Plus: An innovation bridge between India and the United States
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| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 02/18/2025 | | | | | Ursa Major is accelerating work on a rocket engine it believes could play a role in the proposed "Iron Dome for America" missile defense system. The company argues the Draper liquid-propulsion engine it is developing fits the need for the kind of better propulsion technology required for high-performance interceptor missiles, ones that can operate from the ground or from space. Draper relies on kerosene and hydrogen peroxide propellants, allowing it to be used in missiles that are stored for long periods. Ursa Major performed ground tests of the 4,000-pound-force engine last year and is planning a flight-testing campaign to further mature the design and explore military applications, as well as commercial uses in space tugs and in-space transportation. [SpaceNews]
Smallsat manufacturer AAC Clyde Space is starting work on a constellation for maritime domain awareness. Satellites in the INFLECION constellation will be equipped with signals intelligence and synthetic aperture radar payloads to track shipping. The company plans to operate the constellation, expected to be deployed by 2028, as part of efforts to grow its services business. Initial work on INFLECION is supported by an 850,000 euro ($890,000) contract from ESA, while the total constellation is estimated to cost 30.7 million euros. [SpaceNews]
The United States and India are expanding a technology innovation partnership to include space. The two countries announced last week the creation of INDUS Innovation, an "innovation bridge" between the two countries to support work on space, energy and other emerging technologies. It is based on INDUS-X, which has assisted cooperation between American and Indian companies in the defense sector, including some space applications. INDUS Innovation was announced as part of a joint statement between the two countries that also highlighted continued cooperation in civil and commercial space. [SpaceNews]
Beijing is scaling up its commercial space ambitions with new policies, infrastructure investments and potentially record-setting launch targets. A conference last week announced the creation of eight labs for space-related research in the city, part of efforts to bolster the commercial space ecosystem in the region. Beijing hosts the headquarters of companies such as Landspace, Galactic Energy, iSpace and Space Pioneer and has the highest concentration of commercial internet satellite companies in China. These efforts are part of a wider range of local and provincial-level initiatives across China to help spur the growth of the commercial space sector. [SpaceNews]
The space industry is turning to more conventional ways of going public after the SPAC boom and bust. Karman Space and Defense went public last week using a traditional initial public offering (IPO) while Voyager Technologies has announced plans for its own IPO. Industry officials say that may prompt more growth-oriented space firms to go public through IPOs after an earlier wave of companies used SPAC mergers but, in many cases, underperformed. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | A Falcon 9 scheduled to launch later today will make a landing near the Bahamas. The Falcon 9 launching a batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral will take a different trajectory than usual, with the booster attempting to make a droneship landing near the Exuma Islands. SpaceX reached an agreement with the government of the Bahamas to allow booster landings in Bahamian waters to enable launches on alternative trajectories. [Florida Today]
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy invited SpaceX officials to provide advice on air traffic control improvements. Duffy said on social media late Sunday that a team from SpaceX would tour the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Northern Virginia Monday to "envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system." It wasn't clear what insights SpaceX could offer to improve air traffic control, but the announcement raised new concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX but also the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency. [SpaceNews]
The government of Vietnam is changing its rules to allow Starlink to operate in the country. Discussions between SpaceX and Vietnam broke down in late 2023 because of restrictions on foreign control of satellite internet providers in the country. However, revisions to those rules set to be adopted this week would allow foreign companies to maintain control of operations in the country as part of a pilot program that would run through 2030. That would open the door for Starlink to provide services in the country without giving up control to local interests. [Reuters]
The first privately built Indian PSLV rocket is scheduled to launch later this year. The rocket, scheduled to launch in the third quarter, will carry an experimental spacecraft called TDS-1 to test 35 satellite technologies, from propulsion to quantum payloads. A consortium that includes Indian companies HAL and L&T is building PSLV vehicles as part of efforts by Indian to privatize elements of its space program. [The Times of India]
Malaysia is moving ahead with a remote sensing satellite program. A government minister said Tuesday that the National Remote Sensing Satellite Development Programme is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, reducing the country's reliance on data from foreign satellites. The government also stated it plans to ratify the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention. [The Vibes]
| | | | | | Space Bros and Rocket Ma'ams
| | | | "The Space Bros and the Rocket Ma'ams of SpaceX would be coming to the rescue!"
โ From an article in Air Mail about the problems with Boeing's Starliner commercial crew spacecraft.
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