December 4, 2024

Eutelsat America Boss Exiting (Source: Advanced Television)
Kevin Steen, President and CEO at Eutelsat America, as well as OneWeb Technologies (EACOWT), is unexpectedly stepping down, effective December 20th. He is being replaced by Ian Canning, currently COO as CEO. Steen joined OneWeb Technologies (OWT) as CEO in 2022, and played a pivotal role in driving OWT’s growth and expanding its presence in the US government and commercial sectors. (12/3)

New Japan-Based Space Force Unit Will Guard Troops From Above, Regional Commander Says (Source: Stars and Stripes)
The Space Force is standing up a new unit at this airlift hub in western Tokyo to address growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea, according to the service’s regional commander. The activation of U.S. Space Forces Japan on Wednesday will mark “a pivotal moment in space operations within the Indo-Pacific region,” Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, head of the Hawaii-based U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, told reporters. (12/3)

Lockheed Martin: GPS Not So Vulnerable (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin argues that GPS is not as vulnerable to disruption as some claim. While GPS is widely viewed as an indispensable backbone of the global economy, it is simultaneously seen as a fragile technological system vulnerable to sophisticated electronic warfare techniques and signal disruption. That narrative, the company claims, overlooks security upgrades and technological innovations being developed to enhance GPS, particularly for military users. That includes the M-code signal that is "very difficult, if not impossible, to spoof" and other advanced security features being incorporated on the next generation of satellite to resist jamming. (12/4)

Spain's Sateliot Developing Constellation for Connectivity (Source: Space News)
Sateliot, a Spanish company developing a satellite constellation for remote connectivity, has received a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The loan, valued at 30 million euros, will help Sateliot add 16 more smallsats to its constellation by the end of next year. The company also has commitments for 45 million euros in a Series B funding round with a target of 70 million euros. The company launched its first four commercial satellites in August that use 5G protocols to communicate with mass-market tracking and monitoring devices. (12/4)

X-Bow Wins $60 Million for Navy Solid Rocket Motor Production (Source: Space News)
X-Bow Systems has won $60 million in Navy contracts to modernize solid rocket production facilities. The contracts will support improvements at a Naval Surface Warfare Center facility in Maryland to produce solid rocket motors using additive manufacturing for use in missiles. The contracts build on the company’s recent defense deals, including selection to develop solid propulsion for hypersonic missiles and for the Standard Missile program. (12/4)

Europe's Atmos and Space Cargo Unlimited to Collaborate on Microgravity Payload Return (Source: Space News)
Two European startups are partnering on a series of microgravity missions. Atmos Space Cargo and Space Cargo Unlimited announced Tuesday they will work together on a series of missions to fly microgravity payloads into low Earth orbit and return them to Earth. Space Cargo Unlimited has developed the microgravity research platform, called BentoBox, which will first launch in late 2025 on a SpaceX rideshare mission. Atmos Space Cargo is providing a capsule to return the payloads to Earth. The companies argue this approach is better suited for microgravity manufacturing than attempting to do it on the International Space Station. (12/4)

Sierra Space to Collaborate with Astral Materials and Space Forge on Semiconductor Manufacture in Space (Source: Space News)
Sierra Space will work with two companies on semiconductor manufacturing in orbit. Sierra Space said Wednesday it signed MOUs with Astral Materials and Space Forge Inc. to study how Sierra Space's Dream Chaser and future commercial space station technologies could be used to support semiconductor manufacturing proposed by those companies. The startups argue that the microgravity environment can lead to improved production of semiconductor crystals. (12/4)

Germany's FibreCoat Raises 20 Million Euros for Space Coatings (Source: Space News)
German materials technology startup FibreCoat has raised 20 million euros to apply its technologies to the space industry. The company announced the funding round Wednesday led by NewSpace Capital and Goose Capital. FibreCoat has developed approaches for coating fibers with metals and plastics that have been used in the automotive and construction industries so far. The company now wants to expand into the space and defense sectors, believing its technologies can provide new ways for spacecraft and launch vehicles to handle harsh environments. (12/4)

SpaceX Breaks Booster Record with Florida Starlink Launch (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites this morning, setting another record in the process. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:13 a.m. Eastern Wednesday and placed 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 24th flight of this Falcon 9 booster, designated B1067, a new company record for the most flights by a single booster. (12/4)

China Launches Radar Imaging Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a radar imaging satellite late Tuesday. A Kuaizhou-1A lifted off at 11:46 p.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Its payload was Haishao-1, a synthetic aperture radar satellite. (12/4)

