IAC 2023 - banner

Markus Payer

SWISSto12 partners with ESA for its smallsat prototype

The Swiss space startup SWISSto12 partners with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a micro satellite prototype, the company said. The new satellite product line and its first protoflight model will be developed and built under a partnership project between ESA and SWISSto12, the enterprise based in Renens in Switzerland said. The first satellite is due for launch in 2025.

Read More »

Astroscale raises $109 million, bringing total to $300 million

The in-orbit servicer Astroscale raised another $109 million from different investors, bringing the total capital raised to date to $300 million, the Japanese space company said. The Series F round was the “largest funding round in the company’s history”, as Astroscale says.

Read More »

Saber Astronautics brings Australians to the ISS laboratory

Saber Astronautics wants to bring Australians to the International Space Station (ISS) to do scientific research. The space mission operator said it has signed a deal with private spaceflight leader Axiom Space to bring Australians and Australian industry to the station’s orbiting microgravity laboratory and work on a new generation of space-developed products.

Read More »

Exotrail delivers electric propulsion to OHB´s Triton-X Heavy

The French Exotrail delivers its electric propulsion system to OHB´s microsatellite Triton-X Heavy, the company said. Exotrail signed a contract with the Luxembourg-based satellite manufacturer OHB Luxspace for the integration of Exotrail’s high thrust and flexible electric propulsion product ExoMG into the Triton-X Heavy platform, the firm said.

Read More »

Isar Aerospace to provide launch services to European institutions

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Space Agency at DLR support Isar Aerospace with €11 million to provide launch services for institutional payloads, the Munich-based startup said. The contract includes the provision of launch services for institutional European payloads of up to 150 kg on the first two flights

Read More »

ESA members define space “accelerators” and “inspirators”

The member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) want to “accelerate the use of space in Europe to tackle the urgent and unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens,” ESA said after a meeting of the countries´ ministers in charge of space in Matosinhos, Portugal.

Read More »

Sierra raises $1.4 billion, valuing it at $4.5 billion

The launch company Sierra Space raised $1.4 billion in a Series A capital round, bringing its valuation to $4.5 billion, the Colorado-based builder of the winged and reusable Dream Chaser launcher said. The round is led by General Atlantic, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures, with participation from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Private Equity Partners, AE Industrial Partners,

Read More »

SES orders two large Astra GEO satellites from Thales

SES ordered two large geostationary (GEO) Ku-band satellites for TV distribution over Europe from Thales Alenia Space, the company said. The two satellites, Astra 1P and Astra 1Q, will replace two current Astra satellites at SES’s prime orbital neighborhood of 19.2 degrees East, which serves 118 million TV households across Europe, SES said.

Read More »