North America

Iridium Communications Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Satelles, Inc., a provider of satellite-based time and location services (STL) that complement and protect GPS and other GNSS-reliant systems. This acquisition continues Iridium's philosophy of investing in differentiating technologies uniquely suited to its network that significantly outperform competing solutions. STL will consequently become a new business line of Iridium, led by Satelles CEO Dr. Michael O'Connor, who will report to Iridium CEO Matt Desch. 

Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation Company, has opened a Rocket Ranch expansion in Briggs, Texas, more than doubling the size of its manufacturing facilities. The space transportation Company also added two new test stands and installed machinery to support the production of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and the Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) the companies are co-developing together.

Viasat, Inc. has won a contract from Northrop Grumman to support the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) initiative, called the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 003 program – better known by its nickname 'Global Lightning.' As a result, the company's high-capacity geostationary satellites will support the program, which is connecting commercial space internet services for military users

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected Dana Weigel as the International Space Station (ISS) Program manager, based at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Weigel succeeds Joel Montalbano, who has accepted a position as deputy associate administrator for the Agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Both positions will be effective April 7.

CREAN has announced its newest addition to its team as it hires Sam Peterson as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). This strategic hire marks a significant step forward for CREAN as it continues to accelerate growth through new product and service offerings to our customers with complex engineering, production, and supply chain challenges.

Iridium Communications Inc. has announced that the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of Defense (MOD) has adopted Iridium connectivity for strategic use within its military operations. The ROK Army will consequently leverage a full suite of Iridium products and services to enhance operations, including real-time position-tracking capabilities for soldiers.

LeoLabs, a provider of integrated solutions that persistently monitor activity in space to reveal threats to safety and security, has appointed Tony Frazier as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). As a result, Tony will lead LeoLabs as it scales to become a critical mission partner for combined military space operations and next-generation space safety systems.

Intuitive Machines has successfully soft-landed its IM-1 mission Nova-C class lunar lander (Odysseus) on the lunar South Pole after launching it a week ago from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The uncrewed lunar lander landed at 6:23 pm ET (23:23 UTC), making Intuitive Machines the first commercial outfit to soft-land on the moon. It also marks the US's first moon soft landing in 51 years. 

Avanti Communications has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Telesat to test and develop LEO services as part of its global strategy to deliver bespoke, multi-orbit solutions to customers at scale. Avanti consequently plans to incorporate Telesat’s Lightspeed™ services into its network to provide affordable, high-quality broadband connectivity worldwide. Telesat’s global network comprises 198 state-of-the-art LEO satellites that seamlessly integrate with on-ground networks.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has announced strengthening its partnership with the commercial space industry. NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană made the announcement during NATO’s first Space Reverse Industry Day yesterday, 20 February 2024, as he highlighted the importance of cooperation with the commercial space industry to ensure Alliance security.