 | Top Stories
The European Space Agency awarded a contract to a group led by Kepler Communications for a LEO optical relay network. The contract, announced Wednesday at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and worth 36 million euros ($39 million), covers early design work for the LEO phase of ESA's High Throughput Optical Network (HydRON) program. HydRON is a multi-orbit, terabit-per-second transport system that would extend the reach of terrestrial fiber networks. Kepler previously served as a subcontractor in two competing groups that secured ESA contracts in 2022 to conduct feasibility studies for HydRON, one led by Airbus and the other by Thales Alenia Space, and later became the head of the Airbus team. [SpaceNews]
Axiom Space showed off the design of the spacesuit it is developing for Artemis lunar missions in cooperation with Prada. Axiom and Prada revealed the suit design at an event Wednesday at IAC, a collaboration that started a year ago. Prada is providing Axiom with its expertise in fabrics and garment production to help create the outer layer of the suit. Axiom says development of the suit remains on schedule to support the Artemis 3 mission, currently projected for late 2026. [SpaceNews]
Astrolab, one of the companies with a NASA award to design a rover for use on later Artemis missions, is planning to develop a smaller rover. The company announced Tuesday at IAC that it is working on a smaller version of its FLEX rover called FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform, or FLIP, that it will have ready to launch as soon as the end of next year. FLIP will test technologies like batteries and tires planned for FLEX and also accommodate 30-50 kilograms of payload. Astrolab says it is looking at options for landers to take FLIP to the moon. [SpaceNews]
Inversion, a startup developing vehicles to return cargo from orbit, has received an FAA license for its first mission. The company announced Tuesday that it received the FAA reentry license for Ray, a tech demo mission slated to launch on SpaceX's Transporter-12 rideshare mission next month. Ray will spend at least a week in orbit before performing a deorbit burn and splashing down in the ocean off the California coast. Inversion is just the second company to get a reentry license from the FAA under a set of regulations called Part 450. [SpaceNews]
The U.S. Army is accelerating investments in space-based technologies to address threats from China and Russia. Those technologies, discussed at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference Tuesday, include new satellite navigation receivers designed to resist jamming, as well as multi-orbit communication systems and increased use of commercial satellite imagery. A focus on space technologies has been accelerated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where Russian forces have deployed sophisticated jammers to disrupt Ukraine's use of GPS-guided weapons and drones. [SpaceNews]
If space companies want to attract investors, they should talk less about space, some experts advise. At a session during IAC this week, panelists advised companies to talk less about space technologies but instead focus on their applications and markets. When investment in space-related capabilities can be understood in terms of well-established terrestrial markets, institutional investors are more likely to show interest, they advised. That is particularly true in regions like Europe where investors are more risk averse and less willing to invest in space companies. [SpaceNews]
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| Other News
China launched the second set of satellites for its "Thousand Sails" broadband megaconstellation Tuesday. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 7:06 a.m. Eastern and deployed 18 of the Qianfan satellites into low Earth orbit. This mission will be closely watched since the previous Long March 6A launch of Qianfan satellites in August led to the breakup of the rocket's upper stage, creating hundreds of pieces of hazardous debris. Astronomers were also alarmed by the brightness of those satellites, which are far brighter than Starlink or OneWeb satellites. China plans to ultimately deploy 14,000 satellites for the constellation. [SpaceNews]
China also launched an Earth observation satellite Tuesday. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off at 7:45 p.m. Eastern and placed the Gaofen-12 05 satellite into orbit. The satellite is the latest in a series that provides imagery for civil applications. [Xinhua]
Orbital debris experts warn of growing challenges posed by megaconstellations. Perspectives on how to deal with debris vary wildly between governments and companies, as well as between operators of large constellations and individual satellites. For example, since there aren't general rules of the road, operators whose satellites transit through the orbital shell of a large constellation are forging agreements with the constellation operators. The topic is a focus area at IAC this week, with dozens of papers on debris detection, tracking and related legal, policy and economic considerations. [SpaceNews]
Insurance for suborbital spaceflight companies will be expensive, at least initially. A study by PwC Strategy& of the Netherlands and the Italian National Aviation Authority presented at IAC this week concluded liability insurance would be expensive given the lack of spaceflight experience by companies. It could cause ticket prices to rise by 30% to 60% if there are not protections in place like government indemnification. [SpaceNews]
The sun is reaching the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. Scientists said Tuesday that they conclude the sun is at the peak of "Cycle 25" and will remain there for another year or so before activity starts to subside. That peak of activity has resulted in brilliant auroral displays, but solar storms that produce auroras also threaten satellites and the electrical grid. [Space.com]
Blue Origin is donating a New Shepard vehicle to the National Air and Space Museum. The museum said Tuesday that Blue Origin will donate the New Shepard capsule called "RSS First Step" once that capsule, currently in active service, is retired. A Blue Origin booster called Propulsion Module 4-2, which is now retired, will also be donated, with a mockup of the capsule accompanying it until RSS First Step is no longer in service. That propulsion module will be displayed in the "missile pit" portion of the renovated museum alongside several missiles and rockets. [collectSPACE]
| |  | Admiral Administrator
"You mean I'm being compared to Admiral Nelson? Well, thank you very much."
– NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a briefing at IAC Tuesday when he was asked if he was "turning a blind eye" to problems with Artemis like the British Admiral Horatio Nelson.
| | | A premier press release service designed to elevate your company's visibility and target our audience. Publish your company's press release with Stellar Dispatch today. Announcing DSI's 11th Annual Space Resiliency Summit
By Defense Strategies Institute | | | |
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