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Astrocast and KSAT Sign New Partnership to Leverage the KSATLITE Ground Network for Faster Consellation Growth

Astrocast and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) announced today the signing of a new partnership agreement to utilize the integral flexibility of the KSATLITE ground network as a relay for the Astrocast IoT Nanosatellite Network. Astrocast and KSAT have been working together for more than two years on the Astrocast Network’s precursor and In-Orbit-Demonstration missions. Astrocast will make use of the scalable ground network offered by KSAT which is optimized for large constellations of small satellites. This partnership signifies a new phase as Astrocast prepares for commercial availability at the end of 2020.

Novel Startup, Global Space Exchange, Inc. Exits Stealth Mode

Global Space Exchange, Inc. officially exits stealth mode this week during Utah State University’s Small Satellite Conference to serve the space industry with a first-of-its-kind information platform as a service.

Valispace releases testing module after raising $2.4M investment

Valispace obtained another round of investment led by Berlin- based early stage investor JOIN Capital in April 2020. The investment was awarded based on the company’s business model and response to the increasing need for engineering collaboration solutions for remote working amidst the COVID-19 crisis, amongst many other factors.

ATLAS Space Operations Awarded NASA SBIR Phase II Award to Advance Satellite Constellation Management Scheduling

ATLAS Space Operations has been selected by NASA for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award to further the development of an algorithmic solution to develop satellite ground station contact schedules designed to optimize ground station antenna usage around a customer’s mission requirements. ATLAS’ intent is to provide this unique ability to satellite communications ground antenna owners, enabling automated analysis of a mission’s requirements and providing intelligent satellite communications schedules on a lights-out basis.

German Company IQ Wireless to Supply Newly Introduced XLink Platform

The Berlin-Adlershof based company IQ wireless has received the next two orders to supply the newly introduced XLink Platform of its business unit IQ spacecom for missions in the LEO environment.

Space Catalog Adds YURI Microgravity Experiment Hardware

yuri GmbH announced today that they have joined the Orbital Transports partner network and will offer their modular experiment hardware and services for microgravity research through the Space Catalog.

CYSEC and Leaf Space partner to offer end-to-end cyber security protection for satellite communications

Leaf Space, an Italian company providing ground segment services for smallsats has signed an MoU consolidating a partnership agreement with CYSEC, a Swiss cybersecurity company, to offer end-to-end cyber security protection for satellite communications.

Swarm Awards Launch Contract to Exolaunch to Deliver 24 SpaceBEE Satellites into Orbit on Falcon 9

Swarm signed a contract with Exolaunch to launch 24 of its SpaceBEE satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.

Viasat's Real-Time Earth Ground Station Now Open in Australia

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, proudly announced today the official launch of its Real-Time Earth (RTE) facility in Alice Springs, Australia.

Blue Canyon Technologies Announces Phases 2 and 3 Contract Win for DARPA’s Blackjack Program

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), one of the country’s leading small satellite manufacturers and mission services provider, today announced the details of its contract award for Phases 2 and 3 of the Blackjack Program, a military space capabilities demonstration developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

General Atomics Selected for United States Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System Prototype Satellite Program

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has been selected for the United States Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Weather System (EWS) satellite program under the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC). GA-EMS will design and manufacture a prototype spacecraft, integrate the EWS payload and provide on-orbit mission control services to support the collection of theater weather imagery and cloud characterization data for worldwide military operational use.

Momentus Announces Hosting Service

Momentus (www.momentus.space), provider of in-space transportation services for satellites, today announced a hosting service for customer payloads, providing access for analytics and in-space demonstrations at a fraction of the cost of designing, building, launching and operating a dedicated smallsat.

ATLAS Space Operations Awarded NASA SBIR Phase II Award to Advance Satellite Constellation Management Scheduling

ATLAS Space Operations has been selected by NASA for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award to further the development of an algorithmic solution to develop satellite ground station contact schedules designed to optimize ground station antenna usage around a customer’s mission requirements. ATLAS’ intent is to provide this unique ability to satellite communications ground antenna owners, enabling automated analysis of a mission’s requirements and providing intelligent satellite communications schedules on a lights-out basis.

U.S. Space Force SMC awards ASTRA EO/IR mission to support US warfighter

The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has selected ASTRA, LLC to develop and demonstrate an Electro-Optical / Infrared (EO/IR) LEO-based cloud characterization solution that supports U.S. warfighter operations.

SwRI awarded contract to develop solar wind plasma sensor

A joint NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) team has awarded Southwest Research Institute a contract to develop the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) for a satellite mission dedicated to tracking space weather. SWiPS will measure the properties of solar wind ions originating from the Sun, including the very fast ions associated with coronal mass ejections that interact with the Earth’s magnetic environment.

