Hispasat buys teleport operator to expand managed services businessby Jason Rainbow — March 23, 2022 [SN]
Hispasat's satellite control center. Credit: HispasatWASHINGTON — Spanish satellite operator Hispasat is open to more acquisitions that vertically integrate its business after buying managed services provider AXESS Networks, according to its CEO Miguel Panduro.
Hispasat said March 21 it has agreed to acquire AXESS Networks in a deal valuing the company at $96 million.
https://spacenews.com/hispasat-buys-teleport-operator-to-expand-managed-services-business/Ukrainian launch startup Promin juggles research, territorial defenseby Jarosław Adamowski — March 23, 2022 [SN]
The Promin Aerospace team has been juggling rocket development with territorial defense duties since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began Feb. 24. Credit: SpaceNews photo illustrationWARSAW, Poland — The day after Russian missiles struck an airport near where Promin Aerospace has been developing a smallsat launcher, the startup’s 11 Dnipro-based engineers came into office.
During the day, they are working on the Kyiv-headquartered startup’s lightweight solid-fuel rocket. But after hours, Promin employees volunteer to protect their homes and families as territorial defense members and humanitarian aid coordinators.
https://spacenews.com/ukrainian-launch-startup-promin-juggles-research-territorial-defense/Seeking space applications for quantum computersby Debra Werner — April 5, 2022 [SN]
Quantum Brilliance delivered its first product, a quantum computer, to the government-funded Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Western Australia last year. Credit: Quantum BrillianceCOLORADO SPRINGS – Quantum Brilliance, an Australian and German quantum computing startup, is eager to identify space-based applications for its technology.
“I’m here because I’m very keen to talk to lots of potential customers about feasibility studies,” Mark Mattingley-Scott, Quantum Brilliance managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told SpaceNews at the Space Symposium. “We really want to go into space as soon as possible.”
https://spacenews.com/introducing-quantum-brilliance/Avanti sheds $550 million of debt to free up growth planby Jason Rainbow — April 14, 2022 [SN]
A rendering of Avanti's Hylas-4 satellite that launched to GEO on an Ariane 5 rocket in 2018. Credit: AvantiTAMPA, Fla. — British satellite operator Avanti said April 13 it has cut its $810 million debt pile by two-thirds after investors agreed to swap debt for equity.
Hedge funds Solus Alternative Asset Management and new investor HPS Investment Partners are now Avanti’s largest shareholders following a deal that reduced debt to $260 million.
Avanti said it is not changing its business activities, assets or executive team as part of the recapitalization.
https://spacenews.com/avanti-sheds-550-million-of-debt-to-free-up-growth-plan/Halifax International raising funds to build imaging satellites for Ukraineby Sandra Erwin — April 26, 2022 [SN]
Satellogic was selected by Halifax International to build satellites for Ukraine. Halifax International is trying to raise funds to pay for the constellation. Credit: @SatellogicSatellogic would produce satellites for Ukraine under a Halifax International initiativeDENVER – Halifax International Security Forum, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., is trying to raise $10 million to build a constellation of imaging satellites for Ukraine.
https://spacenews.com/halifax-international-raising-funds-to-build-imaging-satellites-for-ukraine/Wg obecnych planów, pierwszy start RN Ariane-5ECA+ w tym roku zaplanowano na 22 czerwca ( będzie to 113 z kolei start tej rakiety). Na GEO trafią dwa telekomunikacyjne satelity: malezyjski Measat-3d (powstał w zakładach Airbus Defence and Space) oraz GSAT-24 (zbudowany przez ISRO) należący do rządowego funduszu NewSpace India Limited.First Ariane 5 of 2022 slated for June launch of Measat-3d and GSAT-24by Park Si-soo — April 29, 2022 [SN]
Artist's concept of GSAT-24. Credit: NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)SEOUL, South Korea — A pair of satellites from Malaysia and India are slated to launch in late June on the Ariane 5 rocket’s first flight of the year.
Arianespace announced the June 22 launch date this week. Liftoff from Europe’s Guiana Space Center spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is targeted for an hour-and-forty-minute window that opens at 5:03 p.m. Eastern.
https://spacenews.com/first-ariane-5-of-2022-slated-for-june-launch-of-measat-3d-and-gsat-24/Avio has successfully tested the new M10 liquid methane and liquid oxygen engineby Avio — May 11, 2022 [SN]
Avio has successfully carried out the first test of the new M10 liquid oxygen-liquid/methane engine, the first of its kind to be successfully tested in Europe. The M10, which will be a new generation green engine, will provide 10 tons of thrust and it is manufactured with extensive use of additive layer manufacturing technologies (ALM).
https://spacenews.com/avio-has-successfully-tested-the-new-m10-liquid-methane-and-liquid-oxygen-engine/Benchmark works with Space Forge to develop reusable enginesby Debra Werner — May 24, 2022 [SN]
Artist's rendering of Space Forge's ForgeStar satellites powered by Benchmark propulsion. Credit: Space ForgeLONG BEACH, Calif. – Benchmark Space Systems announced plans May 24 to produce engines in the United Kingdom and to work with U.K. startup Space Forge to develop reusable chemical propulsion systems.
