North America

Hydrosat has announced $20 million in new funding, including a $15M Series A round and more than $5M in non-dilutive funding. The funding will enable the Company to grow and develop its constellation of satellites and analytics to measure water stress and climate impact. Statkraft Ventures led the latest round of funding, and it included new investors Blue Bear Capital and Hartree Partners. All three firms have an interest in climate tech. 

Virgin Galactic has announced a successful suborbital test of the VSS Unity spaceplane and will begin rocket-powered spaceflight tests in the coming months. The Spaceplane completed its final glide test during a flight in New Mexico. During the test, VMS Eve took off from Spaceport America with Unity between its twin fuselages at 12:35 UTC. After reaching an altitude of 47,000 feet (14.3 kilometers), Eve released Unity at 13:47 UTC, with the spaceplane subsequently gliding back to the runway in New Mexico, testing modifications to the spacecraft's flight controls and handling.

Neumann Space has entered into an agreement to deliver its propulsion system, the Neumann Drive, to Colorado-based CisLunar Industries, a designer and manufacturer of Modular Space Foundries, to help progress a U.S. Space Force-funded project that will create a circular propulsion ecosystem.

NASA has selected 16 proposals from 12 companies under the 2022 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) to advance capabilities and technologies related to NASA's Moon to Mars Objectives. As a result, the cadre of U.S. industry-led teams will test a new lunar rover tire design, develop a robotically assembled power system, build an electrically actuated device to join in-space propellant transfer lines, and more.

Astrobotic has announced its purchase of launch services aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for its third upcoming lander mission to the Moon. The Company made the announcement during the spring Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) This mission will subsequently launch an Astrobotic lander to the Moon’s South Pole in 2026 to deliver payload customer instruments and cargo from around the world.

Evolution Space has announced the successful completion of its first space mission, Gold Chain Cowboy. The rocket reached apogee at 124.5 kilometers (408,456 ft), 24.5 km past the Kármán line - the internationally recognized boundary of space - at 8:12 am on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023. This consequently marked a significant milestone for the company and the greater space launch industry. Furthermore, the success also sees the Company become the 9th privately funded US company to pass the Kármán line and reach space.

Intelsat, a multinational satellite services provider, announced they ordered a Mission Extension Pod (MEP) from Northrop Grumman Corporation’s SpaceLogistics, which will add life to an Intelsat satellite and provide uninterrupted services to many customers. 

SpaceX has successfully completed its first fully integrated Starship flight test as it successfully launched the rocket. However, the launch was not a complete success, as the rocket exploded four minutes into the flight. This happened as the booster failed to separate from the spacecraft as intended, causing the rocket to tumble and subsequently explode before falling into the. Despite this, the rocket successfully separated from the Super Heavy booster, a key in-flight milestone.

Seeds sent into space last year returned to Earth on the 15th of April for joint efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The mission is to develop resilient crops that can help provide sufficient food as the planet heats up. 

Science Application International Corp (SAIC), an American technology company that provides government services and information technology support, and GomSpace, a manufacturer and operator of nanosatellites, announced on the 18th of April that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. They will partner for CubeSat, MicroSat and SmallSats Systems and Solutions for the Americas market.