LIVERMORE, Calif. (LLNL PR) — When the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 13, it carried a payload designed and built in record time by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

WASHINGTON (SDA PR) — The Space Development Agency today announced the successful launch of its first two satellite missions, Mandrake II and Laser Interconnect Networking Communications System (LINCS) and the Prototype On-orbit Experimental Testbed (POET) payload, on June 30 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla.

The launch, supported by SpaceX’s Transporter 2, an all-rideshare Falcon 9 mission, carried aboard SDA’s first two sets of experimental satellites, designed and built with government and industry partners, to gather data on optical communication terminal (OCT) performance in low-Earth orbit (LEO), along with the POET payload to demonstrate on-orbit data fusion, proving out core capabilities required for SDA’s future development efforts.

ALAMEDA, Calif., June 30, 2021 (Astra Space/Holicity PR) – Astra Space, Inc. (“Astra”), the fastest privately-funded U.S. company in history to reach space, and Holicity, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOL) (“Holicity”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today completed their previously announced transaction to take Astra public.

The transaction forms a publicly traded pure-play space company and is expected to start trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 1, 2021 under the new ticker symbol “ASTR” for Astra common stock and “ASTRW” for Astra warrants.

Astra raised approximately $500 million in cash proceeds from the transaction to accelerate growth, expand its addressable market, and develop its space services platform. Holicity shareholders approved the transaction at a general meeting on June 30, 2021. CEO Chris Kemp and Astra’s management team will continue to lead the combined company.

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PARIS (ESA PR) — While exploring two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, ESA’s exoplanet-hunting Cheops satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system’s third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals exciting details about a rare planet “with no known equivalent”, say the researchers.

The discovery is one of the first results from ESA’s Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite), and the first time an exoplanet with a period of over 100 days has been spotted transiting a star that is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye.

PARIS (ESA PR) — The international James Webb Space Telescope has passed the final mission analysis review for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

This major milestone, carried out with Arianespace, the Webb launch service provider, confirms that Ariane 5, the Webb spacecraft and the flight plan are set for launch. It also specifically provides the final confirmation that all aspects of the launch vehicle and spacecraft are fully compatible.

• OneWeb confirms successful launch and contact with all 36 satellites launched earlier today, bringing total in-orbit constellation to 254 satellites
• High-speed connectivity to be available from the North Pole to the 50^th parallel – includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska and Arctic Region
• On track for full global coverage by June 2022 with a LEO constellation of 648 satellites

LONDON, 1 July 2021 (OneWeb PR) — OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, today announced the successful launch of another 36 satellites to mark the completion of its ‘Five to 50’ mission. With this major milestone, the Company is ready to deliver connectivity across the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, and the Arctic Region.

The latest launch takes OneWeb’s in-orbit constellation to 254 satellites, or 40% of OneWeb’s planned fleet of 648 LEO satellites that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity. OneWeb intends to make global service available in 2022.

DUNDEE, UK, July 01, 2021 (Bright Ascension PR) — Bright Ascension Ltd., an industry leading space software technology provider, is pleased to announce that its five latest GenerationOne flight software deployments were launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 30th June 2021. Bright Ascension provided the spacecraft software to Kleos Space’s Polar Vigilance Mission (KSF1) and the Faraday Phoenix satellite, built as part of In Space Missions’ Faraday programme to become a Service Mission Provider.

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. (ESA PR) — Three more nano-satellites have been launched as part of ESA’s efforts to boost the European space industry, fostering innovation and creating jobs.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

With its announcement that Richard Branson will be aboard SpaceShipTwo’s next flight test on July 11, Virgin Galactic has kicked off a 10-day extravapropaganza media blitz leading up to a flight the British billionaire has been promising for nearly 17 years. There will be press releases, videos, images, exclusive interviews, personnel profiles….the full arsenal of PR instruments that Branson’s Virgin Group wields so expertly.

And spin. Lots and lots of spin. And, from Virgin Galactic’s rival Blue Origin, shade. In fact, it’s already begun.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

As ParabolicArc reported exclusively on June 7, Virgin Galactic’s billionaire founder, Richard Branson, will attempt a suborbital flight aboard a SpaceShipTwo vehicle before rival billion Jeff Bezos boards Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft on July 20.

Virgin Galactic said Branson will join two pilots and three company employees on SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity on July 11 for a flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico. If the schedule holds, Branson would beat Bezos into suborbital space by nine days, and become the first billionaire to fly to space on his company’s own space vehicle.

• OneWeb’s new launch overall places 36 new constellation satellites into orbit.
• Following this 8th launch for OneWeb, Arianespace has deployed 254 satellites in low Earth orbit for the constellation.
• ST33 Flight, conducted by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate, has placed into orbit enough satellites, allowing OneWeb to deliver connectivity services in Canada, U.K., Northern Europe, Alaska and Arctic regions by the years end.

VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME, Russia (Arianespace PR) — Performed on Thursday, July 1st at precisely 09:48 p.m. local time at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome (12:48 p.m. UTC), Soyuz Flight ST33 lifted-off with 36 new OneWeb satellites onboard, bringing after the successful deployment the size of the fleet in orbit to 254. Flight ST33 was the 58th Soyuz mission carried out by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate.

Company also wins ESA tender, establishes LEO Constellation Control Centre and contracts ground station

LUXEMBOURG, July 1, 2022 (OQ Technology PR) – OQ Technology has announced several milestones that will bring the 5G IoT satellite operator closer to its goal of providing commercial Internet-of-things and machine-to-machine services using 5G connectivity across the globe. Among its recent steps to expand its business are the successful launch of its Tiger-2 satellite aboard the SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission organised by Spaceflight Inc., a fourth ESA contract for a 5G agile network configuration via satellite, the installation of a new ground station in Luxembourg and its newly established LEO Constellation Control Centre.

Tiger-2 s the company’s first commercial 5G IoT nanosatellite to provide basic commercial IoT and M2M services, using 5G connectivity. OQ Technology’s planned constellation will consist of more than 60 spacecraft to offer 5G IoT services in remote and rural areas. Tiger-2 will be followed by MACSAT, an ESA-supported agile nanosatellite mission dedicated to 5G Internet-of-Things (IoT) in low Earth orbit (LEO). The MACSAT satellite will be able to process a high capacity of 5G enabled devices. MACSAT is led by OQ Technology and funded by the Luxembourg Government through an ESA contract in the Luxembourg National Space programme (LuxIMPULSE).