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Space Times

The space industry is as vast and evolving as the environment it occupies, and we are here to help you navigate it! Every week we talk about advances in space technology and business, and we want to share our opinions and insights with you. Paul Mayer and Harrison Lambert met a decade ago working as aerospace engineers at Maxar. Since then, Harrison has spent that time working on space systems for a variety of applications, and Paul has become a venture capitalist helping grow nascent space companies. Now we want to share the next decades with you, discussing all the exciting times in space!

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  • 22 episodes
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  • Monday · 1 hr 52 min

    Weekly Recap #51 + Sophia Space Interview

    Main Topics This week we had the privelege of speaking with Sophia Space CEO Rob DeMillo about how their orbital data center technology is the best way to scale to the sizes Earth needs in space. Read our coverage on our website, watch the full interview on our YouTube, and check out Sophia Space to learn more! Comms * Aerospacelab won a €2.4B contract to build 264 LEO sats for European sovereign communications constellation IRIS2.[source] * Airbus selected to design and build at least 66 LEO satellites on behalf of Eutelsat for IRIS2. [source] * TrustPoint ordered 40 satellites from EnduroSat to develop their GNSS alternative PNT constellation. [source] * stc group partnered with Astranis to develop a dedicated connectivity satellite for Saudi Arabia. [source] Orbital Compute * Sophia Space won $300M to provide 10 satellites to SLI. [source] * Loft Orbital and Marlaan Space announced a $1B program to build the world’s largest AI infrastructure. [source] * York Space Systems won the contract to build DeepSky for Tomorrow.io’s early warning weather constellation. [source] * Pixxel raised $100M in Series C funding led by Temasek and Seraphim for edge compute enabled satellite manufacturing in India and the US. [source] * Orbital selected Reflex Aerospace as their exclusive satellite platform partner for their planned space data center constellation. [source] Infrastructure * Eutelsat selected Infinite Orbits to provide a GEO life-extension mission. [source] * Antares selected for a $161M DoD contract to advance space nuclear power. [source] * NewOrbit scheduled the flight of their first VLEO mission in 2028. [source] * Eclipse Space announced new platforms for D2D, broadband, and ODC use cases. [source] Business Moves * Stoke raised a $1B Series E led by Point 72 Ventures and Spark Capital. [source] * The Exploration Company raised a $450M Series C led by Bessemer Venture Partners to develop their Nyx human capsule and Storm rocket engine. [source] Tech Advances * Muon Space test fired the first zinc solid hall effect thruster on-orbit. [source] * Besxar completed testing of semiconductors on orbit to validate their technology for manufacturing computer chips on-orbit. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • September 7 · 1 hr 15 min

    Weekly Recap #50 + Viridian Interview

    Main Topics This week we had the privlege of interviewing Matthew Feldman, Co-Founder and CTO of Viridian Space Technologies, to learn all about their air-breathing electric propulsion for VLEO spacecraft! Catch an excerpt in this episode and subscribe to catch the full interview when it drops later this week. On September 10th we’ll be at Space Social SF, be sure to RSVP and join us to meet all the space companies operating in the San Francisco Bay Area! Launch * Isar Aerospace successfully conducted their Spectrum vehicle’s second launch out of the Andoya Space Complex in Norway. [source] * Astroscale Japan selected Isar Aerospace for the ADRAS-J2 mission to de-orbit a rocket body. [source] * Spanish startup PLD Space added €108M to their Series C raise, now sized at €288M, to fund the deployment of their Miura rocket. [source] * German launch company HyImpulse Technologies secured over €50M to scale commercial suborbital and orbital launch operations. [source] Comms * NASA awarded Blue Origin a $700M firm-fixed-price contract to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA by the end of 2028. [source] * OHB won a nearly €1B IRIS2 contract for the development and production of 18 satellite platforms for the Secure Connectivity Program. [source] * The British Government Commercial Agency selected Open Cosmos as an approved provider for the £8B Sovereign Comms Framework. [source] * SpaceX petitioned the FCC to block Viasat’s GEO birds from interfering with Starlink constellation. [source] Space Mobility * York Space Systems unveiled their new VLEO platform leveraging their LX/V-class satellites. [source] * Fermi Explorer was announced as Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston’s non-profit to send a satellite to Alpha Centauri, it’s crowd-funded, so if you want your name onboard then donate on their website. [source] * Samara Aerospace received a $1.22M NSF SBIR Phase II award for their novel attitude control technology. [source] * Juno Propulsion was awarded a $1.2M NSF SBIR Phase II award for their novel rotating detonation propulsion technology. [source] Business Moves * Diffraqtion expanded their raise to $10M adding Lockheed Martin Ventures as a supporter of their quantum camera technology. [source] * Indian startup Kepler Aerospace raised $8M led by Ashva Capital for the development of their ISR constellation. [source] * Nade Space raised $4.4M in a round led by Abstract for their onboard automated FDIR technology. [source] Tech Advances * Elve reached TRL8 on their 100W mmWave space traveling wave tube amplifier. [source] * Bepicolombo began its Mercury approach 8 years after launch, jettisoning its orbital transfer first stage. [source] * Yank Technologies wins USSF contract to study near-field wireless satellite charging. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • August 31 · 1 hr 23 min

    Weekly Recap #49 + Kall Morris Inc Interview

    This week we interviewed Troy Morris, Co-Founder and CEO of Kall Morris Inc, on their recent STRATFI win, hear how they plan to use that money for on-orbit servicing! Main Topics Launch * SpaceX announced plans for a $100B Starship launch site in Louisiana. [source] * Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket has successfully completed its first Geostationary mission. [source] * China’s Long March 6C fragmented on orbit, generating 10s to 100s of fragments from the event. [source] * China’s Chang’e-7 moon rover mission was delayed indefinitely. [source] * Space Angel won a $1.75M grant from the Western Australian government to support plans for new spaceports. [source] Government * Tomorrow.io won a 5 year, $49M, IDIQ NOAA contract to provide advanced weather modeling services. [source] * Spire Global won a $28M NOAA contract to advance hyperspectral microwave sounding technology. [source] * Leolabs was awarded a $20M USSF contract for their mobile space tracking Scout radar system. [source] * The SDA announced the intent to resume Tranche 1 Transport Layer deployments for the PWSA. [source] * York Space Systems announced their selection to join the USSF’s Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B) program. [source] Infrastructure * Beyond Reach Labs unveiled their large format solar array deployment platform: Flarewing. [source] * Constellr selected Space Inventor to expand their constellation and supply microsatellite platforms. [source] * Kepler launched their commercial optical data relay service aboard their optical data relay constellation. [source] * Northstar Space agreed to host 11 SDA terminals on future Kepler satellites. [source] * Bioorbit was selected for Germany’s SPRIN-D Orbital Bioworks challenge. [source] * Edge Aerospace and Redwire established U.S. manufacturing partnership. [source] * Star Catcher signed Aethero as a power-beaming customer. [source] Business Moves * Ursa Major announced their public listing through a SPAC with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. III at a valuation of approximately $2.3B. [source] * Astrum Space announced plans to SPAC through Black Space Acquisition III Co. at a $1B valuation. [source] * CesiumAstro acquired 1Aardvark for their autonomous mission capabilities, and announced their undisclosed Series D raise. [source] * MDA announced the founding of Launchpad Ventures, an investment vehicle focused on investing in Canadian space and defense companies. [source] * India’s Inspecity raised a $10.5M Seed round of funding. [source] Tech Advances * NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman telescope to study dark matter. [source] * Veoware successfully demonstrated their miniCMG on Planet’s Pelican platform. [source] * Infleqtion was awarded a $20M NASA contract for a mission flying their quantum gravity sensor. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • August 24 · 1 hr 35 min