India Halts PSLV Proba-3 Launch for Payload Issue (Source: ESA)
India's space agency ISRO called off the launch of a PSLV rocket early Wednesday because of an issue with the payload. ISRO said an unspecified anomaly was detected in ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft during the final minutes of the countdown, scrubbing the launch. ESA said only that a "technical issue" with the spacecraft caused the scrub. The launch has been rescheduled for no earlier than Thursday at 5:42 a.m. Eastern. (12/4)

Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales Alenia May Combine Satellite Manufacturing (Source: Reuters)
A proposed combination of European satellite manufacturers has advanced to the point where it has a code name. "Project Bromo," named after an Indonesian volcano, is the internal name given to discussions among Airbus Defence and Space, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space about combining their satellite manufacturing work into a joint venture. The companies are modeling the plan, still in its early stages, on Europe's MBDA, a joint venture of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo that produces missiles. Combining satellite manufacturing into a joint venture is intended to make Europe more competitive as Airbus in particular deals with financial problems with its space unit. (12/4)

Spire Changes CEO (Source: Spire)
Spire Global is changing CEOs. The company announced Wednesday that Theresa Condor, currently COO of the company, will become CEO on Jan. 1. She will succeed founder Peter Platzer, who will become executive chairman. Spire described the change as part of a "planned leadership transition" for the company, which operates a constellation of satellites that provide weather data and tracking services. Celia Pelaz, a former Airbus executive, will take over as COO when Condor becomes CEO. (12/4)

Asteroid Becomes Meteor After Discovery (Source: New Scientist)
A tiny asteroid burned up in the atmosphere over Siberia Tuesday just hours after it was discovered. The object, given the provisional name C0WEPC5, was detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) observatory several hours before hitting the atmosphere over the Yakutia region of Siberia. The asteroid, estimated to be only 0.7 meters across, burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere, but created a bright fireball seen on the ground. This was the fourth small asteroid found just before hitting the Earth this year. (12/4)

Eseye and Sateliot Partner for Global IoT Across Satellite and Terrestrial Networks (Source: Space Daily)
Eseye, a leader in global IoT connectivity solutions, has partnered with Sateliot, a pioneer in satellite-based IoT networks, to deliver seamless 5G IoT connectivity by integrating terrestrial and satellite technologies. The collaboration leverages the latest 3GPP Release 17 (Rel.17) standard to provide uninterrupted connectivity through a single SIM solution, extending IoT coverage to areas without traditional cellular service.

Sateliot operates the first Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) 5G/NB-IoT satellite constellation, which enhances existing cellular networks using the Rel.17 protocol. This innovative technology ensures IoT devices automatically switch to satellite connectivity when terrestrial networks are unavailable, enabling uninterrupted global IoT operations. (11/28)

ESA Awards Euro 34.6 Million NanoMagSat Contract to Open Cosmos (Source: Space Daily)
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a euro 34.6 million contract to Open Cosmos for the development, launch, and commissioning of the NanoMagSat Scout satellite constellation. This mission aims to enhance Europe's capabilities in monitoring Earth's magnetic field and advancing applications such as space weather assessment, navigation, and directional drilling.

The NanoMagSat mission aligns with ESA's FutureEO program, which focuses on leveraging small, agile satellites to deliver innovative scientific value. NanoMagSat, a constellation of three small satellites, is designed to complement ESA's Swarm mission by offering enhanced insights into the magnetic field's dynamics and the Sun's influence on Earth's atmospheric and ionospheric systems. (11/28)

Exolaunch to Deploy 22 Satellites on SpaceX Bandwagon-2 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Exolaunch, a global leader in satellite deployment and mission integration, is gearing up for the Bandwagon-2 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. Following the success of the first Bandwagon mission earlier this year, the company will deploy 22 satellites into orbit for a diverse roster of international clients. Scheduled for no earlier than December 2024, the mission will launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The Bandwagon-2 mission offers a mid-inclination orbit, providing a unique opportunity for satellite operators. Exolaunch's payload includes 15 cubesats and 7 microsatellites from customers across seven nations, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Djibouti, Finland, Mongolia, and the United States. The mission marks Exolaunch's seventh launch of 2024, building on a track record of 83 satellite deployments earlier this year through collaborations with SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and ESA's Ariane 6. (11/28)

CubeSatGPT Enables Communication with Orbiting Satellites for Education and Research (Source: Space Daily)
CubeSatGPT introduces a groundbreaking platform that allows users to interact directly with satellites and payloads launched by Vector Space Biosciences. Among the payloads, over 50 tardigrades (commonly known as waterbears) will be sent into orbit on CubeSats (nanosatellites). These experiments will generate valuable datasets on microgravity and space radiation effects, transmitted back to Earth using Microsoft Orbital ground stations. The data will be processed through AI-driven pipelines incorporating advanced modeling, generative AI, and visualization tools. (11/28)