Plus news about AST SpaceMobile

Welcome to this week’s S-SPACⁱ.

Apologies for the gap in indexes. I was busy covering the Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Colorado last week. Lots to catch up on.

Lots of raises, contracts, grants and more as we powered through the second week of 2023. Let’s take a look.

Partnership

Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space are partnering to develop and operate Starlab, a free-flying space station set for launch in 2028 that will serve NASA and a global customer base of space agencies and researchers. Airbus will provide technical design support and expertise for the Starlab station.

Capella‘s third-generation synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites offer highest quality imagery, best resolution, and fastest order-to-delivery speeds

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10, 2022 (Capella Space PR) –– Capella Space, a leading Earth observation company, today unveiled several new capabilities planned for its next generation satellites, further expanding the company’s cutting-edge, premium data offerings. This new generation of Capella satellites, referred to as “Acadia” technology, will expand the existing Capella constellation to provide highest quality imagery, best ground-range resolution, and the fastest order-to-delivery speeds available from any commercial SAR provider.

High Quality SAR imagery can now be accessed by anyone via the Registry of Open Data on AWS

SAN FRANCISCO (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, a leading Earth observation company, today announced the expansion of its Open Data Program, making a selection of its SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery freely and openly accessible through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Open Data Sponsorship Program. 

HERNDON, Va. (Space Industry for Ukraine PR) — Leaders of the space community today announced the Space Industry for Ukraine (SIFU), an initiative designed to fund and execute efforts that provide immediate humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. The initiative will be run by a steering committee, which includes HawkEye 360, National Security Space Association (NSSA), ABL Space Systems, ARKA, BlackSky, Capella Space, ICEYE, Insight Partners, Leidos, LeoLabs, Maxar, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Rebellion Defense, Relativity Space, Riverside Research, Rocket Lab, Velos and Viasat. The steering committee will fundraise, select and monitor the execution of critical humanitarian projects throughout Ukraine and its neighboring countries. Additional participating donor companies include The Aerospace Corporation, Cognitive Space and Shield Capital.

Capella will use the funding, led by NightDragon, to expand its AI-enabled geospatial analytics and imaging offerings for its satellite sensors that penetrate all weather conditions – clouds, fog, smoke, rain – and capture clear imagery 24-7, day and night, across the globe

SAN FRANCISCO (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, the leading earth observation company, today announced a $97M Series C financing round led by NightDragon, with significant participation from existing investors DCVC and Cota Capital. Capella plans to use the funding to expand its offerings and continue its mission to provide 24-7 access to frequent, timely and high-quality satellite analytics and imagery products to customers with demanding geospatial intelligence needs worldwide.

Capella’s SAR (synthetic aperture radar) sensors are deployed across its seven satellites in orbit today, with more satellites ready to launch across 2022 and 2023. This constellation can penetrate all weather conditions – clouds, fog, smoke, rain – and capture clear imagery 24-7, day and night, providing unparalleled insight into what is happening anywhere on the globe at any given moment. Recent global events in Ukraine and Russia have shown that access to accurate and timely earth observation data has never been more critical.

With new offerings for Vessel Detection, Change Detection, and Global Change Monitoring, Capella Space offers first-in-class image analytics for its customers around the globe 

SAN FRANCISCO (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, an information services company that provides high-quality Earth observation data on demand, today announced three new integrated analytics capabilities into its image-tasking web application, the Capella Console. Vessel Detection, Change Detection, and Global Change Monitoring support Capella’s vision to offer a fully automated image tasking system that provides customers with timely, reliable, and accurate imagery capture and data analysis.

Capella will demonstrate high-resolution SAR imagery capabilities as part of the National Reconnaissance Office’s Broad Agency Announcement Framework for Strategic Commercial Enhancements

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20, 2022 (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, an information services company providing high-quality, high-speed Earth observation data on demand, today announced a new contract with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to demonstrate the company’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery capabilities. Through this contract, Capella will work with the NRO to provide SAR data modeling and simulation, end-to-end regional imagery responsiveness demonstrations, theater downlink demonstrations and sample imagery delivery.

WASHINGTON (NRO PR) — The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) announced the award of five contracts for commercial radar capabilities under the agency’s new Strategic Commercial Enhancements Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Framework. Companies receiving contracts are Airbus, U.S.; Capella Space; ICEYE, U.S.; PredaSAR; and Umbra.

“We are very pleased with the response to the first focus area under our new BAA,” said Dr. Chris Scolese, NRO director, who announced the release of the BAA acquisition just three months ago. “We know that users across the National System for Geospatial Intelligence are eager to explore commercial radar, and these contracts will allow us to rapidly validate capabilities and the benefits to the national mission.”

The Strategic Commercial Enhancements BAA Framework is designed to reach across disciplines and the global commercial remote sensing market to drive innovation, explore new phenomenologies, and ultimately, to ensure that the U.S. government has access to the best available commercial remote sensing capabilities.

• Fleet Space Technologies attracts $26.4m (USD) investment valuing company at $126m (USD)
• Series B Round oversubscribed
• Investment confirms confidence in Fleet Space advanced satellite technology 
• Tech drives radical Internet of Things (IoT) efficiencies 
• Investment is firm commitment to Australia’s rapidly emerging space industry  
• Investment creates 70 new jobs, including many desirable STEM positions 

ADELAIDE, Australia (Fleet Space Technologies PR) — Fleet Space Technologies announces that it has secured $26.4m (USD) in investment, valuing the company at $126 million (USD). This represents a major step forward for Fleet Space Technologies, which is committed to creating the world’s most advanced low-power satellite network, securing planet-wide coverage for millions of compatible Internet of Things (IoT) devices by using its in-house Nanosatellite technology. This funding will underpin significant expansion in Fleet Space’s manufacturing footprint and will expand the company’s highly skilled workforce.