Plus: An L-band spectrum swap and Toyota's play for space
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 01/07/2025 | | | | | AST SpaceMobile is acquiring spectrum from Ligado Networks, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The companies announced Monday an agreement granting AST SpaceMobile access to up to 40 megahertz of L-band Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum in the United States and Canada, plus 5 megahertz of adjacent spectrum in the United States. In exchange, Ligado would receive warrants convertible into AST SpaceMobile shares in 12 months, currently valued at about $120 million, and $80 million in annual cash payments under a lease agreement extending at least 80 years. The deal was announced in conjunction with a restructuring plan by Ligado, which filed for Chapter 11 after plans to use L-band spectrum for a terrestrial 5G network stalled over GPS interference concerns. Ligado said it will continue a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government seeking $40 billion in damages for blocking its use of that spectrum. [SpaceNews]
The CEO of Sierra Space has left the company. Sierra Space said Monday that Tom Vice retired as CEO at the end of 2024, but did not elaborate on his departure, which had not been previously announced. Vice was CEO of the company for three and a half years, since it was spun out of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to focus on development of the Dream Chaser spaceplane and other systems. The chairman of the board of Sierra Space, Fatih Ozmen, will serve as interim CEO of the company. [SpaceNews]
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions won a $1.45 billion Defense Department contract for hypersonics testing. The five-year contract, announced Monday, will support the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program for testing hypersonics systems. Kratos will lead a team of contractors including Leidos, Rocket Lab and Stratolaunch, leveraging commercial infrastructure and launch providers to increase the frequency of hypersonic flight tests. The contract is one of the Pentagon's largest-ever investments in hypersonic testing infrastructure. [SpaceNews]
Toyota is investing in Japanese space startup Interstellar Technologies. Woven by Toyota, the automobile company's mobility technology arm, will invest $44 million into Interstellar to help the company expand rocket and satellite manufacturing. Toyota is expected to provide additional funding by June. Interstellar is working on the Zero launch vehicle and plans to expand into satellite manufacturing. Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corp. chairman, said Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that his company was exploring roles in launch vehicles "because the future of mobility shouldn't be limited to just Earth — or just one car company for that matter." [SpaceNews]
NASA argues the moon is a critical testbed for technologies needed for future human missions to Mars. While SpaceX's Elon Musk has recently suggested little interest in going to the moon, focusing instead on Mars missions, NASA officials said at the AIAA SciTech Forum Monday that they see benefits to testing technologies on the moon that will be needed for Mars. Those technologies range from life support to fission power, which NASA recently baselined as the power system for Mars surface activities as part of the overall Moon to Mars Architecture. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | China launched a satellite servicing technology demonstration mission Monday. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 3:00 p.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and placed the Shijian-25 spacecraft into orbit. Shijian-25 will be used for "satellite fuel replenishment and life extension service technology verification" according to its manufacturer, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, which did not release additional details about the spacecraft. The Shijian-25 mission suggests China is focusing on advancing capabilities for maintaining and prolonging the operational lifespan of satellites already in orbit. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites Monday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:43 p.m. Eastern and placed 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the second this year by SpaceX and the first of Starlink satellites; nearly 90 of SpaceX's 134 Falcon launches in 2024 were for Starlink. [Orlando Sentinel]
Blue Origin confirmed late Monday it will attempt the first launch of New Glenn as soon as Friday. The company said it is working toward a launch Friday at 1 a.m. Eastern at the opening of a three-hour window. The NG-1 mission will carry a technology demonstration payload for its Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle and also serve as the first certification flight of the rocket for the U.S. Space Force. [Blue Origin]
The Italian government denied reports it is signing a contract with SpaceX for Starlink secure connectivity services. The government said Monday that it did not sign a contract during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's meeting over the weekend with Musk and President-elect Trump, but acknowledged that it is in discussions with SpaceX. A report over the weekend said Italy was finalizing a five-year deal with 1.5 billion euros to acquire Starlink services for secure government communications. The report raised concerns in Europe about Italy's commitment to the IRIS² constellation, although an EU spokesperson said Monday that Italy "for sure" would be part of IRIS². [Euronews]
| | | | | | Acronyms Within Acronyms
"This is a real NASA mission because it has nested acronyms."
– JPL Director Laurie Leshin, discussing the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission in a talk Monday at the AIAA SciTech Forum.
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