Stoke Space, a startup trying to develop a completely reusable rocket for the burgeoning commercial satellite market, has closed a $65 million Series A venture capital round that will go toward developing a rapidly repeatable second-stage segment.
As the military and burgeoning commercial space sector eye thousands of new satellites in low-Earth orbit companies such as Honeywell International and Skyloom Global are teaming to provide more secure and higher-performance optical-communication products and services.
Virgin Orbit is taking a 17.5% stake in partner Hypersat as the companies work to launch a six-satellite constellation to provide hyperspectral imaging from low Earth orbit.
A growing number of satellite operators are either pursuing a multi-orbit strategy to provide high-capacity, low-latency data services, or are ready to jump on the bandwagon.
OneWeb has said there are no plans to close its Merritt Island, Florida, factory, even though the company has disclosed its intention to build its next-generation satellites in the UK.
Next year could see maiden launches of the Ariane 6 and Blue Origin's New Glenn follow the first orbital flight of SpaceX's Starship launcher, which is set for liftoff in January or February.
Roscosmos Space Corp. launched a Proton-M heavy rocket with two Russian communication satellites from Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 7:07 a.m. on Dec. 13.
The six-seater New Shepard—flying with a full cabin for the first time—lifted off from Blue Origin’s spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, at 9 a.m. local time.
An additional friction stir welding facility in Thales Alenia Space’s Turin factory is helping meet increased demand from space station operators for pressurized modules.
Tomorrow.io—the former ClimaCell weather services company that rebranded and announced a plan to launch and operate a constellation of relatively small satellites by 2022—will go public via a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company.
The plan to begin production in the UK would likely mean the closure of OneWeb’s Florida-based facility which used automation to produce its first generation of satellites.
After a successful launch and 7-hr. ride into geosynchronous orbit, a long-awaited optical communications relay experiment, designed and financed by NASA, is in position to begin a technology demonstration in March.
The Series A round will go toward accelerating Israel-based HiSKy’s technology development and market outreach for its satellite terminals aimed at the Internet of Things market.
ArianeGroup will develop a reusable mini-launcher for entry into service in 2026, Bruno Le Maire, French minister of economy and finance, announced Dec. 6.
