News

Safran Electronics and Defence company, Orolia, based in France has announced a partnership with Xona Space Systems to develop support for Xona’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation and navigation signals in its Skydel-powered simulation and testing products. Xona is developing PULSAR, a positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service enabled by a commercial constellation of dedicated LEO satellites. Skydel powers Safran’s portfolio of advanced GNSS simulators like the GSG-8.

Dawn Aerospace, a space transportation company with operations in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States, has announced the successful completion of the first rocket-powered flight campaign of its spaceplane, the Mk-II Aurora. The flights occurred at Glentanner Aerodrome on the 29, 30, and 31 March. For the Company, the accomplishment signifies a major milestone in its mission to revolutionize space access as well and thus provide end-to-end space transportation.

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) has announced that Antonino Salmeri has been elected as the new Co-Chair for 2023. Dr Antonino Salmeri is a space lawyer who specialises in the governance of lunar and space resource activities. He holds four advanced degrees in law and currently works as Lead of the Lunar Policy Platform Initiative.

Everland, a US-based company representing a portfolio of high quality REDD+ forest conservation projects in the world, has named Space Intelligence, a nature mapping service based in Scotland, as its main data partner. Everland will use technology and data from Space Intelligence to build a comprehensive view of changes in land cover across three continents, covering a portfolio of site-based REDD+ projects and their surrounding regions. 

Sky and Space Company, a British satellite company with communication nanosatellites and software expertise, in partnership with Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development’s Space Policy Unit, announced on the 5th of April that they have been awarded a grant from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the Enhanced Spread Spectrum Aloha (E-SSA) Modem. The E-SSA aims to revolutionise space-to-ground communications and increase efficiencies for Inter-Satellite Linking. It is designed to be the first-ever modem with the capability to process frames on nanosatellites setting the stage for new applications in nanosatellite constellations and broadening the horizons of the space sector.

D-Orbit has signed a 26-million-euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for IRIDE, a space-based observation program from the Italian Government. It will leverage national competencies and responsibility with the support of ESA, which will manage the project and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) under the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

While this 2023 update to the Best Practices for Sustainability of Space Operations is a momentous step forward for space operations safety, Astroscale believes certain elements within it still merit further improvement and fall short of what it can fully endorse without reservations. As a result, the Company endorses these updated Best Practices, with three exceptions: clauses 5.a., 7.a., and 8.j.

Lockheed Martin, an Australian aerospace company, announced on the 3rd of April that it has been selected by the Commonwealth of Australia as the perfect bidder for Project JP9102, the Australian Defence Satellite Communications System.

Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy after the satellite launch firm was unable to secure the funding necessary to keep operating and cut about 85% of its staff. The company listed $243 million in assets and $153.5 million for its total debt in a Chapter 11 petition that it filed in Delaware. However, Virgin Investments Ltd has committed to offering an additional $31.6 million to keep the Company's operation going while it seeks a buyer.

Spire Global, a space-to-cloud data and analytics company based in Virgina US, announced on the 3rd of April that they have been awarded a contract by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for commercial radio frequency (RF) remote sensing. This contract is part of the NRO’s Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) program in September 2022.