Space Forge of Cardiff, Wales, intends to produce high-value materials in orbit to bring to Earth. Under the contract announced May 24, Benchmark will provide propulsion for ForgeStar-1, Space Forge’s first in-space manufacturing and return demonstration.
https://spacenews.com/benchmark-works-with-space-force-to-develop-reusable-engines/Astrocast buying Hiber to boost funding and expansion plansby Jason Rainbow — May 31, 2022 [SN]
Astrocast has said it will build 100 satellites in-house to keep a closer check on cost, development cycles, testing, and other aspects of manufacturing. Credit: AstrocastTAMPA, Fla. — Cash-strapped smallsat operator Astrocast announced plans May 30 to buy Dutch connectivity solutions provider Hiber, which scrapped plans for its own constellation last year following failures on its initial satellites.
Switzerland-based Astrocast said the deal would give it spectrum in the Americas to enable its growing constellation for connecting Internet of Things (IoT) devices to operate globally.
https://spacenews.com/astrocast-buying-hiber-to-boost-funding-and-expansion-plans/UK-launched rocket promises to transform microsatellite launch businessMay 30, 2022 Clive Simpson [SFN]
A full scale-prototype of Orbex’s Prime launcher. Credit: OrbexThe first launch of the Orbex Prime ‘eco-rocket’ from a remote launch pad in the Highlands of Scotland is expected at the end of the year or in early 2023. A full-scale prototype of Prime, billed as the world’s most environmentally-friendly rocket, was unveiled to the public for the first time this month.
Orbex Prime, a joint venture between the UK and Denmark, is the first of a new generation of European launch vehicles designed to launch mircosatellites to orbit.
Unveiling a full-size replica May 11 represented a major step forward for the British rocket company as it prepares for the first ever vertical rocket launch to orbit from UK soil.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/30/uk-launched-rocket-promises-to-transform-microsatellite-launch-business/Avio Q&A: Powering the growth trajectoryby Jason Rainbow — June 1, 2022 [SN]
The Vega C is slated to perform its maiden flight by the end of June. By 2025, Avio expects five Vega and 10 Ariane 6 rockets will be produced a year. Credit: AvioTAMPA, Fla. — Italian rocket maker Avio is rushing to expand facilities to help Arianespace meet its share of a multibillion-dollar launch deal that Amazon announced in April, comprising up to 83 rockets for deploying its Project Kuiper broadband satellites.
The largest-ever commercial launch agreement includes 18 heavy-lift Ariane 6 rockets, which each use two or four of Avio’s P120 engines as strap-on boosters, depending on their configuration.
https://spacenews.com/avio-qa-powering-the-growth-trajectory/Arianespace narrows Vega C and Ariane 6 maiden flight windowsby Park Si-soo — June 1, 2022 [SN]
Vivian Quenet, Arianespace’s managing director and head of sales for the Asia-Pacific region, speaks during a fireside chat at Asia Satellite Business Week in Singapore June 1. Credit: EuroconsultSEOUL, South Korea — Arianespace plans to conduct the maiden flight of Vega C and Ariane 6 rockets in “the first week of July” and “towards the end of the year,” respectively, a senior executive said June 1.
Vivian Quenet, Arianespace’s managing director and head of sales for the Asia-Pacific region, announced the timetable during a fireside chat at Asia Satellite Business Week in Singapore.
https://spacenews.com/arianespace-narrows-vega-c-and-ariane-6-maiden-flight-windows/Lockheed and ABL’s first UK vertical launch slips into 2023by Jason Rainbow — June 2, 2022 [SN]
SaxaVord Spaceport plans to perform a site-wide dress rehearsal in July, which includes launching a small rocket from its Lamba Ness site in the northernmost part of Scotland’s Shetland Islands. Credit: SaxaVord SpaceportTAMPA, Fla. — Lockheed Martin no longer expects its UK Pathfinder mission will fly this year, although it remains in the running to perform the first-ever vertical launch to orbit from British soil.
With British microlaunch startup Orbex targeting this year or early next for its maiden flight, the delay appears to pull Lockheed Martin and its launch partner ABL Space Systems behind in the race to perform the United Kingdom’s first vertical orbital launch.
https://spacenews.com/lockheed-and-abls-first-uk-vertical-launch-slips-into-2023/European parliamentarian seeks to build up ties between U.S. and E.U. in spaceby Jeff Foust — June 3, 2022 [SN]
Niklas Nienass (right) met with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), chair of the House space subcommittee, as part of a visit to the United States to build up space policy ties between the U.S. and the European Union. Credit: Twitter @nnienassWASHINGTON — A member of the European Parliament is touring the United States to help enhance space policy relationships while also promoting an effort to develop a European space law.
