Earth observation

Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) and SaxaVord Spaceport have announced their launch operations partnership. As a result of the partnership, RFA will have exclusive access to Launch Pad Fredo for orbital launches. Consequently, the company’s first launch of its RFA ONE launch system – currently planned for the end of 2023 – will take place from the northernmost point in the UK.

Commercial near-Earth orbit monitoring service provider, NorthStar Earth & Space, signed an agreement with Japanese microsatellite company Axelspace, to use existing space-based sensors to contribute to NorthStar’s more comprehensive coverage of the space domain. The collaboration will leverage Axelspace’s operational AxelGlobe constellation of five Earth observation low Earth orbit satellites to provide complementary Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data.

A new NASA radiometer is now in low Earth orbit, paving the way for future satellite constellations dedicated to measuring infrared energy radiating from Earth’s surface. With development happening at Leonardo DRS with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office, the SpaceX Transporter 6 launched the Multiband Uncooled Radiometer Imager (MURI) instrument on Tuesday, January 3, as one of several hosted payloads within Loft Orbital’s YAM5 washing machine-sized satellite.

Euroconsult has released the 9th edition of its annual space market overview to cover the past 12 months and forecast the next 10 years for the industry. The report charts highs that contributed to the continued growth of many aspects of the commercial sector, together with the ongoing challenges of the world geopolitical and world economic environment.

AXESS Networks and Es’hailSat have announced a Strategic Partnership Agreement to provide Teleport and VSAT services for multiple sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. AXESS Networks offers teleport and satellite communications services globally to customers in various industries, including oil & gas, mining, maritime, telco, corporate, government and NGOs. In the same vein, Es’hailSat operates two GEO satellites and a state-of-the-art teleport in Doha, from where it provides independent, high-quality, advanced satellite services in the region.

Sony has adopted Pale Blue's water thruster for its new nanosatellite program, STAR SPHERE. The water thruster will prolong the satellite’s life by 2.5 years with the ability to enter and keep the orbit at 500-600 km altitude. Furthermore, Pale Blue will conduct its first space demonstration at the end of January 2023.

Viasat Inc, a global leader in satellite communications, has completed the sale of its Link 16 Tactical Data Links (TDL) business to L3Harris Technologies for approximately $1.96 billion in cash. Viasat expects the net proceeds from the sale to be approximately $1.8 billion after estimated taxes, fees, and other expenses. Furthermore, Viasat intends to use the proceeds to reduce net leverage and increase liquidity.

The Space Café Podcast #71: Joel Spark - GM Space Services at Spire, unlocking the digital frontier and the quest to build a second earth. Spire Global is a data and analytics company that uses nanosatellites to track global data sets, such as maritime, aviation, and weather patterns. It operates a fleet of over 110 CubeSats, the second-largest commercial constellation by the number of satellites, and the largest by the number of sensors.

American public Earth imaging company, Planet, is planning to launch 36 SuperDove satellites, Flock 4y, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today, as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission. This will be the company’s eighth launch with SpaceX.

Two CubeSats are on a quest to provide insight into space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The CubeSats, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat), and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) arrived at the International Space Station on November 27, 2022.