    Weekly Recap #48 - China Lands Another Rocket

    We’ll be at Small Sat this week providing press coverage, so be sure to reach out if you want to meet up! Main Topics Launch * Chinese startup LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of their ZhuQue-3 rocket after delivering the Honghu 03 satellite into orbit. [source] * SEOPS Space announced the expansion of their Waymaker program to include a second Falcon 9 launch provided as a rideshare solution in 2028. [source] * Portal Space announced a dedicated Falcon 9 launch, and an exclusive partnership with Maverick Space Systems to auction off and manage third party rideshares for the half they’re not filling. [source] * Stoke Space planning $1B Series E raise to accelerate the development and production of their fully reusable Nova rocket. [source] Infrastructure * Chinese startup SpaceSail raised a $1B Series B round for the acceleration of their Qianfan communications constellation. [source] * Lynk and Omnispace announced the completion of their merger to form Elveo Mobile focused on winning and delivering on the D2D market. [source] * Firefly announced that their Blue Ghost lander will host Zeno Power Systems’ nuclear radioisotope thermal generator. [source] * Muon closed a $250M Series C to scale their space infrastructure platform, termed their Mission Foundry, in a round led by Eclipse Capital. [source] Government * York Space and Rocket Lab were both selected for and onboarded to the Space Systems Command’s Nite-Star training program, part of the $981M space test-and-training program announced at the beginning of the month. [source; source] * Viasat selected Rocket Lab to build a GEO Satellite for USSF SSC’s Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) program. [source] * Katalyst and NASA announced the intent to abandon rescue and orbit-boost of the Swift space telescope. [source] * USSF released the 2026 STRATFI winners including awards for Starcatcher, Agile Space Systems, Antares Nuclear, EO Solutions, Hydrosat, Kall Morris Inc., Method Security, Muon Space, Scout Space, Sedaro, and Think Orbital [source] Business Moves * Viennese electric propulsion startup Enpulsion announced plans to acquire British propulsion company Lift Me Off. [source] * Starcloud raised $250M at a $2.3 B post-money valuation in a round led by Manhattan West, notably including investment from Nvidia and Cisco. [source] * StarRF closed a Pre-A+ round of funding led by Luxin Venture Capital to develop RF observation satellites primarily for maritime monitoring. [source] * Letara raised $16M for their hybrid rocket satellite thruster, led by Headline Asia and JIC Venture [source] Tech Advances * NASA opened the human research program to fund research into human effects of short term (weeks to months) lunar habiation. [source] * NASA announced the Techleap Prize for Orbital Clarity to fund research into better atmospheric drag models to improve satellite tracking. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • August 17 · 1 hr 49 min

    Weekly Recap #47 + Space Capital Interview

    This week we had the privelege of interviewing Justus Kilian, Partner at Space Capital, hear an excerpt in the podcast, and subscribe to be notified when the full video drops later this week! Main Topics Launch * Kepler selected Rocket Lab’s Neutron for their first dedicated launch. [source] * Rocket Lab established a German presence with Rocket Lab Germany. [source] * Rocket Lab unveiled the GHOST Deployable Launch System. [source] * Astra announced plans to raise $250M. [source] * Gitai announced their expansion into solid rocket motors from space robotics. [source] * Chinese iSpace announced the kickoff of their Series E Raise. [source] Comms * Aalyria and ALL.SPACE announced their partnership to bring Hydra MAX terminals into operational deployment for USG hybrid architectures. [source] * Astrolight and ATMOS announced partnership to demonstrate laser link capability from a satellite to a return capsule. [source] * Firefly’s SciTec awarded a $94M USSF contract for ground radar digitization. [source] * Cesium Astro acquired Jariet Technologies for mmWave RF System-on-a-Chip semiconductors. [source] * Intuitive Machines won a $600M contract for 3 GEO satellites. [source] Defense * Impulse selected for Victus SALO Phase III using their Mira spacecraft for rapid orbital responsivity. [source] * Astranis unveiled their Perceptor GEO platform for space domain awareness. [source] * The DIU and SDA have awarded initial Deorbit-as-a-Service contracts to Katalyst, D-Orbit Space, and Firefly. [source] * USSF awarded 5 companies $60M for multi-vendor satellite data network tests: Amazon LEO, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, and York Space Systems. [source] * Space Kinetic won a $50M OTA from the USSF for space maneuverability and architecture technology. [source] Business Moves * Gravitalab entered liquidation. [source] * Blackstar Orbital announced their intent to SPAC at $380M. [source] * Open Cosmos Atlantic won an ESA ERS-EO contract potentially worth €25M. [source] * Galaxeye acquired StarOps for spacecraft engineering skillset. [source] Tech Advances * Matsing detailed a new manufacturing technology to improve satellite antenna performance. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • August 10 · 1 hr 15 min

    Weekly Recap #46 - Rocket Strikes the Moon

    Main Topics Satellites * The USSF awarded Rocket Lab $397M to develop, launch, and operate a constellation of flat-stacked satellites under the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program (SB-AMTI). [source] * Canada’s Defence Investment Agency has awarded Telesat a $2.3B CAD contract to expand the Lightspeed Constellation from 156 to 225 satellites with assets built by MDA as part of the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project - Polar (ESCP-P) program. [source] * Kreios announced the planned flight of their first VLEO satellite boasting the first air-breathing electric propulsion platform launched into orbit. [source] * Nornir Space announced their AI based satellite architecture platform. [source] Setbacks * EchoStar’s Hughes Network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as $1.5B debt comes due. [source] * A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage collided with the moon. [source] * Blue Origin traced their New Glenn explosion to a failed oxygen valve. [source] * Apex’s Nova 1 Satellite failed to communicate on orbit. [source] Emerging Sectors * The FCC awarded Xona Space Systems spectrum approval for 258 LEO Position, Navigation, and Timing satellites. [source] * Neuraspace raised $18M for Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management. [source] * Redwire signed with SpaceX’s Starfall to fly 32 drug labs to eclipse the ISS program in a single flight. [source] Business Moves * Capella, Umbra, and ICEYE won NRO radar data contracts [source] * Seraphim invested £21M into Pixxel and Zeno Power. [source] Tech Advances * SpaceX announced the intent to acquire 130,000 acres of marshland in Louisiana to build a new launch site. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • August 3 · 1 hr 38 min

