CANNES, France January 12, 2022 (Thales Alenia Space PR) – Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced that it has signed a contract¹  with Intelsat to deliver two Space Inspire software defined satellites, Intelsat 41 (IS-41) and Intelsat 44 (IS-44).

The contract enables the progression of Intelsat’s global software-defined satellite-based network, adding high speed dynamically-allocated connectivity across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia for commercial and government mobility services and cellular backhaul.

Aerospace leader expected to make significant investment for construction of new Production, Assembly, Integration and Test facility, prepare for launch of new Neutron rocket

RICHMOND, Va. (Gov. Northam PR) — Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Accomack County is a finalist for a proposed expansion by Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, which expects to make a significant investment to expand its U.S. manufacturing and launch operations. If selected, the proposal would see Rocket Lab develop a new facility to support part production, assembly, integration and test operations to support the launch of its new Neutron rocket from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Announced by Rocket Lab in March 2021, the Neutron rocket is expected to be operational in late 2024 and is designed to deliver a 17,600 pound payload to low Earth orbit, and may ultimately support human spaceflight. 

Translated from Russian by Google Translate

Oxana Wolf, Roscosmos Deputy Director of the Department of Advanced Programs and the Sphere Project, told the Russian Space publication about the progress of the process in terms of easing the administrative requirements for the work of business, the balance between desires and real opportunities, and how space universities can help entrepreneurs.

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Q: Oksana Valerievna, have you managed to bring clarity this year with regard to the normative and legal documents governing cooperation between Roscosmos and private business?

A: Business is progressing, but not as fast as we would like. During this time we did not sit idly by, but the volume of tasks is very large!

QUEENSLAND, Australia, 11 January 2021 (Gilmour Space Technologies PR) — Rocket engineers at Gilmour Space Technologies have greeted the new year with a successful 110-kilonewton test fire of the most powerful rocket engine ever developed in Australia.

The 75-second test was a major milestone for Gilmour Space, which is developing rockets that will, over the next five years, be capable of launching 300- to 4,000-kilogram satellites and payloads into low earth and other orbits. 

• FLEX is developed within ESA’s Future Earth Observation Programme, and will be able to measure photosynthetic activity from space.
• ALTIUS is developed within ESA’s Earth Watch Programme, and aims to overwatch ozone and other trace gases in the upper atmosphere, thus supporting weather forecasting and monitor long-term climate evolutions.
• Both those missions represent Arianespace additional contribution to ESA’s and Europe’s engagement regarding climate change issues and challenges.

EVRY-COURCOURONNES, France (Arianespace PR) — Arianespace and the European Space Agency ESA have signed a contract to secure the launch of FLEX and ALTIUS on Vega C, from Europe’s Spaceport mid-2025.

Leading radio frequency data and analytics company partners with AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate to support integration of commercial space ISR into the warfighting architecture

HERNDON, Va. January 11, 2021 (HawkEye 360 PR) — HawkEye 360 Inc., the world’s leading commercial provider of space-based radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, today announced it has been awarded a three year, $15.5 million Experimental Purpose Agreement (EPA) contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate. Through the agreement, HawkEye 360 will provide radio frequency analytics research, development, and experiments to help the government demonstrate, test and evaluate its hybrid space ISR architecture.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AAC Clyde Space PR) — AAC Clyde Space, a leading New Space company, has received a 441,000 euro (approx. 4.5 MSEK) order from UK-based Space Forge to provide space products for a demonstration spacecraft designed to leverage the space environment for production and experiments, capable of performing multiple trips to space.

The order follows an order in December 2020 to contribute to the design of a satellite platform for the same purpose. The reusable spacecraft is intended to deorbit in a controlled manoeuvre to deliver its products and results back to Earth after six months in-orbit, thereby enabling efficient production and revolutionary experiments by leveraging the micro gravity in-orbit. The design will benefit from AAC Clyde Space’s standard satellite platform heritage, adjusted for re-entry into the atmosphere and landing on Earth. Back on Earth the satellites will be recovered, refurbished, and eventually re-launched.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit will attempt to make it three in a row by launching a group of commercial and government satellites off the California coast on Wednesday afternoon.

Virgin Orbit’s Boeing 747 Cosmic Girl carrier plane is scheduled to take off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. PST (21:00–23:30 GMT). The aircraft will drop the LauncherOne booster over the Pacific Ocean near the Channel Islands approximately one hour after takeoff.

Mangata Networks announces today the completion of their $33 million Series A funding round, led by Playground Global.

PHOENIX (Mangata Networks PR) — Mangata Networks has closed a $33 million Series A round led by US-based venture capital firm Playground Global to continue its mission to transform the way the world interacts with information. This closing manifests the truly global nature of the organization with other major investors including Temasek which is headquartered in Singapore, ktsat from South Korea, Scottish Enterprise in the UK, Promus Ventures from its Orbital Ventures Fund, and Meta Venture Partners, also in the US.

HOUSTON, January 11, 2022 (Axiom Space PR) – Axiom Space, Inc., the leader in human spaceflight and human-rated space infrastructure, announced Tuesday it has welcomed Col. Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force (ItAF) to its headquarters in Houston to begin astronaut training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) as part of Axiom’s professional astronaut services.

Through a partnership with KBR and NASA, Axiom, which trains and flies professional and private astronauts, is able to provide potential astronaut candidates access to facilities, instructors, and training at NASA. Candidates for flight complete Axiom’s training curriculum over many months in preparation to live and conduct meaningful work in space.

EDD’s Alex Greenberg Will Focus on Developing Capabilities at Spaceport America, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and other facilities

SANTE FE, N.M. (NM EDD PR) – Alex Greenberg, a University of New Mexico graduate with a specialty in technology management, has been named Director of the Office of Science and Technology at the Economic Development Department (EDD), Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced today.

Greenberg had been serving as EDD’s financial program specialist. Previously he held positions as a Clinical Project Manager in the healthcare industry, and with a biomedical startup company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Business Administration from UNM’s Anderson School of Management.

DENVER, Jan. 11, 2022 (Orbit Fab PR) — Orbit Fab, the Gas Stations in Space™ refueling service provider and Astroscale U.S. Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc. and market leader in securing long-term orbital sustainability, today announced a commercial agreement to refuel Astroscale’s Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI™) Servicer in geostationary orbit (GEO); LEXI is the first satellite designed to be refueled.