Space Force chief attends Starship launch; European companies push for more government contracts
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 11/21/2024 | | | | | The head of the Space Force attended the latest Starship launch, showing the interest of the Pentagon in that launch vehicle. Gen. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force's chief of space operations, was invited to attend Tuesday's launch, the Space Force confirmed, and also participated in two days of program reviews. While no immediate commitments have been made to integrate Starship into military operations, Saltzman's presence signals military interest in the technology. Starship, with its massive payload capacity, has the potential to support military logistics and space operations, including rapid cargo delivery. [SpaceNews]
The incoming Trump administration may spur a new wave of space industry investment. Attendees of an investment conference Wednesday said that they expect increased defense spending in both the U.S. and Europe, providing certainty in long-term spending that will prompt investors to put money into space companies. The potential for reduced regulations may also benefit space companies and trigger more investment, they said. [SpaceNews]
European investors and companies want governments there to provide more contracts to space companies. At Space Tech Expo Europe on Wednesday, panelists said European governments should be willing to take more risk and provide contracts to companies for new capabilities, following the models of U.S. agencies like NASA and the Space Development Agency. That is preferable, they added, to simply providing technology grants that can advance technologies but not necessarily business models. [SpaceNews]
Inversion Space has raised $44 million to continue work on reentry vehicles. The company announced the Series A round Wednesday led by Spark Capital and Adjacent, with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, Kindred Ventures and Y Combinator. The funding will allow the company to grow and complete development of Arc, a reentry vehicle capable of high-precision landings on Earth that it plans to start flying in 2026. The company is preparing to launch a technology demonstrator for Arc, called Ray, on the upcoming Transporter-12 rideshare mission. [SpaceNews]
Lockheed Martin plans to launch the first of a new line of satellites next year. The company says it will launch its first LM 400 satellite on a Firefly Alpha rocket in mid-2025 on a tech demo mission. The LM 400 satellite bus, roughly the size of a household refrigerator, represents Lockheed's bid to capture a sweet spot in the satellite market: missions requiring more power and payload capacity than small satellites can provide, but not demanding the complexity of traditional large satellites. [SpaceNews]
Lunar Outpost will use Starship to deliver an Artemis lunar rover to the moon. The company announced Thursday it signed an agreement with SpaceX to use Starship to land its Lunar Outpost Eagle rover on the moon, concluding it was the best, most mature options of several it considered. Lunar Outpost is developing the rover as one of three companies in the first phase of NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) services program. The company says it will continue work on the rover to serve commercial customers even if it is not selected by NASA for the next phase of the LTV program. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | A Progress cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after a launch this morning. A Soyuz-2.1a lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 7:22 a.m. Eastern and placed the Progress MS-29 spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft, with a payload of 2.5 metric tons of cargo for the station, will dock with the station's Poisk module on Saturday. [NASA]
Lockheed Martin is working with Finnish radar imaging company Iceye on how to use AI for improved targeting. The initiative leverages Lockheed Martin's automated target recognition (ATR) algorithms, which use artificial intelligence to analyze satellite imagery and identify objects or targets. The company will develop AI algorithms using Iceye's synthetic aperture radar imagery. Finland's military plans to use the technology for mobile intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. [SpaceNews]
China has successfully tested the payload fairing for its Long March 10 rocket. The fairing separation test was conducted recently, according to a statement Wednesday from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. A short clip of the separation test shows the 5.0-meter-diameter, 5.0-meter-high fairing, designed to protect spacecraft from the atmosphere during ascent, falling away to reveal a structural test article. The separation test is one of a number of milestones needed in order to get the Long March 10, a key element of China's human lunar exploration plans, ready for a first launch currently targeted for 2026. [SpaceNews]
German launch services provider Exolaunch will use its new Exotube adapter for six constellation launches starting in 2026. Exotube is a universal modular adapter for integration, launch and deployment of spacecraft ranging from cubesats to 500-kilogram satellites. An unidentified constellation developer is a customer for six Exotube launchers starting in 2026. Exotube is designed for use on multiple launch vehicles and is intended to serve growing demand for rideshare launches as SpaceX Transporter missions fill up years in advance. [SpaceNews]
Teledyne Space Imaging is collaborating with Satlantis to develop key electronics for an Earth and deep space sensor. Satlantis will develop electronics for the CIS125 TDI detector that Teledyne is making for high-resolution imaging, the companies announced Wednesday at Space Tech Expo Europe. The partnership is a significant step forward in making such imaging sensors accessible to the commercial space sector, according to Teledyne. [SpaceNews]
Australia's space agency will help India's human spaceflight program. India's space agency ISRO signed an implementing agreement with the Australian Space Agency Wednesday regarding Australia's support for the Ganganyaan program. That includes Australian assistance in search and rescue activities when Gaganyaan spacecraft splash down near Australian waters in the event of a launch abort. [ISRO]
| | | | | | Legal Science Is Harder Than Rocket Science
"That whole regulatory regime and legal environment is at least as challenging as the technical capability of doing it. The engineers in my company would probably not want to hear me say that, but I think the lawyers would be very happy to hear me say that."
– Andrew Faiola, commercial director at Astroscale U.K., discussing the challenges of orbital debris removal during a panel Wednesday at Space Tech Expo Europe
| | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Check out the latest episode of Commercial Space Transformers, our new video series featuring conversations between SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and the people driving the space industry's commercial transformation. This week, MDA Space CEO Mike Greenley dives into his company's evolution from subcontractor to constellation prime to capitalize on the industry's growing preference for satellite builders with advanced payload expertise.
Watch out for new episodes every Tuesday on SpaceNews.com and on the SpaceNews YouTube channel.
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