Plus: A timeframe for the next New Glenn launch
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: the era of continuously maneuvering satellites, Kuiper and Starlink launch more satellites, Planet expands in Germany and more.
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Top Stories
The military is increasingly adopting satellite strategies where spacecraft are not just refueled but able to maneuver continuously. U.S. companies in the emerging in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) sector are working to better understand military needs, officials said at the Air Space & Cyber conference this week. Topics like "dynamic space operations" and "sustained space maneuver" are now part of regular conversations among companies. Military officials stress that these capabilities go beyond simply extending satellite operational life by adding fuel, but would also enable satellites to survive threats and create challenges for adversaries. The Space Force says the upcoming RG-XX program for surveillance satellites in GEO will "absolutely" have a refueling requirement. [SpaceNews]
The second New Glenn launch is now expected late next month or early in November. An official with NASA's Launch Services Program said after Wednesday's Falcon 9 launch of three space weather missions that the New Glenn launch of NASA's ESCAPADE Mars smallsat mission was planned for "very late" October or the first week of November. The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft are back in Florida for launch preparations, NASA and spacecraft manufacturer Rocket Lab said earlier this week. This will be the first New Glenn launch since the vehicle's inaugural flight in January. [SpaceNews]
Zeno Power has signed a deal with a French company to secure a supply of nuclear fuel for its radioisotope power systems. The company said Wednesday that Orano, a French nuclear recycler, will provide a steady supply of americium-241 that Zeno plans to use for the power systems it seeks to offer to NASA and others. Zeno is also developing strontium-fueled batteries under a Department of Defense contract for shorter, maritime-focused missions. [SpaceNews]
Axiom Space signed a contract with Redwire for solar arrays to power a commercial space station module. The companies announced Thursday that Redwire will provide its ROSA solar arrays for Axiom's Payload Power Thermal Module, or AxPPTM, the first module of Axiom's planned commercial space station. AxPPTM will launch in late 2027 and be temporarily installed on the International Space Station before detaching to serve as part of Axiom's standalone commercial station. The companies did not disclose terms of the deal but executives hinted that the partnership between the companies could expand. [SpaceNews]
British startup Space Forge will work with an American company to examine space-based manufacturing of semiconductors. Space Forge said this week it signed an agreement with United Semiconductors to examine how semiconductors for electromagnetic sensors and quantum computing could be produced in space. Space Forge will design and develop processes and equipment for advanced-materials deposition compatible with its ForgeStar manufacturing satellite, while United Semiconductors will design equipment for in-space manufacturing, identify suitable materials and perform wafer processing and testing. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
An Atlas 5 launched a new batch of Amazon Project Kuiper satellites this morning. The Atlas 5 551 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 8:09 a.m. Eastern. The KA-03 mission has 27 Kuiper satellites on board scheduled to be deployed about an hour after liftoff. This was the third Atlas launch of operational Kuiper satellites and the fifth overall for the constellation, which now has more than 100 satellites in orbit of a planned constellation of more than 3,200. [Space.com]
The Kuiper launch came hours after SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:36 a.m. Eastern. It deployed 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit about an hour after liftoff. [UPI]
Arianespace won a contract Wednesday to launch a pair of German military communications satellites. The contract, awarded by satellite manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space, covers the launch of the two SATCOMBw Stufe 3 satellites for the German military. Each will launch on an Ariane 6, although the company did not disclose launch dates for either spacecraft. [Arianespace]
Germany's Isar Aerospace signed a contract for launching a pair of satellites for startup R-Space. The contract, announced Wednesday, is for the launch of the two satellites on Isar's Spectrum rocket in 2026 from Norway's Andøya Spaceport. R-Space will use the satellites to perform in-orbit validation of technologies for its customers. [Isar Aerospace]
Planet will build a new satellite manufacturing complex in Germany. Planet announced Thursday it will invest an "eight-figure sum" into a Berlin factory that will double the production rate of its Pelican high-resolution imaging satellites, currently built in San Francisco. The facility will add 70 jobs to the 150 the company already has in Berlin, its European headquarters. Planet won a contract worth 240 million euros ($282 million) from the German government in July for satellite imagery services. [Reuters]
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When Tears Can't Flow
| "There are stressful moments and there are fun moments. There's a lot of laughter. And, when you laugh in space to the point where you cry tears of joy, they just stick right in your eyeballs. I always thought that was hilarious."
| – NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis 2 mission, speaking at a press conference Wednesday about the upcoming mission.
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