Top News From the 2025 SmallSat Symposium
 | | This week, SpaceNews journalists are reporting from the SmallSat Symposium, held in Mountain View, California. We'll be bringing highlights to your inbox — for full coverage, go to SpaceNews.com. | | | | | By Jason Rainbow, Feb. 4, 2025 | | | | | The shift toward standardized, modular satellite platforms that can serve as the foundation for multiple missions is reshaping the role of vertical integration in the industry, manufacturers said Feb. 4 during the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley. Instead of designing a unique satellite for each mission, companies are increasingly adopting a common platform and swapping out payloads to meet different customer needs.
This shift is refueling a long-running debate over whether owning every part of the supply chain is the most effective way to control cost and performance in the space industry.
While some, like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, are doubling down on in-house production to ensure tight control over supply chains and manufacturing timelines, others are leaning on a diversified supplier base to balance standardization with flexibility. Read More | | | | | | More News From the SmallSat Symposium | | | | | KSAT expands role in satellite operations By Debra Werner Norway's Kongsberg Satellite Services is expanding its role in satellite operations for government and commercial customers. After years of preparation, KSAT established a Satellite Operations Center at its headquarters in Tromsø, Norway. A second facility in Denver "ensures we are resilient throughout operations," Eivind de Badts, KSAT director of satellite operations, said Feb. 4. Read More
Mission Space to launch first sensors for space-weather constellation By Debra Werner Florida startup Mission Space is preparing to launch a space-weather sensor on the SpaceX Transporter-13 rideshare as soon as March 1. The sensor, Zohar-1, hosted and operated by DPhi Space, will monitor solar activity, radiation levels and magnetospheric disturbances. Miami-based Mission Space plans to establish a constellation of 24 Zohar sensors to meet industry and government demand for high-resolution, multipoint space weather measurement data. Read More
OurSky and PlaneWave Instruments merge to create Observable Space By Debra Werner Los Angeles startup OurSky announced a merger Feb. 4 with telescope manufacturer PlaneWave Instruments to create Observable Space, a vertically integrated software and hardware products company. The new company plans to offer accessible software-defined telescopes and a platform for real-time space data and analysis "to fill the critical gaps in today's space observation capabilities," according to a news release. In addition, Observable Space intends to establish "the world's largest telescope network." Read More
Beck says space industry benefited from SPAC mania
By Jeff Foust The previous wave of investment in the space industry resulted in funding of "silly" ideas but was "fantastic" for the industry overall, the chief executive of Rocket Lab argues. In a video keynote, Peter Beck defended the wave of deals in the industry that include companies going public through special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) mergers even though many of those companies have since faltered. "The SPAC frenzy was a crazy, crazy time," he said. "Truthfully, a lot of companies went public that just should not have." Read More | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Check out the latest episode of our new podcast, Space Minds. Join David Ariosto, Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, and their takes on the week's biggest news.
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