Starbridge Out and About in DC
Michael is currently helping to shape the future of space policy on The Hill during March Storm and will be moderating the, 'When is Commercialization the Right Choice?' panel at the Goddard Symposium this week; will be judging space startup pitches at Satellite next week; and is participating as a panelist at the Hungarian Embassy on the 16th...Michael clearly doesn’t know how to say 'no', so be sure to say "hello!" if you’ll also be attending any of these events!
Portfolio News
Axiom
Lynk
Space Force to launch ‘marketplace’ for satellite-to-cellular communications services
Lynk was involved in the formation of this initiative
Offworld.AI
SpaceX
A new crew is on its way to the International Space Station after a Crew Dragon launch overnight
Crew-6 launched 3 days later than scheduled due to a technical problem and is carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and Emirati astronaut Sultan Alneyadi
General Space News
U.S. Army extends Maxar’s contract for 3D geospatial data
Maxar is using SAR data to improve its detailed 'digital twin' data product for on-demand virtual environments. Starbridge portfolio company, Umbra, recently signed a contract with Maxar.Back in 2018, United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing, was deep in negotiations with a private equity fund to acquire the company from its parents. That deal fell through, apparently on nothing more than price. Now, it appears, ULA is considering selling itself again. It is interesting to contemplate what the impact to the industry would be with a newly independent ULA in Northern Alabama.
Payload Space ran a poll earlier in the week to see how accurate its headers might be on such a topic
This week's dustup on space twitter was the result of a badly written New York Times piece on how Starlink and other low Earth orbit constellations affect space-based astronomy. What the article missed is that Hubble's orbit has deteriorated so much that it is encroaching on orbits significantly below where it was originally intended. The first person to point this out to the author was Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who proposed using a commercial Starship mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope to an orbit above most LEO constellations.
Other Space News
Space Force looks to energize industry with next round of launch contracts
Japan’s H3 rocket launch fails after second stage malfunction
White House cybersecurity strategy warns of ‘complex threat environment’
China’s Shenzhou-15 astronauts conduct secretive second spacewalk
Raytheon wins $250 million contract for missile-tracking satellites
Rocket Lab reconsidering mid-air recovery of Electron boosters
Boeing’s ground system for U.S. satellite communications passes key test
Antenna verification framework now accepting drone measurements
JPL making progress on Psyche independent review recommendations