Entrepreneurship

I have just come back from the IAC 2021 in Dubai where I enjoyed advocating for end-to-end data security for commercial “newspace” missions. While it was so great to meet colleagues face-to-face and discover the energetic city of Dubai, it bothered me when booking my plane tickets that this trip was to be accounted in my annual carbon footprint.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper will launch two satellites by the end of 2022 on ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket, Amazon announced. The company filed an experimental license application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch, deploy, and operate two prototype satellites.

Mynaric will supply Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Government with space laser communications, Mynaric announced. The multi-year strategic arrangement has a minimum value of US $35 million in Mynaric products and related services, the Californian company said.

The 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2021), organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), held in the Middle East for the first time and hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) ended on Friday. Over 6,500 delegates from more than 110 countries attended the “Inspire, Innovate & Discover for the Benefit of Mankind” themed event.

The smallsat startup Terran Orbital will go public through the merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), valuing it at $1.58 billion, the company said. Terran entered in a business combination with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp and wants to list at the New York Stock Exchange under the name Terran Orbital Corporation.

Plus Ultra Space Outpost (Plus Ultra) and Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) have signed an agreement to launch a demonstrator mission to the Moon, RFA announced. RFA will launch Plus Ultra’s first satellite in 2023 on an RFA ONE launch vehicle. The vehicle uses industrial automation and staged-combustion propulsion, according to the company.

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening caught up with space Social Media Specialist Remco Timmermans, live from the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) exhibition floor in Dubai. Remco is an experienced space business professional,

The low-cost launcher ABL Space Systems raised $200 million in additional funding from its existing investors, bringing its valuation to $2.4 billion. The company said it intends to use the capital raised to scale production of its RS1 launch vehicle and for research and development, but it did not disclose further details.

Leanspace, in partnership with Clearspace, the International Space University (ISU), the International Astronomical Federation (IAF) and SpaceWatch.Global, is organising a space hackathon at the Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Germany. 10 teams will compete to develop a ground control application

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (4), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Emma Gatti spoke in this third episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Dr. Gernot Groemer, Director at Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) and Mission Director. Together, they talked about AMADEE-20, the future of Mars exploration, space geopolitics and a precious lesson learned from Le Petit Prince.