Main Topics
Optical Comms
Rheinmetall withdrew from the acquisition bidding for Mynaric. [source]
ESA has awarded Mynaric with a contract to build a laser communications demonstration system for its High Throughput Optical Network (HydRON) project. [source]
Shanghai-based laser communications startup BlueStar Optical Domain has raised a $72M Series C to localize production and scale to 1,000 units per year. [source]
SSC Space inaugurated their second next-generation optical ground station in Santiago, Chile for high throughput space to ground communications. [source]
Defense
OHB, Airbus, and Rheinmetall partnered in a bid for a Bundeswehr military communications constellation worth up to $10B. [source]
B2Space’s stratospheric balloon platforms partnered with Airbus GeoTech for a data acquisition and intelligence HAPS platform. [source]
Anduril announced their acquisition of space-tracking firm ExoAnalytic Solutions in a deal that adds the ground-based telescope network and space surveillance data capabilities to the defense tech company’s expanding space business. [source]
Propulsion
Firefly Alpha successfully returned to flight delivering a Lockheed Martin demonstration satellite, and demonstrating Block II upgrades including second stage relighting, and upgraded avionics and thermal management subsystems.. [source]
AVIO has been awarded a $65M contract for the development of a solid rocket motor just days after shareholders approved contentious changes to the company’s bylaws. [source]
Enpulsion raised $26 million for the development and production of their field effect electronic propulsion product. [source]
Business Moves
Lux Aeterna closed a $10M oversubscribed seed round led by Konvoy to develop and deploy their reusable spacecraft platform. [source]
Diffraqtion received another investment round as part of their pre-seed raise, valuing the quantum imaging company at over $100M. [source]
Mantis Space came out of stealth with a $10M seed raise to develop their space solar power platform to provide power to other satellites. [source]
York Space Systems acquired Orbion so that they can own the Hall effect thrusters used on their PWSA satellites. [source]
Aspect Energy acquired Kayrros to leverage their satellite generated insight algorithms to improve resource detection. [source]
Tech Advances
Perpetual Atomics has signed an MOU with Blue Origin to collaborate on space missions and space applications enabled by radioisotope power technologies. [source]
Astrobotic will build the wheels of the Italian Space Agency’s planned driveable lunar habitat, after they won a contract of undisclosed value from Thales Alenia Space to do so. [source]
NASA has awarded Redwire another $4M under a $25M IDIQ to advance drug development on the ISS using their PIL‑BOX platform. [source]
Another Earth raised $4M to boost AI training by generating synthetic satellite data for models to detect environmental and operational risks. [source]
