April 8, 2024

Varda Raises $90 Million (Source: Space News)
Space manufacturing startup Varda Space Industries has raised $90 million. The company announced its Series B round Friday led by venture firm Caffeinated Capital with participation by several other investors. The funding comes a month and a half after Varda completed its first mission, landing a capsule in the Utah desert containing samples of an HIV drug produced in microgravity. The company plans to use the funding to scale up its operations to produce pharmaceuticals that are not possible or cost-effective to make on the ground, with a goal of flying monthly missions. The company also has interest from government customers for data from the capsule during reentry to support hypersonics research. (4/8)

SpaceX Plans Starship Booster Revovery (Source: Space News)
SpaceX will soon attempt to recover and reuse Starship boosters. In a recent presentation at the company's Starbase facility, posted on social media by SpaceX on Saturday, CEO Elon Musk said that on the next launch of the vehicle, in as soon as a month, the company will attempt a landing of the rocket's Super Heavy booster on a "virtual tower" in the Gulf of Mexico. If that works well, SpaceX could attempt bringing Starship back to a landing at Starbase on the following flight.

Landing the Starship upper stage will take longer, he said, as the company works on getting it to survive reentry and making a controlled splashdown. Musk also outlined performance upgrades to Starship that will lead to a "Starship 3" vehicle at an unspecified future date capable of placing at least 200 metric tons into orbit while remaining fully reusable. (4/8)

SpaceX Launches Mid-Inclination Rideshare Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched its first mid-inclination dedicated rideshare mission Sunday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:16 p.m. Eastern on the Bandwagon-1 mission. The launch carried 11 payloads, including a reconnaissance satellite for South Korea and smallsats from five commercial customers, placing them into a 45-degree orbit. SpaceX announced the Bandwagon line of missions last year to complement its existing Transporter series of rideshare launches to sun-synchronous orbits. (4/8)

European Space Law Coming Soon (Source: Euronews)
A draft European Union space law is expected to be released this month. The proposed EU space law was previously slated to be published in the first quarter but is now planned for release later this month. The law would attempt to harmonize existing space laws among EU member states on topics such as space safety and cybersecurity of space systems. (4/8)

India's Agnikul Cosmos Delays Suborbital Launch Again (Source: Reuters)
An Indian launch vehicle startup has again delayed the launch of a suborbital vehicle. Agnikul Cosmos said Saturday that unspecified technical issues had further delayed the launch of a suborbital rocket called  SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator (SOrTeD). The company postponed a launch attempt of SOrTeD last month as well. The launch is designed to test key systems needed for the company's Agnibaan small launch vehicle. (4/8)

Agreement to Allow Launch of US Rockets From Japanese Spaceports (Source: Nikkei)
Japan and the United States could sign an agreement this week to allow American rockets to launch from Japanese spaceports. A technology safeguards agreement between the countries is among the topics for a meeting this week between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Joe Biden in Washington. The agreement would allow Americans rockets to be sent to Japan for launch there. It is unclear what American companies are interested in launching from Japan, particularly after the bankruptcy last year of Virgin Orbit, which had proposed operating its air-launch system from Japan's Oita airport. (4/8)

DOD Looks to Improve Information Access for Space Firms (Source: Defense Scoop)
Following the Pentagon's release of its Commercial Space Integration Strategy, officials are tackling the challenge of security classifications that hinder collaboration with commercial entities, as the strategy aims to enhance the Department of Defense's use of commercial space technology. John Plumb, the assistant secretary for space policy, highlighted the necessity of overcoming structural and procedural obstacles to facilitate easier access for commercial firms working with the government. (4/5)

Hawkeye 360 Achieves Successful Orbital Deployment of Clusters 8 & 9 (Source: Hawkeye)
HawkEye 360 Inc., the premier commercial provider of space-based RF data and analytics, has successfully contacted Clusters 8 & 9 after their launch, marking the company’s first dual deployment into a mid-inclination orbit. This strategic positioning enhances coverage over the world’s busiest maritime traffic corridors. Clusters 8 and 9, increasing HawkEye 360’s constellation to 29 satellites, include upgraded payloads for 5x greater data collection, broader bandwidths, and multi-band signal capture. (4/8)

Ariane 6's Maiden Launch to Deploy Radio Interferometry Experiment for NASA (Source: Space Daily)
Europe is poised to launch its newest rocket, Ariane 6, marking a significant advancement in space mission versatility. This inaugural flight is set to carry a diverse array of missions, each with its distinct objective, ranging from Earth observation to deep space exploration and technological experimentation in orbit. Ariane 6 exemplifies the evolution of heavy-lift launchers, demonstrating unmatched flexibility and capability.

Among the payloads is NASA's CUbesat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE), a mission designed to measure radio emissions from the Sun and celestial bodies. Earth's ionosphere, which absorbs these radio waves, necessitates their measurement in space. (4/8)

Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata Joins Axiom Space (Source: Axiom)
Axiom Space welcomes recently retired Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata as a newly appointed Astronaut and Chief Technical Officer for the Asia-Pacific region. Wakata, a veteran astronaut with decades of human spaceflight experience, will lead the expansion of Axiom Space's business and strategic presence in the Asia-Pacific region and contribute to the advancement of Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station. (4/8)

DARPA Awards Phase Four with Contract for Very Low Earth Orbit Propulsion System (Source: Space Daily)
Phase Four has been awarded a $14.9 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an air-breathing electric propulsion (EP) system, aiming to enhance satellite functionality in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) at altitudes between 90-450km. This development marks a pivotal step in the DARPA's Otter program, designed to foster, demonstrate, and gather on-orbit data on electric propulsion technologies that utilize the surrounding low-density air as propellant for prolonged operations in VLEO. (4/5)

Smuggled Starlink Dishes Throw Lifeline to Some in War-Torn Sudan (Source: Space Daily)
On a street corner in the Sudanese town of Tamboul, dozens of people tap feverishly on their phones, calling loved ones and moving money through online apps. At the centre of their huddle is a bright white dish that connects to the internet via Starlink, the satellite system owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket company. Starlink has become a lifeline for some in a country where the internet has gone down regularly since war erupted last April between Sudan's army and paramilitary force. But the system, which can bring connectivity where there is no land-based network, is not officially available in Sudan. (4/3)