Investment to fuel growth in the in-space propulsion market, bringing the TILE ionic liquid electrospray propulsion system to satellites and spacecraft of all sizes and missions

BOSTON, Mass., July 21, 2021 (Accion Systems PR) – Accion Systems, a leading manufacturer of the world’s most advanced ion electrospray in-space propulsion systems, today announced $42 million in Series C funding led by an affiliate of Tracker Capital Management, LLC (“Tracker Capital”). The investment brings Accion Systems’ valuation to $83.5 million and Tracker Capital has acquired a majority stake in the company. The funding will accelerate the development of Accion’s next-generation propulsion system and scale up its manufacturing to meet the surging demand for in-space propulsion.

Well, one day you’re a “God,” the next day you’re on the unemployment line.

Such was fate of Mark Stucky, who was Virgin Galactic’s lead pilot and director of flight test. On Tuesday, he announced on his Linkedin page that he had left the position. When asked why, he replied,

“Departing a company not on my own timeline was a first for me.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Earl Blumenauer PR) – As the space tourism race continues today, U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, previewed a new space tax. The Securing Protections Against Carbon Emissions (SPACE) Tax Act would create new excise taxes on commercial space flights carrying human passengers for purposes other than scientific research.

An Italian microSat, made by Argotec and ASI, which will fly with NASA towards an asteroid

ROME (ASI PR) — LICIACube, the microsatellite built entirely in the Argotec plants in Turin on behalf of and in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), will be delivered and shipped in the coming weeks to the integration site in the United States in preparation for the launch, scheduled for the end year, of the first planetary defense mission from future potential asteroid threats .

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (Lynk Global PR) — Lynk Global, the world’s only independently verified cell-tower-in-space network connectivity provider, today announced that its 5th satellite (Shannon) successfully deployed into low Earth orbit and is alive and beginning operations. This next-generation satellite advances Lynk’s main objective to provide global commercial service next year —connecting to standard mobile phones — with a constellation of “cell towers in space.”

“Lynk is well-positioned to finish our pre-commercial R&D phase and begin commercial cellular service, from space, worldwide in 2022. Our 5th satellite builds on the 4 previous tests and is a breakthrough in design thinking that will scale to larger sizes while still being mass-produced in the US and at scale,” says Charles Miller, Lynk co-founder, and CEO.

EarthDaily Analytics unveils plan to launch a new ground-breaking constellation in 2023

VANCOUVER, BC, July 20, 2021 (EarthDaily Analytics PR) — EarthDaily Analytics Corp., a vertically-integrated data processing and analytics company, today announces the timeline for the launch of the company’s new constellation of earth observing satellites. The EarthDaily satellite constellation will significantly enhance geospatial analytics capabilities in agriculture, forestry, environment, financial services, and defense and intelligence, among many other verticals.  

Construction of the new generation of satellites will begin in July 2021, with launches scheduled in 2023. The new satellites will collect scientific-grade imagery of the planet in a unique combination of 21 spectral bands, many of which will be 5-meter resolution. The constellation will have an expected lifespan of over 10 years.

• The sixth Arianespace launch of 2021 with the first Ariane 5 of the year, scheduled for July 30, will orbit two geostationary telecommunications satellites, Star One D2 and EUTELSAT QUANTUM.
   
• This VA254 mission for two long-standing customers clearly reflects the excellence of Arianespace’s services and relations of mutual trust with its customers.

EVRY, France (Arianespace PR) — Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 launch from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for Friday, July 30, during a launch window from 21:00 to 22:30 UTC. Initially planned for July 27, the mission was rescheduled after a revision to the preparation schedule.

RSA Investigates a Novel High-Thrust, High-Efficiency Propulsion System

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2021 (Rhea Space Activity PR) — As U.S. operations in space steadily move further away from Earth orbit, the rapidly growing ‘New Space’ company Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) for a Phase I, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 2021 Space Force Pitch Day award to investigate a bi-modal, solar-thermal propulsion system that would provide rapid repositioning capabilities for a future United State Space Force (USSF) deep space communications spacecraft.

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan (ESA PR) — The European Robotic Arm (ERA) is set for launch on a Proton rocket to the International Space Station on 21 July at 16:58 CEST. The first robot that can ‘walk’ around the Russian part of the orbital complex will be launched with the new Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan.

VAN HORN, Texas (Blue Origin PR) — Blue Origin successfully completed New Shepard’s first human flight today with four private citizens onboard. The crew included Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen, who all officially became astronauts when they passed the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.  

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (Lockheed Martin PR) — Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] opened its Spacecraft Test, Assembly and Resource (STAR) Center today. The STAR Center features business and digital transformation innovations that will expand manufacturing, assembly and testing capacity for NASA’s Orion spacecraft program and ultimately, future space exploration.

WASHINGTON (FAA PR) – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a safety field office in Houston to increase its oversight of commercial space operations in Texas and New Mexico.

From this location, FAA inspectors will be able to more effectively and efficiently monitor the ongoing testing programs and commercial space tourism operations of SpaceX and Blue Origin in Texas and Virgin Galactic in New Mexico, along with others in the region.