October 6, 2021

Toward a $7.5 Billion Earth Observation Data and Services Market by 2030 (Source: Euroconsult)
The Earth Observation (EO) market has undergone shifts in financing, with optical constellation operators going public to accelerate their deployment and to develop new services. Furthermore, the EO market experienced a payload diversification with emerging constellation operators offering new types of data (hyperspectral, infrared, etc.), thus expecting to unlock new markets and value-added services (VAS).

In 2020, the commercial market for EO data stood at $1.6 billion, growing at a 5-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5%. It is expected to top $2.5 billion by 2030 at 4% CAGR throughout the decade. In its comprehensive overview of the EO market, EODSM 2021 observes that defense maintains its place as the most significant market for commercial data, with $1.8 billion in 2020, or around 45% of the total market.

The Value-Added Services market is also expected to undergo an accelerated growth driven by constellation supply, topping $5 billion by 2030 with 7% CAGR through the decade. Still fragmented, some emerging but promising applications such as LBS and insurance are expected to lead the growth due to the increasing bigdata and data fusion capabilities. (10/6)

VP Kamala Harris Will Host YouTube Special About Space Exploration (Source: People)
Vice President Kamala Harris is boldly going ... to YouTube and beyond to help educate children about space. The video platform announced Tuesday that Harris, 56, host a YouTube Originals Kids & Family special to kick off World Space Week. Get Curious with Vice President Harris follows a group of kids as they meet her and go on a scavenger hunt with clues delivered by NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough from the International Space Station. (10/5)

1,000 Days on the Moon! China's Chang'e 4 Lunar Far Side Mission Hits Big Milestone (Source: Space.com)
A Chinese lander and rover are still up and running more than 1,000 Earth days after they made a historic first-ever landing on the far side of the moon. The Chang'e 4 lander carrying the Yutu 2 rover touched down in Von Kármán Crater on Jan. 2, 2019, and the robotic mission has been exploring the unique area of our celestial neighbor ever since. Both spacecraft reached the 1,000-days-on-the-moon mark on Sept. 28. The Yutu 2 rover has covered a total of 2,754 feet of lunar ground and acquired 3,632.01 gigabytes of data. (10/5)

Work on Artemis I Orion Nears Completion, Other Orions Mmake Progress (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Artemis I Orion spacecraft is currently undergoing final checkouts before the critical milestone of transportation to the Vehicle Assembly Building for final stacking, integration, and checkout ahead of launch. Meanwhile, the Orion crew modules for the Artemis II, III, and IV missions are also continuing assembly in their processing flows.

The Artemis I Orion is currently located inside the high bay at the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF), located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft has been inside the facility since July 10 when it left the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. Not long after arriving at the LASF, the Launch Abort System (LAS) was integrated atop the Orion spacecraft on July 23 via 12 structural connections. All work was carried out by teams from both NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs. (10/6)

NASA Announces Astronaut Changes for Upcoming Commercial Crew Missions (Source: NASA)
NASA has reassigned astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Crew Program. Mann and Cassada will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the Crew-5 mission. Additional crew members will be announced later. Crew-5 is expected to launch no earlier than fall 2022 on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The duo and their crewmates will join an expedition crew aboard station for a long duration stay. (10/6)

Launch of Italian Radar Satellite Shifts From Arianespace to SpaceX (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The Italian Space Agency says it has booked a launch with SpaceX as soon as November for a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation radar remote sensing satellite, shifting the spacecraft from a European Vega C rocket to a Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral. A spokesperson for ASI, the Italian Space Agency, said two failures of Vega rockets in 2019 and 2020 delayed development of the upgraded Vega C launcher, which is now scheduled to make its first flight in the first quarter of 2022. The COVID pandemic also delayed the Vega C launch schedule, ASI said.

Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite fleet will provide high-resolution, all-weather global radar imagery for military and civilian applications. The first satellite in the fleet, named CSG 1, successfully launched in 2019 from French Guiana aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket sold and operated by Arianespace. At that time, Italian officials hoped to launch the CSG 2 satellite on a Vega C rocket in late 2020. But delays in the Vega program pushed back the launch to 2021, and now the Vega C rocket would not be able to launch the CSG 2 spacecraft until later next year, after the Vega C test flight. (10/6)

Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency Created (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Within the framework of the VI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held in Mexico City on Sep. 18, 2021, Argentina signed the Constitutive Agreement of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE), as an international organization in charge of coordinating cooperation activities in the space field of Latin American and Caribbean countries, for the use and peaceful exploration of outer space, the Moon and other celestial bodies.

This initiative was achieved after the Declaration on the Constitution of a Regional Cooperation Mechanism in the space field was signed in October 2020, with the participation of seven countries in the region: Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Honduras and Costa Rica. Going forward, the FTAE will be open to all States in the region that ratify the Convention.

In the style of the European Space Agency (ESA), the ALCE aims to promote links and coordination between the countries of the region in space matters, carry out activities related to the exploration and peaceful use of outer space, the Moon and other bodies. celestial, and carry out research and training activities, among other aspects. In addition, it will seek to contribute to the development of satellite technology for the region, respecting the rights of the member states and their space agencies, within the framework of their sovereign policies. (10/6)

UAE, CU Boulder to Team on Mission to Explore Venus and Asteroids (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Fresh off the success of the Hope Mars orbiter, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric Science and Physics (LASP) will team again on an ambitious mission to explore Venus and seven asteroids. "We will also out the first Arab landing on an asteroid at the end of the 3.6 billion km journey (7 times the Hope Probe trip to Mars),” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s vice-president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai.

The spacecraft will be launched on a five-year mission in early 2028. It will perform gravity assist maneuvers at Venus and Earth to pick up the speed to reach the asteroid belt that is located beyond the orbit of Mars. UAE and LASP teamed up on the successful Emirates Mars Mission, which launched the Hope orbiter to Mars in July 2020. Billed as the first Arab mission to the Red Planet, the spacecraft was actually built in Colorado with the help of a team of Emirati engineers, software developers and scientists. The Arizona State University and the University of California Berkeley also contributed to the Hope mission. (10/6)

Russia Tells its Space Reporters to Stop Reporting on the Space Program (Source: Ars Technica)
It is safe to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a fan of independent media. In the run-up to elections last month, Putin declared almost every independent media organization operating inside the country a "foreign agent" to stifle dissent and criticism. The intent seems to be to destroy independent media in Russia. Now, this campaign has been extended to coverage of space activities in Russia.

The country already prohibits reporting on space activities containing classified information, but a new law extends to coverage of a variety of other space news. Essentially, any person in Russia who now reports on anything that might be even tangentially related to Russia's military activities or space activities will be labeled as a foreign agent.

News organizations and individuals will be required to put a disclaimer on every single article, social media post, or tweet reading, "This Report (Material) has been created or distributed by Foreign Mass Media Channels executing the functions of a Foreign Agent, and/or a Russian legal entity executing the functions of a Foreign Agent." (10/6)

NRO to Expand Use of Commercial Satellite Imagery (Source: Space News)
The NRO will soon release details of an imagery procurement highly anticipated by the industry. The agency is expected to launch in the coming months the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) program, an open competition for satellite imagery products. Under this new imagery procurement, the NRO plans to buy products from multiple vendors and move beyond the current single-supplier arrangement with Maxar. The NRO is expected to select at least three U.S. suppliers and structure the program with on ramps for new providers. (10/6)

Satellite Industry Consolidation Likely (Source: Space News)
The CEO of SES says satellite industry consolidation is more likely than ever, but not guaranteed. Speaking at the Satellite Innovation conference Tuesday, Steve Collar said that consolidation would address concerns about industry fragmentation and return on investment. He cautioned, though, that consolidation has been talked about in the past but never happened because of "structural reasons," such as regulatory hurdles. Others at the conference also expected to see a wave of deals as larger companies acquire startups either because of their growth prospects or because of their technologies. (10/6)

CesiumAstro Deploys Active Phased Array Experimental Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
CesiumAstro, Inc. announces the successful launch and deployment of its first two satellites featuring their leading-edge communications payloads aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401 rocket. Dubbed Cesium Mission 1(CM1), the duo of satellites will provide an on-orbit testbed for next generation wireless communications and sensing technologies.

