancing […]

Companies in Northern Denmark launched a new industrial cluster aimed at strengthening the region’s space and satellite communication industry, the companies announced Jan. 22.  The cluster, Space Connect North, focuses […]

Viasat is restructuring its executive team and with the changes, President Guru Gowrappan is leaving the company.  Viasat announced Wednesday that Craig Miller, currently president of Global Space Networks, will […]

Space infrastructure company Redwire Corp. on Monday said it has agreed to acquire Edge Autonomy in a $925 million deal that would take it into new territory, autonomous unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) […]

On his first day in office, President Trump named a list of acting cabinet and cabinet-level positions until his nominees are confirmed, including Janet Petro to serve as acting NASA […]

NASA selected Viasat for the Near Space Network (NSN) Services contract, to provide global ground segment support services to NASA missions, Viasat announced Jan. 21. Viasat plans to support NASA […]

Brendan Carr is now chairman of the FCC after President Trump signed an executive order designating Carr to the position on his first day in office on Jan. 20.  Trump […]

SKY Perfect JSAT will bring new disaster response capabilities to the Kobe region of Japan. Sky Perfect JSAT will deploy a disaster-response satellite communications system for Glion Arena Kobe, a […]

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Olivia Trusty as a Republican commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission, Trump announced Jan. 16. Trusty is currently the policy director for the U.S. Senate Committee […]

Planet Labs has named retired General John “Jay” Raymond to its board of directors, the company announced Jan. 16. Gen. Raymond served as the first Chief of Space Operations of […]

Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) will keynote the opening of the GovMilSpace program at SATELLITE 2025.  Whitworth has served as director of the NGA […]

Voyager Space rebranded as Voyager Technologies, seeking to emphasize its role in national security and space innovation, the company announced Jan. 16.  The company restructured its operations into three segments: […]

Stoke Space raised $260 million in new Series C investment to accelerate development of its reusable medium-lift rocket. This funding doubles Stoke’s total funding to $480 million, the company announced […]

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has officially received its spaceflight operator license from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as it prepares to launch from the U.K. In combination with the […]

C-COM Satellite Systems (C-COM) is to suspend dividends and prioritize investing in the commercialization of its Ka-band electronically steered antenna (ESA). The Canadian company will suspend its traditional quarterly dividend […]

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) selected 13 companies to provide geospatial intelligence under the Luno B contract, the agency announced Wednesday.  Luno B is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract […]

Two separate lunar landers built by commercial companies are now on the way to the Moon after a SpaceX launch early Wednesday morning.  SpaceX launched the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost […]

Slingshot Aerospace was awarded $1.9 million from the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to develop Slingshot’s GPS jamming and spoofing detection for international security, the company announced […]

SpaceX launched 131 payloads on the Transporter-12 mission to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on Jan. 14. This was SpaceX’s first rideshare mission of 2025.  The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space […]

Neo Space Group (NSG) has appointed former Inmarsat and Viasat exec Mark Dickinson as its new CTO. Dickinson is set to play a key role in driving NSG’s technological innovations. […]

Loft Orbital raised $170 million in a Series C round, the company announced on Tuesday, along with plans to scale operations incorporating inter-satellite links and more AI onboard its satellites.  […]

BlackSky Technology won a one-year extension with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract for its satellite imagery. BlackSky announced the extension on Jan. 14, […]

Redwire Corporation delivered the fourth pair of Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings for the International Space Station (ISS), also known as the IROSA program, the company announced Jan. 13.  The […]

Telesat has appointed Michel Forest as its new chief technology officer following the retirement of longtime CTO David Wendling. Telesat announced the change on Jan 13, along with other executive […]

Talos, a German based space startup signed a new four-year agreement with nonprofit the Max Planck Society to launch ICARUS 2.0, a cubesat constellation for space-based animal tracking. The partnership […]

Dragonfly Aerospace will supply Australian Earth observation company LatConnect 60 with three Chameleon SWIR (shortwave Infrared) imagers for their SWIRSAT satellites, Dragonfly announced Jan. 7. Supported by the Australian Space […]

NASA has added Neutron launch services to Rocket Lab’s existing Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract, Rocket Lab announced Jan. 9. Rocket Lab has been eligible for NASA […]

BlackSky has won multiple contracts for its analytics services through a new pilot program from the U.S. Space Force’s Global Data Marketplace (GDM), the company announced Friday.  The Global Data […]