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Airbus Purchases Eutelsat OneWeb’s Stake in AOAS joint venture

One Web

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. has announced the completion of a deal with Eutelsat OneWeb to purchase its 50% share of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS) joint venture. As a result, Airbus is now the sole owner of AOS and the satellite manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida. Both parties expect the new structure to provide maximum efficiency and increased competitiveness for commercial, institutional and national security space customers.

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NASA’s Ingenuity has Come to the End of its Mars Mission

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has come to the end of its mission on Mars after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than NASA had planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing, and it is no longer capable of flight.

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Axiom Space and Boryung Corporation Announce Joint Venture

Boryung Corporation and Axiom Space have announced the formation of a joint venture, BRAX Space Corporation,  to leverage the unique strengths of both companies to advance the commercialization of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and push the boundaries of space exploration. As a result, both parties will jointly explore business opportunities related to the future Axiom Station. Furthermore, the collaboration will focus on various businesses, including research and development, new initiatives in the space industry, and joint production efforts

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#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: IRIS2 – The Elephant(s) In The Room

IRIS2 (pronounced “iris square”) is the new EU secure satellite constellation project, which stands for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite. Touted as “the European Union’s answer to pressing challenge of tomorrow, offering enhanced communication capacities to governmental users, businesses, while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones,“ IRIS2 is the result of a brilliant vision at the intersection of European “strategic autonomy,” orbital economy and policy, space industry majors, innovative startups, bureaucratic agendas, and a European Union space strategy for security and defense. Like many brilliant visions, it runs the risk of being eaten for breakfast by the tyranny of execution. Could it be different this time?

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Voyager Space Appoints Smith as CTO and Board Member

Voyager Space

Voyager Space (Voyager) has announced the appointment of Marshall Smith as the company's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and as a member of Starlab Space's Board of Directors. Smith, who previously served as Voyager Space's Vice President of Exploration, will lead the technical strategy for Voyager's enterprise and guide the Starlab team through the design, development, and operations of the commercial space station.

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Redwire Wins Blue Origin Contract to Develop ROSA Wings

Redwire

Redwire Corporation has announced that it has won a contract to develop and deliver four Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings, along with multiple Argus cameras and Low Voltage Distribution Units (LVDUs) for Blue Origin’s multi-orbit space mobility platform, Blue Ring. The ROSA wings Redwire is developing for Blue Ring will power the platform across a variety of missions focused on in-space logistics and delivery in medium-Earth orbit and beyond.

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Astrobotic Peregrine Mission 1 Re-enters Earth

Peregrine mission one

Following a successful launch and separation from the ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket on Jan. 8, 2024, Peregrine experienced a loss of propellant. Not only did that prevent any soft landing on the Moon, but the valve connecting helium to oxidizer had caused flooding and ruptured the tank. The spacecraft was now a flying hazard that could potentially create more debris in cislunar space or lunar orbit. After analysis and recommendations from NASA and the space community, Astrobotic determined the best option for minimizing risk and ensuring responsible disposal of the spacecraft would be to maintain Peregrine's trajectory toward Earth for atmospheric re-entry and burnup.

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Caltech Successfully Concludes SSPD-1Mission

Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1) has reached its end, having successfully demonstrated the ability to beam power wirelessly in space. The mission also measured the efficiency, durability, and function of various types of solar cells in space; and gave a real-world trial of the design of a lightweight deployable structure to deliver and hold the aforementioned solar cells and power transmitters.

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Axiom Space Launches Third Commercial Astronaut Mission

Axiom Space and SpaceX have successfully launched the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station (ISS). AX-3 is Axiom Space's third commercial astronaut mission and it features an all-European crew. The mission launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center aboard SpaceX's Dragon Freedom spacecraft. The Scientists and crew will subsequently engage in technology demonstrations, student outreach, and experiments ranging from medical research to materials science to benefit life here on Earth. 

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