Space

Airbus and the French space agency CNES have agreed to extend the life of the two-satellite Pléiades constellation for another two years.

Germany and Spain are among the countries looking to move quickly to get counterspace systems into orbit.

Arianespace is speaking with other players, essentially startups, in the launch service industry to create a broader offering, the company's CEO says.

Redwire will serve as the prime contractor on the European Space Agency’s Skimsat program, swapping roles with mission partner Thales Alenia Space.

Germany is drafting a new military space architecture that will help shape the country's development plans, says the head of the German Space Command.

The defense market will become the biggest growth driver for the space-based remote sensing industry, Novaspace analysts estimate.

Bastion Technologies Inc. has been awarded a $400 million contract by NASA to provide safety and mission assurance for Marshall Space Flight Center.

Laser company Cailabs has raised €57 million in additional financing and plans to test space-to-Earth optical communications with satellite operator SES.

Telesat’s in-development LightSpeed constellation could meet the EU’s needs until the IRIS² communication satellites are in orbit.

The United Arab Emirates’ Space42 and Viasat have agreed to jointly pursue direct-to-device global satellite services.

Launch service operator Arianespace will loft another two Ariane 6s this year.

Isar Aerospace has shipped the first stage for its second Spectrum rocket to Norway to gear up for a second launch attempt.

The dominance of government money in space infrastructure investment and the emergence of direct-to-device comms are to define sat manufacturing.

SpaceX sees its Falcon 9 launch cadence peaking as the company ramps up operations of its Starship launch vehicle, a company executive says.

EchoStar is in the early days of adapting its business plan after abandoning a strategy to deploy a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Sept. 14 to send Northrup Grumman’s first upgraded Cygnus XL cargo ship on its way to the International Space Station.

Russia’s Progress MS-32 carries a 2.8-ton cargo including food, crew supplies and propellant for maneuvering the space station.

Satellite bus manufacturer Apex has raised $200 million in a Series D funding round and reached a $1 billion valuation, the company said on Sept. 12.

One of the three proposals for the Earth Resources Technology Satellite being evaluated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is based on this mockup designed by North American Rockwell Corp./Ball Brothers Research Corp. as featured on the cover of the September 15, 1969, issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Italian rocket company Avio plans to raise $470 million in capital in part to support its ambition to establish a U.S. solid rocket motor production facility.

With its first Tranche 1 launch complete, the Space Development Agency has begun deploying a regional mesh network to enhance data relay from low Earth orbit.

Russia’s Progress MS-32 resupply mission is on course for a Sept. 13 automated docking with the seven-person International Space Station (ISS).

House appropriators have joined their Senate counterparts in approving a budget measure that opposes the deep cut to NASA proposed by the White House.

Electro Optic Systems is looking to demonstrate a new high-power laser system capable of burning through satellites or using it to help deorbit them.

“A year ago we thought we found what we believe to be signs of microbial life on the Mars surface,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sept. 10 during his first NASA press conference