Satellite Launch Business

Lighter, less expensive and reusable: the European Space Agency (ESA) signed two contracts with ArianeGroup to develop the reusable low-cost Prometheus engine and the lighter Ariane 6 upper stage called Phoebus. The contracts have a value of €135 million and €14.6 million respectively.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 10 May - 16 May 2021”. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup!

$15.5 billion is the total initial valuation of nine space companies that went or are planning to go public via SPACs: Virgin Galactic, Momentus, AST & Science, Astra, BlackSky, Velo3D, Redwire, Rocket Lab, and Spire. Silvio Marenco, a former CEO of two SPACs (Glenalta and Glenalta Food), and current advisor of Galileo Acquisition Corporation, defines a SPAC as a listed investment vehicle

After 17 successful launches, Rocket Lab’s 20th Electron mission ‘Running Out Of Toes’ failed, the company announced on Sunday. Following a successful lift-off, first stage burn, and stage separation, Rocket Lab experienced an anomaly, the company said. The issue occurred following second stage ignition, resulting in the loss of the mission, it said.

Give me five: The Japanese Earth observation startup Axelspace raised $24 million to fund a half of its planned ten satellite constellation, the company announced. Axelspace said it completed its series C funding round raising $ 23.8 million; the round allocates new shares to The Space Frontier Fund and several other venture capitals and corporate investors.

The Chinese space sector has seen rapid commercialisation over the past 7 years, with well over 100 companies established and around ¥40B (US$6.5B) raised by commercial space organisations. While still only representing a small percentage of the US$35B in annual revenues of the country’s state-owned space industry giants,

This Space Café Australia will feature Dr Tim Parsons in conversation with Annie Handmer, a friend of SpaceWatch.Global. Mission to Planet Earth. Space is often framed as being outward-looking; about exploration, pushing boundaries, and crossing new frontiers.

One step closer to launch: the central power unit of Ariane 6’s upper stage has completed its qualification and will soon be used in the first hot-fire tests, ArianeGroup said. The propulsion system’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) completed its final qualification tests at its site in Vernon, France.

Steve Jurczyk, who served as acting NASA administrator from the January to May 2021, will retire after more than three decades of service, NASA said. Robert D. Cabana, who has served as director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida since 2008, will serve as new associate administrator, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced.

The Canadian Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) will launch DOGE-1, “the first-ever commercial lunar payload" paid entirely with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the company said. GSC will collaborate with SpaceX to launch a 40kg cubesat as a rideshare on a Falcon 9 lunar payload mission in Q1 2022, the company said.