    Weekly Recap #45 + VXB Aerospace Interview

    This week we interviewed Alexander Ryan, Co-Founder and CEO of VXB Aerospace, following their $4M raise! Listen to an excerpt in the podcast, and subscribe to be notified when our full coverage drops later this week. Main Topics Communications * Spain committed $2.3B to building national military communication satellites to contribute to Europe’s IRIS2 constellation. [source] * SpaceX won $1.6B in launch orders from National Security Space Launch (NSSL) for 18 Falcon-9 launches of Airborne Mobile Target Indicator (AMTI) satellites. [source] * The FCC planned an upper C-band auction for next year, selling 160MHz from 3.98-4.14GHz to SES, Eutelsat, and Telesat. [source] * Amazon filed for 5,105 Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellites using Globalstars L-band spectrum in combination with their S-band spectrum. [source] * Sphinx Defense won $287M for strategic communications software. [source] Propulsion * Spinlaunch rebranded to Meridian Space pivoting from launch to communication constellations. [source] * USSF awarded All Points $250M to expand commercial satellite processing at Vandenberg launch base. [source] * Rocket Lab won $266M from the USSF 12-18 HASTE launches out of their new Kodiak launch site. [source] * Nordspace funded its second company, North Vector Dynamics, for Canadian sovereign missile development. [source] * Impulse unveiled their Electra electric propulsion thruster. [source] Monitoring * Array Labs raised $21M anchored by Mitsubishi Electric for AMTI satellites capable of tracking aircraft, ships, and spacecraft. [source] * Orbes unveils Exo-Orb and agreement with Symphony Space to fly the spacecraft as a monitoring and maintenance solution. [source] * Chinese startup Xingchen Daohe raised $14M for Space Situation Awareness (SSA) constellation. [source] * Spaceflux identified a breakup of Intelsat 805 in graveyard orbit. [source] * Intermap spent $11M to acquire PCI Geometics for their geospatial intelligence platform. [source] * Galaxeye’s Drishti officially died on orbit due to a solar storm last month. [source] Business Moves * SSC awarded $981M for space test-and-training to Firefly, Redwire, Rocket Lab, and York Space Systems [source] * The USSF selected 29 companies for Adaptive and Intelligent Space Challenge to develop emerging technologies in orbital compute, sensing, and orchestration. [source] * K2 raised $500M in a Series D led by Kleiner Perkins and ICONIQ to scale production to 100 large satellites per year. [source] * The Exploration Company announced plan to raise $300M at $2B valuation for the Nyx crewed capsule. [source] * Outlier Space raised $7.3M led by GD1 for their reusable capsules/ [source] Tech Advances * Katalyst’s Link spacecraft loses 2 reaction wheels, jeopardizing their mission to boost NASA’s SWIFT observatory. [source] * Intel debuted their new Starfire system-on-a-chip for AI in space. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • July 27 · 1 hr 19 min

    Weekly Recap #44 - Starship's Lucky 13th Flight

    Here’s everything that happened in the space industry for the week of July 19-25! Main Topics Rockets * SpaceX’s Starship 13 launch concluded after successfully deploying 20 Starlink v3’s and a soft landing in the ocean. [source] * The USSF tripled the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 funding from $5.6B to $17B for flexible launch with an additional $13.7B dedicated for heavy launch. [source] * Chinese startup LegendSpace raised a $29.5M angel round led by Oasis Capital for AI rocket engine development. [source] Infrastructure * VXB Aerospace raised a $4M seed led by Dauntless Ventures for their AI engineering and parts design platform. [source] * Deltavision raised €10.2M led by KT Ventures for fluidic systems. [source] * Northrop launched their MRV mission to service GEO class satellites with refueling pods over the next decade. [source] * Oris Space raised €5M for space to space power transfer with a 2027 demo planned with DCubed. [source] * Senra systems raised $65M to update wire harnesses through their proprietary software and automation technology. [source] * York Space delivered 21 additional satellites to their second wave of assets for PWSA’s Tier 1 Transport Layer. [source] Moon * Lunar Outpost joined ESA’s Moonraker mission, leading the thermal design and models-based systems engineering efforts, which is scheduled to launch in 2030. [source] * Lunar Outpost announced a partnership with NVIDIA to leverage their Jetson platform and CUDA-X libraries on their current and upcoming lunar missions: LV2, LV3, and LV5. [source] * iSpace awarded €65M from ESA to develop and deliver their MAGPIE lunar rover by 2029. [source] * NASA selected 41 technology projects from 37 companies through their Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity focused on solving three major problems to enable further lunar and martian missions: power generation, space logistics, and dust mitigation. [source] Business Moves * Poland committed $745M to IRIS2 which will guarantee them 6 MEO and 6 LEO satellites functioning as a Polish constellation within the broader project. [source] * Iceye won a flood monitoring mission for Korean KT Sat shortly following a unique contract win for wildfire monitoring in Canada. [source] * ONERA selected AMOS to build French SSA telescope PROVIDENCE which will provide 10cm resolution of satellites up to 500 km altitude upon its commissioning in 2029. [source] * Karman Space and Defence acquired Walker Precision for $94M for manufacturing capabilities and advanced materials design. [source] * MDA announced their plans to open a $600M Canadian senior unsecured note offering due 2033 to fund their acquisitions of Blue Canyon Technologies and CLS. [source] * MDA selected for Europe’s Argonaut Lunar Lander mission, bringing two flight units of their LEIA LiDAR sensors to Argonaut’s first mission to the moon. [source] Tech Advances * DARPA announced their Pinpoint program which aims to make a driftless IMU. [source] * Lockheed Martin and Venus Aerospace collaborate on further development of rotating detonation rocket engine technologies. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • July 20 · 1 hr 27 min

    Weekly Recap #43

    Main Topics Space Power * Beyond Reach Labs raised a $10M seed to develop their rigid structure for large deployable solar arrays. [source] * South Korean company Flexell Space raised a $20M Series A to develop and commercialize their high efficiency Perovskite and flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cell technologies. [source] * Chinese company Qingtian Xingneng raised $14.7M led by Hangzhou Fengzhen for thin film flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar arrays. [source] * Polish company Orbital Matter won €500K from the European Innovation Council to build solar arrays printed in space for megawatt-class satellites. [source] * Martin Materials won $7.1M in funding from the Pentagon under the Defense Production Act to scale their solar cell coverglass manufacturing capacity. [source] * Canadian companies Canadensys and CNL announced a partnership to build lunar tritium heaters for lunar and deep space missions. [source] Launch * Indian launch provider Skyroot flew their debut Vikram-1 to orbit, taking 6 satellites to a LEO at 450 km. [source] * The JAXA RV-X rocket conducted a 40 second hop test, the first for the innovative single-stage reusable rocket Callisto led by Mitsubishi Heavy, JAXA, CNES, and the German Aerospace Center. [source] * The Department of Defense increased Leap Space’s Phase III SBIR by $93M up from an initial $7M. [source] Comms * Swissto12 raised $70M to expand their manufacturing capability and achieve further scale for their micro-GEO Hummingsat platform. [source] * SES and Airbus Netherlands have secured a site in Noordwijk for the Eagle-1 optical ground station to implement quantum key distribution communication. [source] * Qosmic raised $3.33M for optical ground stations led by Prosus and Accel in a round intended to further their flight heritage and deployment schedule. [source] * The Canadian Defense Innovation Agency opened a contract opportunity for space domain awareness to replace their aging Sapphire surveillance satellites which have been in operation since 2013. [source] Business Moves * AST Spacemobile announced the intent to raise $1B in private convertible notes to acquire a launch provider; ULA, Relativity, Stoke, and Firefly are rumored to be their targets. [source] * SDA tranche 3 missile defense awarded $1.75B to Sierra Space and L3 Harris for missile tracking and warning satellites. [source] * Loft Orbital announced the purchase of 10 more longbows from Airbus and 1 Apex Nova with the option for 9 more. [source] * Indian company Dhruva Space raised $6.3M, making it the first company to receive investment under the AVCF (Antariksh Venture Capital Fund) - India’s VC fund dedicated to the space sector. [source] * The USSF awarded Slingshot Aerospace a $69M contract to advance AI-powered mission readiness training software for space defense. [source] * Antaris announced the establishment of Aeonyx to advance all-domain mission virtualization for defense training. [souce] Tech Advances * Lockheed Martin partnered with Xanadu to advance quantum capabilities by using the Pennylane platform to train their mechanical and software engineers. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • July 13 · 1 hr 44 min

    Weekly Recap #42 + Peregrine Space Interview

    Main Topics Launch * The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation successfully launched and landed the Long March 10b first stage rocket, demonstrating reusable rocket capabilities for the first time for China. [source] * SpaceX’s Transporter 17 launched 81 payloads including Apex’s first Nova satellite, Planet’s Pelican-11 demo, multiple Posidonia satellites from Open Cosmos, two Firesats from Muon Space, and the first in-space nuclear Tritium battery for City Labs.[source] * ISAR signed a $112.5M contract with Maritime Launch Services to develop a dedicated Spectrum launch site in Nova Scotia. [source] * Venus Aerospace raised $91M led by Mercury Fund for their rotating detonation rocket engine. [source] * NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 added both Relativity Space and Impulse Space. [source] * Loft contracted French launch startup Maiaspace for multiple launches starting as early as 2028. [source] Comms * Es’hail signed contracts with Turksat and Thales Alenia for Es’hail-3 satellite manufacturing to build Qatar’s first software-defined GEO satellite based on Thales Space’s INSPIRE platform. [source] * USSF awarded Pulse Space a $40M contract for laser-based space power technology that Pulse Space will develop and launch in conjunction with their SDA capabilities. [source] * Ravee Optics raised a $6M seed round led by BIG Global Investment JSC for compact laser optical communications. [source] * Spaceflux raised an additional £3.5M bringing their total Seed round raise to £9M for space domain awareness. [source] Interplanetary * Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $13M NASA JPL subcontract to build the aeroshell for SkyFall Mars Mission’s martian lander. [source] * NASA awarded a series of STRIDE contracts for Mars advanced surface mobility technologies to seven recipients. [source] * ESA awarded EMXYS a contract to build the Don Quixote lander whose sole purpose will be landing on the Apophis asteroid during its April 2029 flyby. [source] * Japanese company iSpace increased the size of their cargo order from SpaceX to scale with Starship’s increased capacity, ordering 500 kg of cargo capacity for a $50M price tag. [source] Business Moves * MDA acquired earth analytics company Collecte Localisation Satellites for roughly $600M in a deal that doubles MDA’s revenue and puts them at a 1.5-2.5x debt:EBITDA ratio. [source] * Voyager closed a $250M upsized credit facility led by JP Morgan presumably to continue with their strategy of strategic acquisitions. [source] * Blue Origin announced the intent to raise $10B at $130B valuation led with $4B from Coatue Asset Management. [source] * Orbit Fab raised $25M in interim financing led by Stride Capital for their on-orbit refueling technology. [source] * The Exploration Company established a US entity to pursue government contracts. [source] Tech Advances * The FCC approved the first Reflect Orbital satellite. [source] * USSF awarded 13 contracts through the Other Transaction Authority totalling over $500M for Space Combat Power including for Parabilis’s Dense Orbit Transfer System hybrid propulsion orbital thruster. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • July 6 · 1 hr 24 min

    Weekly Recap #41

    Main Topics Lunar * NASA awarded $590M in CLPS contracts for 2028 Artemis Missions: two contracts to Astrobotic, one to Firefly, and one to Intuitive Machines. [source] * NASA announced they will repurpose their spare PROMISE nuclear Mars rover to send to the Moon. [source] * Lunar Forge came out of stealth targeting a 2027 demonstration of their laser sintering device capable of building structures out of lunar regolith. [source] * Instinct Space and Polimak announced a partnership to provide access to lunar regolith for payloads that fly on their Moon mission. [source] Launch * Katalyst Space’s LINK mission successfully deployed from the Kwajalein Atoll on July 3 and made contact from orbit. [source] * Amazon Leo launched a batch aboard ULA’s last Atlas 5 carrying satellites, Leo now has enough satellites on orbit to begin operations. [source] * AST Spacemobile launched 3 more Bluebirds - 8 through 10 - aboard Falcon 9, successfully achieving operational orbits. [source] * Planet Labs agreed to launch a Pelican satellite onboard ISAR’s Spectrum launch vehicle as early as the end of 2026. [source] * Southern Launch raised a $25M round led by Brindabella and Company to fund their rockets and spaceports. [source] * Hongqing, and affiliate of Landspace, raised a $191M round led by the China Construction Bank and ICBC to develop Jinwu-200 satellites for the Honghu-3 communications constellation. [source] * Nayuta Space announced their intent to use the second stage of their Xuanniao-R rockets as orbital data centers. [source] * Firefly announced plans to launch Alpha out of Sweden’s Esrange Space Center. [source] * French rocket company Latitude announced plans to launch their inaugural rocket out of Oman’s Etlaq Space Center instead of French Guiana. [source] Orbital * China formed a VLEO consortium for satellites below 300 km to accelerate the development of key technology. [source] * Vantor announced WorldView3D which provides up to date 3D ground truth globally on the order of every 6-24 hours. [source] * Dominion Dynamics closed a $100M Series A to scale their Arctic Surveillance network and drone systems.[source] * Observable Space raised $90M led by Lux Capital alongside a $94M USSF contract to develop mobile ground space domain awareness. [source] * Polish space observation company Sybilla secured $10M to enter the US market. [source] * Space Tango raised $7.4M to develop automation for in-space manufacturing. [source] Business Moves * Rocket Lab acquired Iridium in an expansion into the space application layer, securing their assets and valuable L-band spectrum rights. [source] * SpaceX received FTC clearance to buy Mesh Optical Technologies for their optical transceiver technology useful in AI hardware interconnects. [source] * Dish TV, subsidiary of Echostar, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [source] * Mitsubishi Electric acquired Infostellar for the ground stations to bolster satellite operations. [source] * The Exploration Company acquired European Astrotech for their electric propulsion technology. [source] * Draper raised $300M Fund 8 to invest in AI, Robotics, and Automation; Crypto & Blockchain, Healthcare / Biotech, and Aerospace / Space. [source] Tech Advances * BAE Aerospace validated the rad-hardness of their Endura space processor, based on GlobalFoundries 45nm chip. [source] * Verde Technologies announced their plans to shift their perovskite solar tech to space, providing an up to 50% reduction in cost to silicon based solar. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 29 · 1 hr 37 min

    Weekly Recap #40

    Launch * Rocket Lab executed a successful mission for the USSF titled Victus Haze in which they went from ‘Notice To Launch’ in 16 hours and 42 minutes, after which they activated and readied their Pioneer spacecraft on orbit in the 38th hour of their 72 hour deadline window. [source] * Rocket Lab was awarded 3 electron launches for NASA’s PolSIR and TSIS-2 Sun-Earth science missions. [source] * SpaceX’s orbital re-entry demo mission titled Starfall successfully launched over the weekend, bringing with it Starbase Brewing’s Microbrew-2 demo payload. [source] * Firefly Aerospace acquired Space-ng to advance the future of autonomous space operations by leveraging Firefly’s space vehicle strengths with Space-ng’s vision-based navigation solutions. [source] Spacecraft * Sophia Space raised a $7M SAFE and announced a partnership with Apex Space for an Orbital Computing Demo, bringing their total funding to date to $22M. [source] * Vantor announced a partnership with BAE to manufacture their Vantage platform. [source] * ReOrbit launched OrbitCloud R&D with a €4.6M grant from Business Finland. [source] * Irish startup Ubotica Technologies raised $11M to accelerate the commercial deployment of their AI-powered intelligence platform and expand their Live Maritime Intelligence service. [source] * Eclipse Space emerged from stealth with an ex-Starlink team to develop economical spacecraft buses for megaconstellations. [source] Infrastructure * Starfish Space completed their long range rendezvous with Gilmour Space Technologies’ Elarasat. [source] * Astroscale raised $190M after reporting $71.1M in project income, nearly double their numbers from 2025. [source] * Boeing was awarded a $2B Air Force Contract for Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Satellite Life Extension Phase II. [source] * MDA was awarded a Canadian SAR satellite contract as part of Canada’s RADARSAT+ program. [source] * Umbra started selling their reaction wheels after announcing their expansion into component sales last August [source] * The first live intercept test of Golden Dome’s Dynamic Defense Autonomous Defeat (DDAD) directed energy missile defense system was conducted successfully. [source] Business Moves * OHB began a $581M share sale with KKR to fund their expansion and acquisition efforts, and to support Rocket Factory Augsburg. [source] * Axios reported that Muon Space has begun to pursue a $250M round of capital. [source] * Symphony Space closed an over-subscribed pre-seed round led by Female Founders Fund to develop their modular space depot. [source] * Spanish startup FOSSA raised $10.5M to fund their international expansion and global deployment of their sovereign satellite capabilities. [source] Tech Advances * SpaceX has started talking about expanding Starlink to a direct-to-mobile service, either by creating their own telecom provider, or are rumored to be targeting T-Mobile or Verizon for acquisition. [source] * Orbital Composites won a $1.9M TACFI from SpaceWerx to develop their AI and robotic enabled manufacturing facilities for high stress composite components focused on rocket nozzles. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 22 · 1 hr 39 min

    Weekly Recap #39 + Eradrive Interview

    This week includes a special interview with Sumant Sharma, CEO of Eradrive! Launch * ISAR scrubbed the most recent scheduled launch of their Spectrum vehicle, marking the fourth such scrubbing this year. [source] * Chinese startup Landspace’s Zhuque-2E rocket, launched on June 9th, experienced an upper stage failure during parts of its disposal burn. [source] * China continued its accelerated launch cadence with a series of 4 missions over a 72 hour period concluding with the liftoff of a Kuaizhou-11 solid rocket from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation on Wednesday the 17th[source] Comms / Data * Gilat acquired Comtech’s Satellite and Space Communications Segment this week in an all cash $157.5M deal intended to push revenue above $700M. [source] * The USSF ordered two additional GPS satellites from Lockheed Martin. [source] * Ororatech selected for NASA Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition contract. [source] * Northstar won over $40M from 3 Canadian Space Division to advance sovereign space domain awareness. * Look Up and Skynopy announced a partnership to provide an automated collision avoidance service titled ‘Atlas2’ Space Safety Program. [source] Logistics * Katalyst raised $12M for their Nexus GEO servicing mission in a round led by Geodesic Capital. [source] * Quantum Space won a Pentagon contract to develop and demonstrate refueling spacecraft. [source] * DARPA issued an open solicitation for solutions for ‘rapid reconstitution of space systems’. [source] * Austrian startup GATE Space won €6.3M in EU grants and equity funding through the EIC accelerator. [source] * Elevation Space raised a $40M Series B to develop space-to-Earth transportation and a space environment utilization and recovery platform through a third party allotment of shares. [source] Business Moves * AFRL announced a partnership with PiLogic for autonomous fault prediction using the latter’s “Exact AI” engine to diagnose and predict electrical and power failures aboard spacecraft platforms. [source] * Dawn Aerospace raised $25M Series B to accelerate global expansion of reusable space transportation. [source] * EQT announced the intent to acquire satellite deployment and launch mission management company Exolaunch. [source] * MDA announced the intent to purchase Colorado-based Blue Canyon for $620M. [source] * SpaceX executed its option to purchase Cursor for $60B in stock. [source] Tech Advances * NASA announced that Relativity Space would design, build, and launch the spacecraft that carries NASA’s Aeolus instrument suite to orbit around Mars. [source] * Boeing demonstrated their quantum protocol Q4S payload prior to their scheduled year long mission launching in 2027. [source] * LeoLabs deployed their Scout-S, a new class of transportable 3D search radar, to the Indo-Pacific. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 15 · 1 hr 9 min

    Weekly Recap #38

    Main Topics ODC * Google announced a multi-year contract worth $920M/mo to use 110,000 NVIDIA GPUs in SpaceX’s Colossus supercomputer. [source] * SpaceX announced the AI1 sat - a 150 kW bus with a 70 meter wide footprint for use in orbital data center infrastructure. [source] * Orbital raised $5M pre-seed for orbital data centers led by Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun targeting a 100kW compute payload and a 100,000 satellite constellation. [source] Comms * The FCC announced their verdict to waive the 50% threshold requirements for Amazon LEO’s spectrum license by the end of July; the 100% requirement remains in place for July of 2029. [source] * The USSF announced that Rocket Lab and K2 Space were subselected by Viasat and SES as primary subsuppliers for the persistent and resilient communication milsatcom program. [source] * Satellite communication stalwart Avanti sold their Hylas-3 geostationary satellite - currently operating in orbit - to Sky Perfect JSAT, effectively divesting from 25% of their GEO portfolio. [source] * The Canadian Space Agency awarded $2.4M to MDA, Kepler, and Calian for ground station network capabilities as part of the upcoming RADARDSAT initiative through Canada’s Defense Industrial Strategy. [source] Space Sovereignty * ICEYE raised €1B split between a primary Series F of €450M and a secondary placement for the remainder at a valuation of over €10B led by General Atlantic. [source] * ICEYE and Rheinmetall Space Solutions’ joint venture announced a partnership with Constellr, Ororatech, Liveeo, and Reflex Aerospace, leveraging ICEYE’s bus platform and scale manufacturing to pair with the new wavelength payloads of their new partners. [source] * Airbus announced a partnership with Rohde & Schwartz, Constellr, Orbint, and High Performance Space Structure Systems to develop an intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. [source] * Thales and Airbus won an EU radar sat contract valued at €345M under the Copernicus Program for two C-band SAR sats in their Sentinel-1 NG constellation. [source] * ISAR Aerospace raised a €270M Series D to expand their global launch capacity and prepare their Spectrum vehicle. [source] * JAXA’s H3 launch vehicle successfully returned to flight and delivered Unseenlab’s BRO-22 to orbit. [source] Business Moves * SpaceX conducted the largest IPO in history at a $135/share opening price raising a total of $75B for future development and growth in the orbital data center infrastructure sector.. [source] * Quantum Space, led by former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstein, announced a SPAC through Inflection Point Acquisition Corp at a $1.2B valuation. [source] Tech Advances * Applied Atomics raised a $4M preseed led by Oxford Science Enterprises to develop nuclear hybrid spacecraft. [source] * Neworbit raised an $18.5M Series A for their NEO VLEO satellite platform. [source] * Juno Propulsion closed a $1.4M pre-seed round led by SOSV Ventures to develop their rotating detonation combustion thruster for space mobility. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 8 · 1 hr 1 min

    Weekly Recap #37 + Diffraqtion Interview

    Main Topics This week includes an excerpt of our interview with Johannes Galatsanos, CEO of Diffraqtion, to learn about the quantum camera for space domain awareness! Subscribe to be notified when the full interview drops later this week. Defense * Odysseus Space won €5.2M in contracts under EOBLINDING to blind enemy sats using their optical communications technology and RESIST to use AI for EU semiconductor design. [source] * BAE selected MDA to supply key radio hardware for USSF MEO Epoch 2, a missile defense network. [source] * Northrop Grumman partnered with Apex on space based interceptors, they plan to supply interceptors developed with $1B in self-funding to Apex who is developing a bus under their self-funded Project Shadow. [source] Launch * Starfighters Space raised $17.5M through a private placement after their $40M IPO earlier this year, the money will develop Starlaunch II to place a satellite into orbit from a plane launch platform in the next 18-24 months. [source] * Longshot unveiled Glowrider, the hypersonic shell that holds a satellite for launch using their gas powered cannon. [source] Spacecraft * Impulse Space raised a $500M Series D co-led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC to support hiring and manufacturing scaling. [source] * Apex raised a $200M Series D led by Interlagos at a $2.3B valuation to support vertical scaling and business pursuits. [source] * Muon unveiled their high power bus (configurable between 20-100kW) Condor Ultra for communications, sensing, and orbital data centers. [source] * Bellatrix partnered with Korean TelePIX to build a VLEO satellite for wide swath imagery. [source] Business Moves * Voyager acquired Astrobotic for a rumored $300M expanding their work to the moon with NASA’s Moon Base II contract for the Griffin lander. [source] * Axiom oversubscribed their $350M round of funding in February by an additional $175M to further develop Station and their AxEMU (spacesuit). [source] Tech Advances * Aalyria was selected for NASA’s Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PeXT) to provide enterprise service orchestration of communications and navigation. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 1 · 1 hr 15 min

    Weekly Recap #36

    Main Topics Rockets * Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded in historic fashion during a static fire test at Launchpad 36 in Cape Canaveral on Thursday, May 27th. [source] * Gilmour Space announced an additional $14.2M in further capital investment, debating the pros and cons of breaking that and other investment out from their current oversubscribed Series E round into a separate Series F round. [source] * Voyager Space announced the award of a $16.5M DARPA contract to make post-manufacturing thrust controls for solid rockets. [source] * Zurich based startup Stellar Alpina raised $4.5M for on-orbit Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines. [source] Ground * NASA announced the Management Contract for JPL would be made open to competition after 68 years of exclusivity with CalTech. [source] * A Canadian consortium led by Nordspace, including Miltera Machining, Pegmatis, and Prime Powders was awarded $3.2M for an AI-enabled factory of the future focused on Space Propulsion. [source] * Schaeffler AG announced a partnership with Spire Global for sovereign satellite production at scale, leveraging Spire’s Space expertise and Schaeffler’s manufacturing expertise at scale to achieve a space production capacity to serve the growing ecosystem by the end of the decade. [source] * Observable Space raised a $90M Series A for optical laser ground stations and simultaneously won a $94M USSF contract for in-space optical laser terminals. [source] SpaceX * SpaceX won a $2.29B for the Space Data Network to connect military assets across the globe with low-latency, high quality communications. [source] * SpaceX awarded $4.16B to deploy the Space-Based Moving Target Indicator to track aircraft, vehicles, and vessels from space. [source] * SpaceX’s Starfall project - a massive logistics and transportation play with satellites capable of carrying a full ton of payload - completed FAA environmental screening [source] * Exolaunch and SEOPS acquired multiple dedicated falcon 9 launches to replace transporter missions [source] * Starcloud announced a plan to use over 50 starlink mini laser terminals on 25 orbital data centers [source] Business Moves * NASA awarded 4 lunar contracts: [source] * $219M to Astrolab’s Lunar Rover * $220M to Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Rover * $188+$280M for Blue Origin’s Lunar Lander * A $75M subcontract from JPL for Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbiter swarm of drones deployed from 50km to map the moon. * Futurecorp Space Acquisition 1 announced their intent to raise a $200M SPAC IPO to pursue a defense, manufacturing, or launch company to take public. [source] * Space Markets emerged from stealth with Coinbase Ventures investment to provide commodities future trading focused specifically on the space industry. [source] Tech Advances * Space Solar agreed to host Lonestar’s Starvault data storage solution on their orbital platforms. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • May 25 · 1 hr 20 min

    Weekly Recap #35 + Juno Propulsion Interview

    Main Topics Dr. Alexis Harroun, CEO of Juno Propulsion, joins Space Times this week to explain how their Rotating Detonation Combustion thruster will change the game for in-space mobility! Headliners * Starship v3 launched on May 22nd with mixed success, the booster lost 3 engines and landed but not as expected, while Starship lost an RVAC engine but still accomplished its landing in the Indian Ocean. 22 mass dummies were deployed in space, including 2 Dodger Dogs that had Starlink hardware for testing and imaging of Starship. [source] * York acquired Solestial for their silicon based solar array technology, their third acquisition for core component production since York’s IPO. [source] * Vast announced their expansion from commercial space stations into high power buses, providing a 15kW spacecraft. They have an anchor customer who has so far purchased 4 satellites, with an option for 200 more. [source] Defense * The United States Space Force awarded $437M to Viasat and SES for 2 satellites each for Protected Tactical Satcom Global. [source] * The United States Space Force awarded $398M to Northrop Grumman for a Protected Tactical Satcom Prototype that can resist GPS jamming. [source] * The United States Space Force awarded $90M to Rocket Lab for Heimdall, a space domain awareness program that was being worked on by Geost prior to its acquisition last year. [source] * Helsing, OHB, Hensoldt, and Kongsberg formed the KIRK joint venture to develop space-based AI-enabled space domain awareness for detection and tracking of in-orbit threats. [source] * The UK Space Agency inaugurated their new space domain awareness software Borealis 6 months ahead of schedule, demonstrating it with their existing on-orbit asset Noctis-1 for space-based detection. [source] * Iceye delivered 4 SAR satellites to the Polish Ministry of Defense within 12 months. [source] Commercialization * Iceye launched their new catastrophe monitoring solution focused on the banking sector to provide more accurate insurance and pricing of property and assets. [source] * Amadeus IT selected Spire’s aircraft tracking data for airport tools to improve management and planning. [source] * Sky Perfect JSAT invested in Astroscale to partner on on-orbit servicing. [source] Business Moves * SpaceX filed their S-1 with the SEC in preparation for their upcoming IPO. The filing revealed over 200 pages of details about SpaceX’s business including their $1.75B price target, their $18.67B in revenue last year, $4.94B of operational losses, and a massive $28.5T TAM. [source] * Blue Origin is rumored to be considering accepting outside money for the first time, this comes from internal all-hands meeting and could mean they will be seeking private investors or an IPO. [source] * Tomorrow.io extended their Series F by $35M, bringing their total raised to $210M focused on delivering on their DeepSky AI-enabled weather satellite constellation. [source] * Zenk Space raised $26M in preparation of its debut launch of the medium lift Zhihang-1 rocket in June. [source] * Mach Industries acquired Exquadrum for $50M winning out over a rumored 8 other competitors, this allows Mach to produce their own solid rocket motors internally, securing a critical and constrained component for missile production. [source] Tech Advances * The Canadian DND and ISED launched $5.5M in challenges for Arctic optical communications and quantum repeaters. [source] * The US Space Force and SpaceWERX launched their orbital logistics challenge for orbital fuel depots, transfer vehicles, ISAM technologies, and more. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • May 18 · 1 hr 28 min

    Weekly Recap #34

    Main Topics Launch * Aetherflux rebranded to Cowboy Space and raised a $275M series B while announcing their pivot into both Rocketry and the Orbital Data Center markets. [source] * SpaceX removed Transporter mission options past 2029, indicating a clear timeline and focus on the launch and success of Starship in that same timeframe. [source] * Google rumored to be in talks with SpaceX to launch 81 data centers for Google’s Project Suncatcher while they partner with Planet Labs to develop and build their platform. [source] Infrastructure * Starcatcher closed a $65M Series A raise led by B Capital to build Space’s first power grid, deploying power from their solar cells to other orbital assets in need of alternative power solutions. [source] * The USSF awarded $4M to Trustpoint for their C-band PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing) capability demo involving 4 satellites and 4 ground stations. [source] * Intuitive Machines agreed to purchase Goonhilly Earth Stations Ltd for $49.6M, intending to leverage the 44 ground station antennae for an extensive architecture of lunar communications. [source] * Northrop announced the release of their James Webb Telescope derived tracking sensor (the component that enables the JWST to accurately track imaging targets) for the lunar navigation market with miniaturized LR450. [source] * Iridium announced the acquisition and take over of Aireon for $367M to expand their aviation safety business, growing revenues by ~$100M and EBITDA by ~$30M. [source] * AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced a Joint Venture focused on filling the gaps in global coverage while collaborating on their D2D strategies and implementation. [source] * Orbit2Orbit closed the first tranche of their $1.4M seed round led by Fusion Venture Labs. [source] Spacecraft * Chinese Satellite manufacturer MinoSpace announced its intent to seek a $736M IPO. [source] * Applied Aerospace & Defense filed for IPO, expecting to raise $350M in the offering. [source] * Creotech announced their plans for a $118M capital raise to build a sovereign satellite manufacturing facility by 2029 and to reach 40 satellite annual manufacturing capacity in that same time. [source] * York Space lost some of their Tranche 3 PWSA funding as short sellers cite the underperformance of prior satellite deliveries and the transition of contracts from the SDA to the SDN through some of the Pentagon’s restructuring and reorganization; York Space remains confident in the quality of their engineering projects and deliveries and acknowledges that the dissolution of the SDA represents a challenge. [source] * SES/Intelsat & Eutelsat have both canceled GEO orders in rapid succession, as Eutelsat reallocates resources towards LEO assets, SES reallocates resources towards MEO, and both explore lifetime-extension missions for existing GEO assets. [source] Business Moves * Anduril raised a $5B series H at a $61B valuation, led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, presumably to rapidly scale their space technology capabilities for future Golden Dome contract awards. [source] * SpaceX accelerated their IPO timeline, pulling the proposed liquidation date to June 12. [source] Tech Advances * Varda announced a drug development partnership with United Therapeutics. [source] * Casimir came out of stealth, raising $12M for quantum vacuum semiconductor that fcan gnerate . [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • May 11 · 1 hr 29 min