Ball Aerospace Selected for Four NOAA Operational Weather Studies

Ball Aerospace was selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for four, six-month study contracts that will inform mission, spacecraft and instrument concepts for future operational weather architectures and Earth observation capabilities. Ball Aerospace is also collaborating on a fifth study contract awarded to L3Harris Technologies.

Space Dynamics Lab SmallSat Sees Big Picture

A small satellite built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory is providing scientists unprecedented images for a spacecraft of its size.

Astrobotic Selects Advanced Cooling Technologies to Develop the Thermal System for Peregrine Lunar Lander

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) has been selected by Astrobotic Technology, Inc. to develop essential thermal solutions for the Peregrine lander’s first mission to the Moon. As the thermal partner for this project, ACT will be responsible for design, analysis and eventual hardware manufacturing designed to maintain adequate operating temperature for mission-critical electronics. The two Pennsylvania companies are teaming up to cooperatively develop solutions that meet a wide range of environmental, mechanical and thermal challenges.

NTS Invests $500,000 to Expand Environmental Testing at Fullerton Lab to Keep Up with Demand

NTS, the undisputed leader in testing, inspection, and certification solutions in North America, is pleased to announce that its laboratory in Fullerton, California, has expanded its environmental testing capabilities with a $500,000 investment. The NTS lab secured seven new environmental chambers, which increased capacity for meeting customer schedule demands.

Web Industries will highlight Creo-enabled MLI solutions for space/satellite applications at virtual Small Satellite Conference 2020

Web Industries Inc., a precision formatter of flexible materials for space and aerospace applications, will highlight its capability to design and manufacture thermal insulation blankets and micrometeoroid shielding products at Small Satellite Conference 2020, August 3-6. Normally held at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, this year’s SmallSat will take place entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Space Micro to Provide Space Qualifed Camera to Intuitive Machines for 2021 Moon Landing

Space Micro announced the delivery of a software development unit (SDU) version of their SpaceCam™ 5MP to Intuitive Machines of Houston, TX, who will use this SDU in a series of terrestrial tests intended to help land Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Lunar Lander on the Moon’s surface.

Oakman Aerospace, Inc., KISPE, and NewSpace Systems Announce Live Webinar Demonstration: Global Collaborative Space System Development

Oakman Aerospace, Inc. (OAI) will host a live webinar showcasing Global Collaborative Space System Development during the 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference on August 4th at 9:00 am (MST)/3:00 pm (UTC) together with partners KISPE in the United Kingdom and NewSpace Systems (NSS) in South Africa. The technical demonstration of an internationally-distributed integrated design environment will feature OAI’s Advanced Configurable Open-system Research Network (ACORN), KISPE’s mission concept development capabilities, and NSS’ Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) solutions.

Space Catalog to Add RVS Thermal Vacuum Systems

Rydberg Vacuum Sciences (RVS) today announced that they have joined the Orbital Transports partner network and will offer their 6UB and 6UC Thermal Vacuum Systems product line in the Space Catalog. RVS Thermal Vacuum Systems provides space simulation systems of exceptional value for flight qualification of small satellites and components. The advanced and affordable thermal vacuum bake-out and thermal vacuum cycling products are designed specifically for the small satellite community, providing a standard test platform sufficient for nanosatellites up to 6U in size.

Spaceflight Inc. Reveals Ground-Breaking Launch Initiatives to Provide Greater Flexibility, Mitigate Delays, and Meet Specific Mission Needs

Spaceflight Inc., the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced, during the opening of Small Satellite Conference 2020, it is providing an array of new sweeping programs to deliver launch schedule assurance and greater flexibility to smallsat customers needing frequent, reliable, and cost-effective ways to get spacecraft on orbit.

SpaceWorks to Offer Reentry Device (RED) System in Space Catalog

SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc announced that they have joined the Orbital Transports partner network and will offer their Reentry Device (RED) product line in the Space Catalog. The RED-50, RED-25 and RED-4U products are on-demand payload return capsules providing low-cost, autonomous downmass capabilities from Earth orbit. The RED systems accommodate flexible payload configurations, precision reentry, and thermal management requirements to provide rapid return for low Earth orbit manufacturing and experimentation. The capsule-shaped systems are nominally capable of returning 6-50 kg of payload from space to anywhere within the contiguous United States.

General Atomics Awarded NASA Contract for TSIS-2 Spacecraft

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has been awarded a contract by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to build the Total and Spectral solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) spacecraft which will provide measurements of solar irradiance and high-quality data for the long term climate record. GA-EMS will leverage its proven Orbital Test Bed (OTB) platform architecture to design and develop the satellite for TSIS-2, which is scheduled to launch in early 2023.