The CesiumAstro team is conducting operations to complete direct ground-to-spacecraft communications over our telemetry and control link. Initial system checkout and on-orbit commissioning will take up to one month, after which payload operations will commence. The satellites will run a multitude of experiments over the next several months, with CesiumAstro offering demonstration partnership opportunities to both commercial and government organizations interested in on-orbit evaluation of new algorithms, approaches, and operational models utilizing CesiumAstro's communications payloads and onboard edge processing. (10/5)

Eutelsat Increases Stake in OneWeb (Source: Eutelsat)
Eutelsat is increasing its stake in OneWeb. Eutelsat announced Wednesday it was exercising an option in the latest OneWeb funding round, investing an additional $165 million into the broadband satellite company. Eutelsat now owns 22.9% of OneWeb, the second largest stake behind Bharti Global's 30% share of the company. Eutelsat said the deal was made on the same terms as its $550 million investment in OneWeb announced in April. (10/6)

South Korea's Intellian to Provide Antennas for SES (Source: Space News)
South Korean antenna maker Intellian Technologies signed a $60 million contract with SES. Intellian will provide Ka-band antennas for SES's next-generation MEO broadband constellation, O3b mPOWER. The company didn't disclose how many antennas it will provide to SES, but that they will be of various sizes and designs for ground and maritime use. The deal is another milestone for Intellian, which has sought business with international players, including several contracts with OneWeb. (10/6)

HawkEye 360 Can Identify GPS Interference Sources (Source: Space News)
HawkEye 360 says its radio-frequency (RF) intelligence satellites can also identify sources of GPS interference. The company has briefed government and commercial customers concerned about the impact of GPS disruptions on how they could apply RF data analytics to spot interference. The Defense Innovation Unit wants to take advantage of the growing availability of data from space and other sources to geolocate GPS interference, and is currently evaluating many proposals it received from industry on how to do so. (10/6)
 
Very Low Orbits Considered for Imagery, Comms (Source: Space News)
Several companies are exploring the potential for satellite systems in very low Earth orbit (VLEO). Satellites in such orbits, at altitudes as low as 250 kilometers, could provide images at higher resolution or communications at lower power and latency. The challenge of such orbits is atmospheric drag, requiring satellites to have propulsion systems, such as electric thrusters, to maintain their orbits. Several startups are trying to raise money for VLEO imaging constellations that could provide high-resolution images for far less money than traditional satellites in higher orbits. (10/6)

Spire Offers Maritime Tracking (Source: Space News)
Spire will provide maritime tracking data from its satellites for an Australian startup. LatConnect 60 will use Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking data from Spire's satellites as input for algorithms it is developing with Curtin University to prevent maritime collisions. If successful, the algorithms could reduce collisions in narrow shipping lanes and lower insurance premiums for vessel operators. LatConnect 60 also has plans for its own fleet of imaging satellites, with its first two satellites, gathering one-meter-resolution Earth imagery in seven spectral bands, launching in 2022. (10/6)

Finalists Announced for Euroconsult’s 2021 Finspace Awards (Source: AstroAgency)
Industry leading global strategy consultancy and market intelligence firm Euroconsult announced the six companies that have been shortlisted for their 5th annual Finspace competition. Part of this year’s World Satellite Business Week, the Finspace initiative recognizes and celebrates the achievements of innovative startups from across the space sector. The Finspace pitch initiative was launched in 2017 as part of the company’s flagship World Satellite Business Week event and strives to showcase the most promising and innovative start-ups from across the space and satellite industry value chains.

Six finalists have been selected for the 2021 awards from entries that were submitted from all across Europe, the United States, and Australia. Approximately one third of this year’s entries represented small launch development companies. Applications to the initiative were reviewed by a jury of sector experts: Euroconsult CEO Pacôme Révillon, CEO of Seraphim Capital Mark Boggett, Founder of Promus Ventures Mike Colett, President of Mynaric USA Tina Ghataore, Founder & CEO of ThrustMe Ane Aenesland, and Member of SpaceResources.lu Jean-Jacques Dordain.

