Portfolio Company News
SpaceX
SpaceX gets a $1.9 million Air Force contract for Starlink services in Europe and Africa
The US Air Force Special Operations Command awarded SpaceX a $1.9M, 1-year contract, to support military airlift units based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Sky Perfect JSAT picks SpaceX’s Starship for 2024 satellite launch
Japanese satellite operator, JSAT, announced that they will be launching their Superbird-9 Satellite on SpaceX’s Starship rocket in 2024. This contract with SKY Perfect JSAT is one of the first contracts announced by a commercial satellite operator to launch on Starship.
Lynk
Space 5G is Ready for Its Launchpad Countdown
5G will soon go extraterrestrial. Taking a page from the famous catchphrase from hit 1980s movie about a space alien befriended by some earthling kids, satellite-based cellular networks will allow you to phone home from just about anywhere.
General Space News
Late last week, Vice President Kamala Harris, convened a National Space Council meeting in Oakland, California following closed-door briefings with SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Axiom, Capella, Sierra Space, Maxar, Planet, Nanoracks, and HawkEye 360. Her remarks were fairly unremarkable other than the announcement that the Administration would be moving swiftly to update national space regulations.
Reports suggest that the first regulatory change will be to clarify which agency is ultimately responsible for the authorization and supervision requirements of the Outer Space Treaty (OST). Regulatory oversight of OST is currently split between the FCC and FAA due to inertia and is causing problems. The Department of Transportation thinks it should get the role, but many in Congress and industry would prefer the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce take the lead.
AST SpaceMobile delays commercial satellite debut by six months
AST SpaceMobile announced that, due to supply chain issues, the launch of their first operational satellite would be delayed until late 2023. They also announced that their first five satellites will be half their original size to avoid further delays. They still expect to be launching their prototype satellite, BlueWalker 3, next month.
SLS arrives at the pad for Artemis 1 launch
NASA will be attempting, for a third time, to launch SLS in early September.
D-Orbit cancels SPAC merger plan
Italian company, D-Orbit, announced that it has canceled plans to SPAC through a merger with Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. D-Orbit had originally planned to raise $185M to expand staff and accelerate investments in its orbital transfer vehicle, ION Satellite Carrier.
Astrobotic bids for Masten Space Systems assets
Fellow lunar lander developer, Astrobotic, has made a formal bid of $4.2M for Masten’s assets following their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.
Blue Origin scraps original recovery ship for New Glenn boosters
Blue Origin is scrapping the ship it originally planned to use for landings of New Glenn boosters. The ship had been named after Jeff Bezos’ mother. The company now seems to be focused on barge recovery similar to what SpaceX now does routinely. This change does not appear to be related to Project Jarvis, Blue’s R&D project to develop a reusable upper stage.
ESA to request funding for space-based solar power study
Space-based solar power (SBSP) has been capturing the attention of various Government agencies because of its synergies between DoD and climate change prevention strategies. While the White House has been quietly discussing it, the European Space Agency has jumped on the opportunity aggressively and is now seeking funding for feasibility studies from its member state agencies. Supporters within ESA view space-based solar power as a unique technology and mission that Europe is best suited for.
Other Space News
U.S. Army hands over satellite operations to Space Force, but keeps a foothold in space
France will no longer work with Russia on an instrument for an Indian mission to Venus.
A Chinese reusable experimental spacecraft remains in orbit nearly two weeks after launch.
Redwire is planning the first commercial greenhouse on the ISS.
HawkEye 360 brought two new satellite clusters into service.
Congress has questioned the Defense Department's ability to manage rideshare launches.