Plus: NASA awards new lunar lander contracts
Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, Rocket Lab announced it will acquire Iridium, Orbital filed plans for an orbital data center megaconstellation, the final Atlas 5 Amazon Leo mission launched and more.
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OUR TOP STORY
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By Jeff Foust Rocket Lab is acquiring satellite telecommunications company Iridium for $8 billion as part of its effort to become an end-to-end space company.
The companies announced an agreement June 29 under which Rocket Lab will acquire Iridium for $54 a share in cash and stock, valuing Iridium at $8 billion. That is a 24% premium over the closing price of Iridium’s shares June 26. The deal is projected to close in mid-2027 pending regulatory and other approvals.
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CIVIL
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The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote July 22 on the Space Modernization Order, which would overhaul its satellite application process, creating a “licensing assembly line” to keep up with increasingly large and complex constellation plans.
NASA has selected Astrobotic Technology, Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines to fly four robotic lunar lander missions worth nearly $600 million as part of its lunar base ambitions, as the agency weighs sending a spare Mars rover to the moon.
China has established a national very low Earth orbit (VLEO) Technology Innovation and Industry Development Alliance, as multiple satellites demonstrate sustained operations below 300 kilometers and propulsion startups attract investment.
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LAUNCH
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An Atlas 5 lifted off July 2 carrying a set of Amazon Leo satellites in the final launch by that vehicle to carry a satellite payload.
The French startup Latitude intends to perform the first launch of its small launch vehicle from a spaceport in Oman in late 2027. The company announced that it signed a letter of intent with Etlaq Spaceport July 1.
A month after a devastating pad explosion, Blue Origin reiterated its plans to return its New Glenn vehicle to flight from a rebuilt launch pad by the end of the year. |
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COMMERCIAL
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Five-month-old startup Orbital has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to deploy up to 100,000 data center satellites, aiming to bring 10 gigawatts of computing power from space to meet rising artificial intelligence demand.
Vantor, the company previously known as Maxar Intelligence, unveiled WorldView 3D July 1, to provide customers with updated and high-definition imagery.
A new report from NASA's Office of Inspector General links the long-running technical problems with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle to a combination of overconfidence, unrealistic schedules and NASA’s lack of insight into the vehicle. |
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SPONSORED CONTENT
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By BAE Systems From observing distant galaxies to exploring exoplanets and their atmospheres, BAE Systems enables cutting-edge technology to expand our knowledge of the universe. As a major partner in each of NASA’s Great Observatories, BAE Systems is continuing the legacy of pioneering astrophysics missions with the next generation of observatories, including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) and the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Read the article. |
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