Satellite News

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced it has signed a dedicated launch contract with Astroscale Japan Inc. Scheduled for lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in 2023, the Electron rocket will launch the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite, which has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Phase I of its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Project (CRD2).

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Xona Space Systems announced that it has raised a new funding round co-led by Seraphim Space Investment Trust and MaC Venture Capital, with participation from Toyota Ventures, Daniel Ammann (co-founder of u-blox), and Ryan Johnson (former CEO of BlackBridge, operator of the Rapideye constellation). Follow-on investors also include 1517 Fund and Stellar Solutions.

OneWeb announced that it has completed its acquisition of Texas-based TrustComm Inc., a provider of managed satellite communications and professional services to commercial and governments organisations. OneWeb announced the planned acquisition of TrustComm in May and received all necessary regulatory approvals enabling the transaction to close.

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) and SES announced the successful first demonstration of a new multi-orbit satellite communications (SATCOM) capability for remotely piloted aircraft.

The U.S. Space Force will take over satellite communications billets, funding and mission responsibility from the U.S. Army and Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

Honeywell has added three new products to its lineup of space offerings. The newest additions include Honeywell’s X Band Downlink Transmitter and Optical Communication Terminal (OCT), which enable high-bandwidth data to be transmitted both down to Earth and between satellites. Additionally, Honeywell is debuting a new line of Commercial Series reaction wheel assemblies (RWAs) specifically designed for commercial space satellites.

NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to build the Orion Main Engine (OME), the primary propulsion element for NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will be used to explore deep space.

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed two contracts with ArianeGroup to deliver technology to Europe’s new Ariane 6 launcher, managed and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).