    Weekly Recap #33 + Quindar Interview

    Main Topics Rockets * Rocket Lab announced a partnership with Raytheon and Anduril to execute on Space Based Interceptor contracts issued through Golden Dome. [source] * K2 Space was selected by Anduril to host SBI payloads via their high-powered satellite platforms to fulfill golden dome contracts. [source] * Seagate announced a partnership with Firefly Aerospace and Lockheed Martin to develop a customized Gateway sea-launch platform for Firefly’s Alpha rocket. [source] * Skyroot, India’s first Space Unicorn, raised $60M at a $1.1 Bn valuation to increase the launch cadence of Vikram-1 and develop the Vikram-2 rocket. [source] * Nayuta Space completed their Pre-Series A funding raising an undisclosed amount of capital to develop and launch their ADHL (Aerodynamic Deceleration and Horizontal Landing) Xuanniao-R launch vehicle in early 2027. [source] Imaging * The US DoD’s Andromeda Program funding increased from $1.84B to $6.24B after extensive lobbying from some of the larger participants. [source] * Scout Space raised a $18M Series A led by Washington Harbour Partners, who continue to be very active in the space market. [source] * MDA announced 41 combined customers - 9 signed contracts and 32 LOIs - for their CHORUS constellation including C and X band SAR data coming from mid-inclination orbits. [source] * Earthdaily won a $1.2M NRO contract to support the use of commercial spectral imaging under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO). [source] * LiveEO raised a €28M+ round, bringing their total capital raised to €72M, to scale its AI powered monitoring platform and achieve 35cm resolution on their 3D stereoscopic imagery. [source] * Ororatech launched 4 Hellenic fire control satellites on CAS500-2 and successfully commissioned them over the past week, establishing the world’s first nationalized satellite system exclusively for wildfire tracking. [source] * Taylor Geospatial unveiled a global map of every agricultural field developed in partnership with the Microsoft AI for Good Lab. [source] Advanced Space Systems * Rocket Lab announced the intent to acquire Motiv Space Systems, acquiring both their robotics prowess and their specialized components, to be rebranded as Rocket Lab Robotics. [source] * Anthropic has partnered with SpaceX for Data Center usage for Claude including 300 MW of SpaceX’s Colossus-1 megacomputer and potential interest in developing multiple GW of orbital data center capacity. [source] * Pixxel announced a partnership with Sarvam to build the Pathfinder Orbital Data Center leveraging Pixxel’s space technology expertise and Sarvam’s AI platform for the 200kg project to launch as early as Q4 2026. [source] * Interlune won a NASA helium-3 extraction feasibility contract through an SBIR Phase 3 for $6.9M. [source] * Lunar Outpost raised a $30M series B to accelerate production of their advanced robotic mobility platforms and execute on their pipeline on the back of four consecutive years of doubled revenues. [source] * Overview Energy was awarded a USAF contract for the remote capture and transmission of solar energy to provide power resilience among DoW projects. [source] Business Moves * Astranis raised a $450M Series E led by Snowpoint and Franklin Templeton at a $2.8B valuation with the goal of accelerating satellite production for commercial customers and positioning themselves as a New Prime via US Government Programs of Record. [source] * Hawkeye360 raised $416M with their IPO at a $3.15 B valuation, opening above the $26 offer price at $33.80. [source] * Polish smallsat propulsion company Liftero to IPO via NewConnect through the Warsaw Stock Exchange as an alternative to raising private capital for their next goals in growth and product delivery.[source] * Swissto12 won a German Partnership with the HPS/LSS consortium out of Munich for a GEO altitude D2D satellite. [source] * Viasat won a $307M marine corps satcom contract with the focus of providing global communication connectivity under the MECS2 program including bandwidth capacity and end-to-end managed services such as wireless and cell service. [source] Tech Advances * Two Russian satellites operated within 10ft of each other on orbit as COSMOS 2581 and 2583 conduct the RPO, while COSMOS 2582 trailed the formation at roughly 100 km distance. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

  • May 4 · 59 min

    Weekly Update #32

    Main Topics Comms * York Space announced the purchase of ALL.SPACE for ~$355M in a scope style acquisition to expand York Space’s ground and mobile terminal technology capabilities while making ALL.SPACE a subsidiary that will continue operations. [source] * Celestial Acquisition Co acquired Nokia’s Modul8 space cellular division after Nokia broke the Modul8 team out to a separate business entity earlier this year in an undisclosed acquisition price that involved $40M in debt financing from Scotia Bank. [source] * The USSF awarded $11.2M to BAE to demo Golden Dome satellite comms with radios for Link-182 capability deployment, providing resilient communication solutions for the proliferated satellite architecture. [source] * Viasat F3 satellite successfully launched, deployed solar arrays, and commissioned earlier this week and is now set to begin its ascent to final Geostationary orbit to deliver 1Tbps of throughput to the APAC region. [source] Imaging * DARPA announced they’ve selected Quantum Space and Revolution Space as well as Benchmark for execution of the LASSO program. [source] * The Government of Canada terminated Spire Global Canada’s $72 million WildFireSat contract for convenience, indicating a mismatch in needs rather than an inability to execute on the contract. [source] * Planet and Carbon Mapper announced a partnership to use Tanager for methane tracking starting with the hyperspectral camera’s first flight in 2028. [source] Defense * True Anomaly raised a $650M Series D round of funding bringing total capital raised for True Anomaly to over $1B at a valuation of over $2.2B. [source] * The USSF issued $3M contracts to Assurance Technology, Raptor Dynamix, and Innovative Signal Analysis to develop radar counter-surveillance for GEO satellites. [source] * Spaceflux raised £9M led by Blackfinch Ventures to develop and commercialize their ground optics product offerings for space situational awareness. [source] Business Moves * Seraphim Space announced their intent to raise $454M after demonstrating 411% returns over the last 3 years with the goal of helping the 85% of their portfolio that are EBITDA positive to achieve exit, grow their accelerator infrastructure, and enter growth-stage deals. [source] * Chinese reusable rocket launch company Cosmoleap raised $73M led by Qianhai Ark and Puhua Capital to deliver on their debut launch in 2027. [source] * SpaceX’s CAS500-2 launched 45 satellites including 6 Earth Daily/Loft satellites, a plethora of satellites from HEO and Planet Labs, and True Anomaly’s Jackal. [source] * Roscosmos debuted the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle which is a refurbishment of the existing Zenit launch vehicle. [source] Tech Advances * Meta signed a 1GW supply contract with Overview Energy to provide power gathered in space to a terrestrial data center. [source] * DPhi’s Clustergate-2 successfully ran LiquidAI’s LLM on orbit after successfully launching and deploying on Vigoride 7 earlier last month. [source] * BioOrbit closed a $13.2M seed round marking the largest seed round in history for orbital pharmaceuticals. [source] * Extreme Environment Shielding Materials Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology published research about radiation shielding material boasting massive shielding efficiency at a groundbreaking mass and volume profile. [source] Get full access to Space Times at spacetimespod.substack.com/subscribe

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