Space

The Cook Government announced on the 25th of July that it has invested $800,000 to advance the State’s Earth Observation (EO) capabilities through the collection, processing, analysis and application of high-resolution satellite data. 

Stellar, a mobility-driven, deep-tech, and sustainable connectivity company uniting cellular, Wi-Fi, and satellite, has successfully gathered data on the thousands of kilometers of Tour de France 2023 routes. The Company did this as part of its connectivity mapping product "streets." Through this, Stellar has been monitoring and assessing the true quality of the internet while traveling.

Leaf Space, a global provider of ground segment services for satellite operators, announced on the 26th July that it has successfully completed a capital increase for a total of €20 million on top of the availability by the European Investment Bank of a loan for a further €15 million through Venture Debt.  

Astrocast, a satellite IoT operator, has announced the extension of its partnership with Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus) to enhance the capabilities of satellite Internet of Things (SatIoT) technology. As a result, it enables Astrocast to further increase its network capacity to provide the most reliable and cost-effective SatIoT solutions to its customers.

Astrobotic announced on the 25th of July that the company won a $34.6M NASA Tipping Point partnership to demonstrate power transmission on the lunar surface. The award will result in a demonstration on the Moon called LunaGrid-LIte, which will transmit power from a lunar lander to a tethered rover. 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Spire Global a €16 million phased contract for the EURIALO project. The project will develop the preliminary design and demonstrator for a global space-based independent aircraft surveillance system. It is part of ESA’s program of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) in its Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications.

The US Space Force announced on the 24th of July that it has selected 16 companies that will compete for low Earth orbit satellite service contracts. The vendors will compete for up to $900 million worth of task orders over the next five years under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. Each contractor has been guaranteed $2,000. 

Impulse Space, Inc. has announced it has secured $45 million in its Series A funding round. The funding round saw participation primarily from RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of RTX. The Series A funding round also included other participant investors, such as Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Airbus Ventures, and Space Capital.

The finals of the 2023 European Rover Challenge (ERC 2023) will happen from 15-17 September, as 25 of the world's best student teams from 12 countries will present their rovers in the robotics competition finals. The ERC 2023 program will also include interesting interdisciplinary debates on space exploration and the opportunity to experience state-of-the-art robotic solutions

The investor community in India has expressed enthusiastic support for enhancing the investor climate in India's space industry, recognizing its significance in the current landscape. This follows a successful roundtable discussion on "Space Policy and Spectrum Issues: Investors' Perspective," held on Monday, 24th July 2023.  The virtual event brought together prominent industry representatives and key members from various organizations.