By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: the two Maxar companies change their names, Synspective buys 10 more Electron launches, new signs of life on a moon of Saturn and more.
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Top Stories
The two Maxar businesses in geospatial intelligence and space systems are changing their names. Maxar Intelligence is now known as Vantor while Maxar Space Systems has become Lantaris, name changes that took effect Wednesday. The two companies were created from Maxar Technologies after private equity firm Advent International acquired it for $6.4 billion in 2023. The name changes are intended to help make clear that the two companies are separate, as many assumed they were divisions within the same company rather than distinct entities. For Vantor, the new name also signals a strategic pivot from primarily providing Earth imagery from satellites and data analytics to becoming what executives describe as a software and data-focused company centered on intelligence solutions. [SpaceNews]
China is preparing a series of tests and launches in the final quarter of 2025 that are crucial to its crewed moon program and commercial rocket plans. This includes new tests of the Long March 10, the launch vehicle China is developing for sending astronauts to the moon. Another expected test is an in-flight escape test at maximum dynamic pressure of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft. Chinese launch will also enter a crucial period in the final months of 2025, with multiple new rockets close to debut flights including the Long March 12A, Zhuque-3, Tianlong-3 and Gravity-2. [SpaceNews]
Satellite operators are looking to an international regulator for help in avoiding collisions in orbit. During a panel at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Tuesday, American and Chinese satellite operators said one of their biggest problems is finding contact information for operators of satellites that approach their fleets. While the major operators work well with each other, in many cases smaller operators are difficult to contact. They said that the ITU could help by asking member states and operators to submit contact information to them, serving as a trusted third party to facilitate those communications. The ITU plans to discuss the issue at a space sustainability forum it is hosting next week. [SpaceNews]
Varda Space Industries has signed a new agreement with an Australian range for capsule landings. Varda and Southern Launch announced a deal Tuesday to allow Varda to reenter up to 20 capsules at Southern Launch's Koonibba Test Range through 2030. Varda landed its W-2 and W-3 capsules there earlier this year, with two more reentries planned before the end of the year. Varda said the Australian site can support the higher cadence of missions it has planned after the company struggled to win approvals last year to land a capsule in Utah. [SpaceNews]
The Maldives is looking to raise $50 million for a space agency fund that will address climate and security challenges. The Maldives Space Fund (MSF), based in the United Arab Emirates for regulatory oversight, was announced Wednesday during the IAC. The $50 million fund represents an initial phase designed to support the Maldives Space Research Organisation on its priorities, which include marine conservation, illegal fishing detection and broader support for small island developing states. The fund will invest in infrastructure, applications and "frontier innovation" areas. [SpaceNews]
OQ Technology has expanded its satellite connectivity services for remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices to Australia. The Luxembourg-based company announced Tuesday that it secured a license to use S-band spectrum for non-terrestrial 5G IoT services from its constellation of 10 small satellites. The company is also opening an Australian office as it seeks to tap into soaring demand for space-based connectivity in the oil and gas, agriculture and mining sectors. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
Japanese SAR satellite company Synspective has acquired 10 more Electron launches from Rocket Lab. The companies announced the contract Tuesday, a little more than a year after Synspective bought a first batch of 10 Electron launches. Combined with earlier deals, Synspective has launched six of its StriX radar-imaging satellites on Electrons with 21 in its backlog. Synspective also has launch contracts with Exolaunch and SpaceX. [SpaceNews]
The second ViaSat-3 satellite has arrived in Florida for launch preparations. The Boeing-built ViaSat-3 F2 satellite is scheduled to launch later this month on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. The satellite was to launch in 2023 but was delayed after an antenna deployment problem on ViaSat-3 F1. The companies have not detailed the corrective actions that have been taken to avoid repeating the issue with the ViaSat-3 F1 antenna supplied by Northrop Grumman. [SpaceNews]
Canada plans to fund space technologies with both civil and defense applications. Speaking at the IAC this week, Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell said the new Canadian defense industrial strategy will provide $9.3 million to 17 Canadian companies developing space technology with dual-use applications. That includes advanced robotics, satellite servicing and refueling, and artificial intelligence applications. [SpaceNews]
Australia and the United Kingdom renewed their commitment to space-related cooperation. The two countries signed at the IAC Wednesday an extension of the Space Bridge Framework Arrangement. That agreement, first signed in 2021, supports investment, research and cooperation between the two countries in space. One example of that cooperation is AquaWatch, a space and ground-based initiative focused on water-quality monitoring that includes companies and organizations in both countries. [SpaceNews]
The University of South Australia is partnering with Australian and Japanese companies on laser communications systems for space. Japan's Warpspace will integrate its optical modem with the Australasian Optical Ground Station Network, led by the university, while Warpspace expands other work in Australia. The network is designed to support space-to-ground high-speed communications. [SpaceNews]
A new study boosts the chances that Saturn's moon Enceladus could host life. The study, published Wednesday, reanalyzed data from the Cassini mission to Saturn, looking for organic compounds in plumes ejected from the icy surface of Enceladus. The data showed evidence of complex organic molecules that, on Earth, are associated with life. Scientists said the research suggests there is complex chemistry taking place in the subsurface oceans of Enceladus that are worth examining in greater detail on any future missions there. [Scientific American]
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Aren't We All
| "I'm worried about the policymakers. We heard about the U.S. government shutting down for a few days, maybe. We don't know. That tempers the space program a lot. We're talking about what will happen in the next 20, 30 years, but we don't know what will happen in the next day because of the policies we are making."
| – Ashutosh Mishra, a space robotics researcher at Tohoku University, when asked during a panel at the IAC on Wednesday what concerns him the most about the future of human spaceflight.
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