Industry Struggles With Smallsat Demand - SpaceNews This Week

Top stories of the week from SpaceNews

A weekly roundup of the top SpaceNews stories from this week, every Friday Welcome to our weekly roundup. This week's top story is an investigation into supply chain issues, legal woes and other challenges arising from manufacturers' struggles to keep pace with the U.S. Defense Department's growing demand for large constellations of small, frequently launched. Read on! Our Top Story Suppliers struggle as military embraces small satellites By Sandra Erwin and Debra Werner, April 18, 2024 WASHINGTON — A surge in demand for small satellites to support national security space programs is exposing weaknesses in the U.S. space industrial base, leading to supply chain issues as the military prioritizes rapid deployment of constellations. In the latest sign of the strain, defense contractor L3Harris Technologies has sued one of its suppliers, the aerospace firm Moog Inc., in federal court, alleging Moog failed to timely deliver critical satellite components and that parts it did provide were defective. The lawsuit, filed in late March in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, is the latest flashpoint in the space industry's struggle to adapt to the military's shift toward smaller, more affordable satellites, led by the Space Development Agency. Other News From the Week COMMERCIAL Astra considered bankruptcy as it struggled to raise cash Spacecraft propulsion and launch vehicle company Astra Space considered filing for bankruptcy several times in recent months as the company struggled to raise cash. China to leverage growing commercial space sector to launch megaconstellations China will utilize expected launch capacity from the country's emergent commercial space sector to help realize its megaconstellation plans. Virgin Galactic proposes reverse stock split Virgin Galactic will ask shareholders to approve a reverse stock split intended to boost the falling share price of the suborbital spaceflight company. CIVIL & POLITICAL NEWS Nelson defends "very tough choices" in NASA's budget proposal NASA Administrator Bill Nelson defended the agency's plans to cut back or cancel some agency programs at a House hearing, placing much of the blame at the feet of Congress. NASA open to significantly reduced return of Mars samples NASA is willing to consider proposals for revamping its Mars Sample Return program that would return as few as 10 sample tubes, a fraction of the number originally planned. Sweden signs Artemis Accords Sweden signed the Artemis Accords outlining best practices for responsible space exploration April 16, the second European country in as many days to join. IMPORTANT DEBATES Sci-Fi Showdown at Space Symposium: Complete transcript of the Star Trek vs Star Wars debate Aside from the usual closing festivities, one final-day highlight of the 39th Space Symposium was a heated debate of sci-fi fandoms. Moderated by SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jeff Foust, the April 11 debate saw Team Star Trek, represented by Redwire Chief Growth Officer Mike Gold and NASA Chief Technologist A.C. Charania, go head-to-head with Team Star Wars, consisting of Jessica Noble, general counsel at iSpace Technologies U.S. and Camille Bergin, better known as The Galactic Gal. Copyright (C) 2024 Multiverse Media Inc.. All rights reserved. You signed up to receive this newsletter on Spacenews.com. At times you may receive marketing material. Our mailing address is: Multiverse Media Inc. 100 Fillmore St. 5th Floor Denver, CO 80206 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe