Space Economy

Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) Directorate awarded a $2.25 million contract to Astroscale US to advance Space Mobility and Logistics (SML) capabilities. Space Systems Command awarded the contract in collaboration with the Space Development Corps’ Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC).

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced that the company experienced an issue during the launch of its 41st mission. Following lift-off from Launch Complex 1, the rocket successfully completed a first-stage burn and stage separation as planned before it experienced an issue at around T+ 2 minutes and 30 seconds into flight, resulting in the end of the mission. In addition, Rocket Lab's telemetry data, which the company provided during the livestream of Tuesday's launch, showed the velocity of the rocket's upper stage decreasing shortly after its single Rutherford engine was supposed to kick on. 

Kayhan Space, a provider of high-performance software and solutions for space mission operations, have announced that it raised $7 million in an oversubscribed seed extension round to accelerate commercial delivery of the industry’s first autonomous space traffic coordination (STC) framework at the core of its all-new Pathfinder™ 3.0 spaceflight safety platform. Venture capital firms Space Capital and EVE Atlas have funded the extension round following in-depth reviews of the company's technology roadmap.  In addition, the company aims to leverage new funding to open an office in Washington, DC, and scale its U.S.-based team of 20 employees to more than 30, adding executives and specialists in key roles.

Euroconsult, a space consulting and market intelligence firm, organized an exclusive space sector awards ceremony celebrating outstanding achievements in Earth Observation, with four companies scooping the top awards. In addition, stand-out startup businesses also received recognition through the Finspace contest and the inaugural Space Business Catalyst award. The event marked the finale of World Satellite Business Week in Paris, a flagship conference.

Space Systems Command’s Assured Access to Space (AATS) office have awarded a $15 million contract to ABL Space Systems to demonstrate responsive launch capability. The Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, part of AATS, awarded the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Strategic Funding Initiative (StratFI) to develop a launch mission design that incorporates planning for numerous satellites to multiple orbits from a variety of locations and conduct a proof-of-concept responsive launch.

GSOA announced a new pledge to the Partner2Connect Digital Initiative led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for digital technologies. The pledge came at the SDG Digital event during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Weekend at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. On the eve of the SDG Summit, the company pledged its best efforts to contribute through its members to help double the number of people connected by satellite to at least 500 million globally by 2030.

Margit Mischkulnig, Austria's foremost figure in space affairs, heads the Space Department at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK). She brings expertise in economics and industrial policy to the dynamic world of politics. In the fast-paced arena of politics, brevity is key, and Margit's approach, "get to the point," is well-suited for the Department for Space Affairs.

SATLANTIS, a Space Technology for Earth Observation & Universe Exploration Company, have announced a commercial partnership with Dotphoton, an Earth Observation company known for its Very High-Resolution optical technology and solutions. Dotphoton also brings Jetraw to this collaboration, a state-of-the-art raw image compressor. Furthermore, Jetraw increases onboard data throughput by a factor of 4 and accelerates data transfer from space to ground. This will enable SATLANTIS satellites to collect and transmit raw images at high speed while maintaining the metrological accuracy needed for advanced AI/ML applications.

GMV, a multinational technology company, have successfully concluded ground validation tests for a space robot designed to assemble structures in Earth’s orbit as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) MIRROR project (Multi-arm Installation Robot for Readying ORUS and Reflectors). Furthermore, the MIRROR robot can assemble large structures in orbit using smaller modules that fit in the launch systems available today, paving the way for new applications such as orbital solar power stations, large-scale telescopes, antennas, and more.

Euroconsult, a global space and satellite strategy consulting and market intelligence firm in collaboration with The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology of Oman (MTCIT), have announced that it will hold a conference to promote space in the Middle East and the country’s role as a strategic gateway for attracting investments in space applications and technologies into the region. The conference will run from January 8th-10th next year.