Niklas Nienass, a member of the European Parliament from Germany, met with officials in Washington this week, including at NASA, NOAA and the White House, before going on to Denver and Houston, stops that included meeting with Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), who chairs the space subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, and touring the Johnson Space Center.
https://spacenews.com/european-parliamentarian-seeks-to-build-up-ties-between-u-s-and-e-u-in-space/Inmarsat satellite tests signal for replacing lost UK navigation capabilityby Jason Rainbow — June 8, 2022 [SN]
Inmarsat's London headquarters. Credit: Inmarsat.TAMPA, Fla. — Inmarsat said June 8 it has started beaming a test navigation signal from an aging satellite to help the United Kingdom replace space-based capabilities it lost following Brexit.
The British satellite operator is leading a group of local companies that are developing an alternative to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), which Europe uses to augment and improve GPS services in the region.
https://spacenews.com/inmarsat-satellite-tests-signal-for-replacing-lost-uk-navigation-capability/Ariane 6 launch debut pushed into 2023by Jason Rainbow — June 13, 2022 [SN]
Ariane 6's central core reached Europe's spaceport in French Guiana Jan. 18, after traveling by boat from Europe. Credit: ESATAMPA, Fla. — The maiden flight for Ariane 6 that had been slated toward the end of 2022 is now targeting next year, European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher said June 13.
Aschbacher said Ariane 6 is set to fly “some time” in 2023 during a BBC interview without giving a reason for the delay.
Just a few weeks ago, a senior executive for Arianespace said it was preparing to conduct the inaugural launch toward the end of 2022 from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
https://spacenews.com/ariane-6-launch-debut-pushed-into-2023/Aerospacelab to build “megafactory” in Belgiumby Debra Werner — June 14, 2022 [SN]
Aerospacelab is starting construction of a new satellite "megafactory" in Belgium. Credit: AerospacelabSAN FRANCISCO – Belgian startup Aerospacelab announced plans June 14 to establish a new satellite “megafactory” large enough to produce 500 satellites annually.
Aerospacelab plans to operate two manufacturing plants in Belgium. The new plant will be located in Charleroi, roughly 40 kilometers from the company’s existing factory in Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve, which is designed to produce as many as 24 satellite per year.
https://spacenews.com/aerospacelab-factory-charleroi/D-Orbit charts ambitious course for space logistics businessby Debra Werner — June 15, 2022 [SN]
D-Orbit offers in-space transportation services with its In-Orbit Now (ION) satellite carrier. Credit: D-OrbitSAN FRANCISCO – Space logistics company D-Orbit announced a $2 million contract June 9 with the European Space Agency to upgrade production of its ION Satellite Carrier.
It was the latest win for the Italian firm with ambitious plans to offer a wide range of satellite services from active debris removal to space-based cloud computing.
Under the contract, ESA will fund D-Orbit’s campaign to improve the performance and reduce the cost of ION, the vehicle that transports cubesats and microsatellites from the point where a large rocket drops them off to their desired orbital destinations.
https://spacenews.com/d-orbit-ambitions/Arianespace preps for first Ariane 5 launch of the yearJune 21, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
An Ariane 5 rocket on its launch pad Tuesday evening at the Guiana Space Center. Credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/P. PironTwo geostationary communications satellites for India’s space agency and a Malaysian company will rocket into orbit from the jungle of South America on Wednesday on a European-built Ariane 5 launcher.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/21/arianespace-preps-for-first-ariane-5-launch-of-the-year/D-Orbit books Isar Aerospace launch for orbital transfer vehicleby Jason Rainbow — June 22, 2022 [SN]
An artistic rendering of Isar Aerospace's two-stage Spectrum launch vehicle. Credit: Isar AerospaceTAMPA, Fla. — Germany’s Isar Aerospace announced plans June 22 to launch an orbital transfer vehicle no earlier than 2023 for Italian space logistics company D-Orbit.
https://spacenews.com/d-orbit-books-isar-aerospace-launch-for-orbital-transfer-vehicle/First Ariane 5 flight of 2022 launches two satellites for Asia-Pacificby Jason Rainbow — June 23, 2022 [SN]
An Ariane 5 rocket successfully launched a pair of satellites to geostationary transfer orbit June 22. Credit: ArianespaceTAMPA, Fla. — Arianespace launched a pair of satellites aiming to improve broadband coverage in the Asia-Pacific region June 22 on the Ariane 5 rocket’s first flight of the year.
The rocket lifted off 5:50 p.m. Eastern from the Guiana Space Center spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying Measat-3d for Malaysian operator Measat and GSAT-24 for India.
After successfully separating from Ariane 5, both satellites are due to use onboard propulsion to reach final positions in geostationary orbit.
https://spacenews.com/first-ariane-5-flight-of-2022-launches-two-satellites-for-asia-pacific/Ariane 5 rocket deploys satellites for Malaysia and IndiaJune 22, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
A European Ariane 5 rocket lifts off from the Guiana Space Center with the MEASAT 3d and GSAT 24 satellites. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/JM Guillon(...) “We are committed to driving Malaysia’s national communications vision forward,” said Yau Chyong Lim, MEASAT’s chief operating officer. “With MEASAT 3d, we will be better positioned to support the government’s target to achieve 100% internet access by 2025, by filling the broadband gap in locations without 4G, 5G or fiber coverage.” (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/22/ariane-5-rocket-deploys-satellites-for-malaysia-and-india/