LUXEMBOURG, 29 September 2021 (OQ Technology PR) – OQ Technology, a Luxembourg-based satellite 5G IoT company, and GovSat, a public-private joint venture between the Luxembourg government and satellite operator SES, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing and testing satellite-based IoT (Internet of things) and machine-to-machine (M2M) products aimed at defence and government sectors.

By combining OQ Technology’s 5G products and services with GovSat’s end-to-end satcom solutions, already supporting customers such as NATO, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Belgium Navy, the companies aim to offer highly scalable applications for air, land and maritime missions across the world. Customers of these future applications will benefit from access to real-time 5G IoT coverage, dedicated geostationary (GEO) capabilities, specialized frequencies and licenses, and a wider footprint of multiple beams.

Blue Origin has responded to an essay published by the company’s former head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams and 20 current and former employees accusing the company of having a toxic, sexist culture that overworks people and cuts corner on flight and environmental safety. The statement reads: Ms. Abrams was dismissed for cause two years ago after repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations. Blue Origin has no […]

Blue Origin’s former head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams and 20 former and present Blue Origin employees have published a stinging essay accusing Jeff Bezos and his space company, Blue Origin, of creating a sexist working environment where employees are overworked and corners are cut on safety.

The essay, “Bezos Wants to Create a Better Future in Space. His Company Blue Origin Is Stuck in a Toxic Past,” was published on Lioness.co. A key theme is that Bezos’ vision of billions living in space colonies is seriously at odds with the environment within Blue Origin.

The authors wrote of a sexist and discriminatory atmosphere within a company that is predominantly male.

LONDON (Orbit Boy PR) — Orbit Boy (UK) and Italspazio (Italy) signed an agreement to jointly develop an Air-Launch Space System for the delivery of microsatellites into Orbit from the territory of Italy, based on the ground infrastructure of the Comiso Air Base.

After presenting the concept of the Orbit Boy Air-Launch System and vision for autonomous access to space from the territory of Italy to local authorities in Comiso, Orbit Boy and Italspazio received positive feedback and gained support in developing the project roadmap.

Former executives from Virgin Galactic, Maxar, and Bank of America bring decades of industry and operational expertise as Capella Space rapidly delivers higher volumes of data from space.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2021 (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, an information services company that provides high-quality, high-speed Earth observation data on demand, today announced several new members of its leadership team as the company continues to grow its satellite constellation and expand service offerings. Jon Campagna joins the team as the company’s first CFO, Julie Ambory as the VP of people, and Nate Ricklin as the VP of product engineering.

Campagna, Ambory, and Ricklin join a growing team of industry veterans and experienced leaders supporting Capella’s mission to provide high-resolution, high-quality SAR imagery on demand. With decades of experience, they join the rest of the leadership team to deliver greater value to customers and will help guide Capella Space into a new chapter of growth.

Contract award cements Intelsat’s IFC leadership on the A220 airframe 

McLean, Va. (Intelsat PR) – Intelsat, operator of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network, has been selected by Air France to install its 2Ku high-speed, satellite-based inflight connectivity solution on 60 new Air France A220-300 aircraft. With deliveries commencing in 2021, the aircraft will fly to short and medium-haul destinations of the Air France network.

Intelsat’s solution is the industry’s leading inflight connectivity (IFC) because it simply delivers the highest throughput and best reliability to aircraft and devices globally, providing a superior connected passenger experience and exceptional Net Promoter Scores (NPS). 

Agreement Showcases Emerging Low-Earth Orbit Economy Featuring Dream Chaser^® Spaceplane and LIFE^TM Habitats

LOUISVILLE, Colo. and MECKENBEUREN, Germany, September 29, 2021 (Sierra Space/yuri PR) –Sierra Space and German start-up yuri announce a joint venture to explore bold and visionary commercial opportunities for microgravity research that could help create medical breakthroughs by using the benefits of zero gravity in space.  Sierra Space is the new commercial, independent company leveraging the Dream Chaser spaceplane and LIFE habitat to create a low-Earth orbit space station that will help make space accessible, help humanity and create a new space ecosystem.

WELLINGTON, NZ (MBIE PR) — The New Zealand Space Agency will become the 27th member of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG), the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) announced today.

The ISECG is a non-binding, technical coordination forum and includes all of the world’s major space agencies with each agency represented by its technical space exploration experts. Membership provides the opportunity for member space agencies to share their space exploration objectives and interests with the goal of strengthening their individual space programmes and the collective international space exploration effort.

STRASBOURG, France (Europlanet Society PR) — Engineers have successfully shown how water and oxygen can be extracted by cooking up lunar soil, in order to support future Moon bases. A laboratory demonstrator, developed by a consortium of the Politecnico Milano, the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency and the OHB Group, is presented this week at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2021.

HARWELL, UK, 30 September 2021 (Aistech Space SL PR) — Aistech Space SL (Aistech), a high-resolution thermal imaging service provider, has signed a contract with Orbital Astronautics Ltd (OrbAstro), a satellite and in-orbit service provider, to fly its first Guardian mission scheduled for launch in Q4 2021 onboard a SpaceX dedicated rideshare mission. The OrbAstro ORB-6 satellite platform (6U-class) will host an Aistech multi-spectral imaging payload to commence commercial services addressing markets linked to environmental sustainability

“Our mission is to work with organizations around the world to tackle critical threats to people and the environment, and build a better, more sustainable future for the next generation,” said Guillermo Valenzuela, CEO and Co-Founder of Aistech Space. “Our Guardian satellites will provide organizations with critical information for mitigating large-scale threats, such as forest fires, water waste, pollution, and illegal activity.”

• SpaceShipTwo deviated from assigned airspace during July 11 flight test
• FAA says Virgin Galactic failed to inform agency about deviation
• Virgin Galactic’s licensing and compliance officer announces his departure from company

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed an investigation into Virgin Galactic that resulted in the grounding of the company’s only suborbital SpaceShipTwo vehicle after the ship deviated from its assigned airspace during a July flight test with the company’s founder on board. The decision clears the way for another flight test planned for mid-October.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA has tested the functions of Lucy, the agency’s first spacecraft to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, filled it with fuel, and is preparing to pack it into a capsule for launch Saturday, Oct. 16.

Named after characters in Greek mythology, these asteroids circle the Sun in two swarms, with one group leading ahead of Jupiter in its path, the other trailing behind it. Lucy will be the first spacecraft to visit these asteroids. By studying these asteroids up close, scientists hope to hone their theories on how our solar system’s planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why they ended up in their current configuration.