Entrepreneurship

Rakuten and Vodafone have become the lead investors in a venture to extend mobile coverage to more people and devices across the planet, using the first mobile broadband network that will be broadcast from space. Branded SpaceMobile, the low-Earth-orbit (LEO), low-latency satellite network from AST & Science will be the …

  Today, OroraTech announces the release of a new version of their wildfire intelligence system. The company specializes in early wildfire detection and monitoring from space using satellite data. After carefully evaluating customer feedback received over the last months, OroraTech has added several new features to their system. The first …

PredaSAR Corporation which is building and will operate the world’s largest and most advanced commercially operated Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation, announced on 2 March 2020 that it successfully completed a US$25 million seed financing round. Funds were raised from a diverse network of global institutional investors, including Miami-based lead investor, …

A large space sector delegation from Canada touches down in the UK this week to explore new partnerships and seek valuable opportunities to use space data, supported by the UK Space Agency. More than 20 representatives from the Canadian space industry and government will visit the Harwell Space Cluster in …

NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency’s Psyche mission. The Psyche mission currently is targeted to launch in July 2022 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The total cost for NASA to launch Psyche and …

Chinese automotive and technology giant Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announced on 3 March 2020 that it is investing 2.27 billion Yuan (US$326 million) in a satellite manufacturing facility to be located in the coastal city of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, considered to be the ‘hometown’ of the company. The satellite manufacturing …

The European Space Agency (ESA) is calling on ambitious start-ups to join the new ESA Start-up Competition. This opportunity is open to entrepreneurs in all ESA Member States that are developing innovative services and/or products using space technology. The winners will be offered tailor-made ESA technical and business support in …

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. announced on 25 Febrary 2020 that in preparation for the re-opening of spaceflight sales, it is introducing the One Small Step initiative. The company formally closed its doors to new ticket sales after its history-making first space flight in December 2018. In addition to more than …

Sydney-based Australian space company Saber Astronautics plans to launch an app to allow anyone with a telescope to track satellites and space debris, according to a report in spaceconnectonline.com/au published on 27 February 2020. This app would offer even backyard hobby astronomers a role in space situational awareness, keeping track …

By Raphael Roettgen The over US$220 million of announced space-related financing rounds in February 2020 handily beat the January number (US$170 million). Two satellite communication companies, American Astranis (with its $90 million in equity and venture debt) and French Kinéis, were responsible for US$200 million of the total amount. Just …