Of the six finalists, two companies will receive a Finspace award. One will be awarded for Satellite Financing, and one for Earth Observation. The shortlist companies are ReOrbit, Phantom Space Corp., Sateliot, HEO Robotics, R3 IoT, and Edgybees. (10/6)

Space Force Business Accelerator Picks Projects for Hyperspace Challenge (Source: Space News)
A business accelerator funded by the U.S. Space Force has selected two dozen companies and university teams to compete in a prize competition. Hyperspace Challenge picked the finalists based on concepts they proposed in several technology areas, from rapidly determining the orbits of new debris objects in orbit to rocket cargo technology for agile global logistics. Startups and universities this year will present their concepts in a virtual event Dec. 2, competing for $100,000 in prizes. (10/6)

Russia Plans December Angara Demonstration Launch (Source: TASS)
The next Angara launch is scheduled for December. Dmitry Rogizin, the head of Roscosmos, said an Angara-A5 rocket will launch in December on a demonstration mission. The rocket, developed as a successor for the Proton, has launched twice, most recently last December. (10/6)

NASA Likely to Move Some Astronauts off Starliner Due to Extended Delays (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA will not make an official announcement for weeks or months, but two sources say the space agency is moving several astronauts from Boeing's Starliner spacecraft onto SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle for upcoming missions to the ISS. The assignments are not final—they have yet to go through the formal approval process of the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel, which includes all international partners—but sources say NASA's rookie astronauts who have not yet flown to space will move off the Boeing vehicle due to its ongoing delays.

The most likely scenario is that Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Jeanette Epps will now fly on the SpaceX Crew-5 mission, targeted for launch no earlier than August 2022 on a Falcon 9 rocket. They are likely to be joined by an international partner astronaut, probably Japan's Koichi Wakata, for the mission. Sources suggested to Ars that NASA feels it can no longer wait to get its rookie astronauts—Epps is from the class of 2009, and Mann and Cassada are from the class of 2013—some spaceflight experience. At the time of her assignment in 2018, Mann's flight was targeted to occur as early as 2019. Since then, however, the Starliner program has suffered a series of setbacks. (10/5)

ODNI to Share Unclassified Science and Technology Priorities (Source: Space News)
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is preparing unclassified documents to share its science and technology priorities with industry and academia. ODNI began creating the documents by asking U.S. government national intelligence managers about needs within their regions or functional areas that were going unmet. ODNI then compared the 100s of “capability gaps” identified with the budget to “see where resources don’t match the priorities.”

Next, ODNI evaluated the various needs based on the likelihood an organization would need to employ a certain tool or capability and the impact on the mission if the tool or capability was not available. “That gives us a list of what’s important,” John Beieler said. “We’ll be able to concentrate our spending and our resources on those true priority areas.” (10/5)

Space Data Used to Detect Sources of GPS Disruptions (Source: Space News)
The proliferation of electronic devices designed to interfere with Global Positioning System signals is a problem for the Pentagon and for many industries that depend on GPS, as disruptions affect every aspect of operations. One of the challenges is identifying the precise location and source of interference, said Rob Rainhart, chief operating officer of HawkEye 360, a geospatial analytics company that uses satellites to track ships, vehicles or any devices that emit radio frequency signals.

HawkEye 360 is one of several remote sensing satellite operators demonstrating their technologies at the 2021 GEOINT Symposium this week. Rainhart said radio-frequency data collected by satellites can help to locate GNSS interference hotspots. GNSS is short for global navigation satellite system, or any satellite constellation that provides positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service. (10/5)

Orbital Micro Systems and Thomas Keating Forge Weather Data Pact (Source: Space News)
Orbital Micro Systems announced an agreement Oct. 5 with UK technology firm Thomas Keating Ltd. to jointly fund design, development and testing of millimeter-wave instruments for commercial weather satellites. OMS launched the first commercial cubesat equipped with a microwave radiometer in 2019. Since then, the Boulder, Colorado-based firm has been working to enhance the precision and observation capabilities of instruments for its planned Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) cubesat constellation. (10/5)