Plus: Two European startups announce new funding
By Jeff Foust
In this today's edition: KBR leans into Golden Dome, European startups raise money for components and power beaming, the U.K. and Florida offer funding for joint space projects and more.
If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday. Have thoughts or feedback? You can hit reply to let me know.
|
|
|
|
FROM SPACENEWS |
 |
Someone you know belongs on this list: Whatever category fits — technology, sustainability, defense, advocacy or an entire career's worth of impact — the Icon Awards are built to recognize achievements across the industry. Tell us about the innovators, collaborators and change-makers whose contributions have left a lasting mark. Nominations for this year's awards are open now through Aug. 14, and we want to hear from you. Submit your picks. |
|
|
|
|
|
Top Stories
Engineering and defense contractor KBR is positioning to compete for work on the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Houston-based company announced Tuesday it assigned two executives to lead the effort and said it is increasing internal investment in modeling, simulation, prototyping and secure facilities that could be used to test and integrate components developed for the sprawling defense architecture. Golden Dome is expected to combine satellites and other systems supplied by multiple companies. KBR said it is targeting the engineering and integration work needed to connect those systems across the military services, combatant commands and federal agencies. [SpaceNews]
German component supplier deltaVision has raised funding to expand production of valves and related components. The Munich-based company announced Tuesday it raised 10.2 million euros ($11.6 million) from several venture capital funds and private investors. It will use the company to scale up production of valves and related propulsion components to 5,000 units a year. This is the first outside funding the company has raised since it was founded in 2022. It has plans to develop technologies for in-space refueling of spacecraft, offering what it calls a "modular, interoperable technology stack." [SpaceNews]
Japan's IHI is considering adding next-generation hyperspectral satellites from Finnish startup Kuva Space to an Earth observation constellation. The companies announced a memorandum of understanding Tuesday to explore building and operating Kuva's Hyperfield-2 satellites in Japan, including potentially manufacturing them in the country. About 20 Hyperfield-2 satellites would be enough to provide daily coverage of about 20 million square kilometers across Japan, neighboring countries and surrounding ocean areas. The Kuva satellites would be part of a multi-sensor sovereign Earth observation constellation IHI is developing with about 100 satellites. [SpaceNews]
Italian startup ORiS has raised funding to demonstrate wireless power-beaming technology using lasers. The company said Tuesday it raised 4.5 million euros in a pre-seed funding round from several investors and also won a 500,000 euro grant from an Italian regional program for startups. ORiS is developing technology to transfer power from one satellite to another using lasers, with plans to test the technology in space on two missions next year. OriS has already demonstrated the technology on the ground using lasers to transmit power to drones. [SpaceNews]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other News
Russia launched a second batch of satellites for a communications constellation Sunday. Bureau 1440 launched 16 satellites for the Rassvet constellation, reportedly at about 5 p.m. Eastern Sunday on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. A first set of 16 satellites launched in late March. The constellation is intended to provide communications services using 5G protocols. [TASS]
SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites Monday at the last second. SpaceX aborted the launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:49 a.m. Eastern, shutting down the rocket's nine Merlin engines just as they started up. SpaceX did not disclose the issue with the rocket that caused the abort but has rescheduled the launch for Tuesday morning. [Spaceflight Now]
Space Florida and the U.K. Space Agency will provide funding for joint space projects. The organizations announced Monday they will provide a combined $400,000 for joint research, innovation and commercialization projects. To be eligible, projects must involve at least one Florida-based aerospace company or organization, include an international partner and demonstrate clear commercialization potential. The organizations plan to start accepting applications this fall for funding in 2027. [SpaceNews]
Astronomers have detected an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet, raising hopes it could support life. In a paper published last week, astronomers said they detected helium escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b, a "super Earth" exoplanet about 5.6 times the mass of the Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 49 light-years away. The detection of helium is evidence that the planet has a denser atmosphere of other gases, including water vapor. Astronomers said the planet is the only one found to date that is similar in size to Earth, orbits in its star's habitable zone and has an atmosphere, all critical criteria for supporting life. [Scientific American]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No Slides
|
"I worked for NASA for 41 years, and giving a talk without charts is very unusual. This is probably the first time in my whole career I am talking without PowerPoints or viewgraphs."
|
– Joel Levine, a retired NASA scientist who worked on the Viking missions, during a panel discussion Monday marking the 50th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment