LAUSANNE, Switzerland, August 25, 2021 (Astrocast PR) – Astrocast SA, the leading Swiss IoT- focused nanosatellite company, floated its shares on the Euronext Growth market in Oslo. The listing marks the first chance for investors to acquire shares in an IoT satellite constellation in a public market.

“Astrocast is recognised as one of the pioneers, and one of the most advanced companies in the world providing low-cost global connectivity for the IoT. Lack of such connectivity has been a roadblock for a massive expansion of this market,” said Astrocast CEO Fabien Jordan.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (Maxar Technologies PR) — Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR) today announced it received an order to build another geostationary communications satellite for longtime customer SiriusXM, following the SXM-9 satellite order that was announced earlier this month.

SXM-10, a high-powered digital audio radio satellite, will be built on Maxar’s proven 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California.

Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s third-generation satellites, the last one of which was launched earlier this year.

DUNDEE, UK, August, 23, 2021 (Bright Ascension PR) — Bright Ascension Ltd ., an industry leading space software technology provider, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed a fund raising round and secured financing commitments through private investments to support further expansion and development of its product offering. The company has raised £1m of additional equity through the issue of new shares to match development funding that has been awarded to Bright Ascension by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Bright Ascension will use the new funds for the development of next generation satellite software infrastructure, which will offer its customers a complete end to end software solution for space based service provision. This expansion stage c losely correlates to the company’s participation in ESA ARTES Pioneer programme, a multi year project set to design and develop a cutting edge end to end solution which will enable a wide range of companies to create innovative satellite constellation services at a significantly reduced cost and within a reduced timeframe.

• $2.6 million contract to provide life support systems for an undisclosed customer
• Leveraging existing technologies for commercial use will enable greater space travel

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Aug. 23, 2021 (Collins Aerospace PR) – Collins Aerospace has been awarded a $2.6 million contract by an undisclosed customer for Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) that will support a mission to establish a privately owned and operated orbital outpost in low Earth orbit.

The ECLSS is a suite of technologies that enable livable conditions as low as 250 kilometers above Earth’s surface. The ECLSS includes air revitalization and pressure control systems made up of cabin fans, heat exchangers, carbon dioxide removal, trace contaminant control, valves, regulators and smoke detection. Additionally, it includes an active thermal control system to maintain optimal temperatures in space.

REDMOND, Wash. (Xplore PR) — Xplore Inc., an innovative commercial space company providing Space as a Service® has announced a follow on contract with the U.S. Air Force, (USAF) to continue developing their positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solution as a commercial service for cislunar space. Xplore’s current Phase II effort culminates in a hardware in the loop testbed that will demonstrate the required performance to enable precision cislunar missions while laying the foundation for a subsequent on-orbit test of the PNT system. This Phase II SBIR, awarded for commercial and technical innovations between the Earth and the Moon, provides the Air Force with the necessary capabilities to extend precision operations to the Moon and across cislunar space.

The PNT system Xplore is developing enables exploration, operations and commercial activities in cislunar space — a vast region that extends past the Moon to the edge of interplanetary space and is over ten thousand times the volume than nearly all space operations around the Earth. An equivalent GPS-like navigation and timing solution for this expanse does not currently exist, and Xplore’s revolutionary solution leverages its internal platform development to provide critical infrastructure services beyond geosynchronous orbit.

The companies consolidate efforts to provide end-to-end launch solutions from Australia

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA / BERLIN, GERMANY, August 24, 2021 (Exolaunch/Gilmour Space Technologies PR) – Gilmour Space Technologies, a premier Australian rocket company pioneering new and innovative hybrid propulsion technologies for launching small satellites, and Exolaunch, a Berlin-based leader in rideshare launch and deployment services for small satellites, today announced a series of agreements for small satellite launch, deployment and in-space transportation services. The companies join forces to provide tailored launch, precise deployment and in-space transportation services to the small satellite operators using Eris, a hybrid launch vehicle, developed by Gilmour.  

Contract represents the fourth Lunar sensor award for MDA as the number of planned Moon missions grows

BRAMPTON, Ont. (MDA PR) — MDA Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly-expanding global space industry, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Intuitive Machines, LLC to provide Lunar landing sensors to support its upcoming IM-1 and IM-2 missions. As a result, MDA landing sensors will support the first soft landing US mission to the Moon since 1972, scheduled for early 2022. MDA landing sensors will also support the first ever mining mission to the South pole of the Moon in late 2022.

PARIS (ESA PR) — Astronaut hopefuls are being asked for their patience as ESA processes over 23 000 applications to its Astronaut and Astronaut (with a disability) vacancies. This number far exceeds the Agency’s most optimistic forecasts.

Head of space medicine at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) Guillaume Weerts is part of the team leading the astronaut selection. He says the number of applications is a positive indication of the level of interest in space activities in Europe, but it will take some time to work through.

HEERLE, Netherlands (Bradford Space PR) — Bradford Space (Bradford) and Neutron Star Systems (NSS) established a cooperative agreement for enhanced orbital transport and maneuver technology for cis-lunar logistics. The agreement lays the foundation to increase the total propulsive capability of Bradford’s recently announced Space Logistics Service by incorporating NSS electric propulsion technology with Bradford’s green monopropellant technology.

The Bradford/NSS cooperation was fostered by a recent meeting at the United States Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory Catalyst Accelerators Catalyst Collision event. The cooperation is founded on Bradford’s leadership in non-toxic propellant systems and the wide propellant flexibility of NSS’s SUPREME^TM electric thruster. With growing concerns over the safety and cost of traditional Hydrazine propellant, the adoption of new green propellants will be critical for enabling safer and more sustainable space logistics. Bradford is the world leading provider of high thrust green propulsion systems with 25 spacecraft flying Bradford’s LMP-103S proprietary green monopropellant.

The lander, larger in size and payload design capacity, is planned to be designed and manufactured in the US

Colorado Springs, Colo. (ispace PR) – Today, ispace, inc. (ispace) unveiled its next generation lunar lander, Series 2, which the company plans to first use for its third lunar mission (Mission 3), as well as subsequent future missions. Standing at approximately 9 ft tall and 14 ft wide (approx. 2.7 m tall by 4.2 m wide), including its legs, it is larger in both size and customer payload design capacity than ispace’s first-generation lander model, Series 1, which the company is developing for its first and second missions.

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, August 24 — 7 PM PDT (9 PM CST; 10 PM EDT): We welcome STEPHANIE THOMAS of Princeton Satellite and to discuss nuclear fusion. Wednesday, August 25 — Hotel Mars pre-recorded. See the Upcoming Show Menu at www.thespaceshow.com for details. Thursday, August 26 — 7PM PDT (9PM CDT, 10 PM EDT): We welcome JEFF SHESOL re his new book, […]

Virgin Galactic is seeking deposits of $149,000 from future passengers on its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicles, according to a message obtained by Parabolic Arc. The amount is just under one-third of the $450,000 ticket price for the trip to the edge of space. The message was sent to a person who had put down an $1,000 deposit on a seat. If the person decides to go forward, Virgin Galactic will send […]