Technology

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has signed a new deal with a university and a company in Latvia. The company announced July 13 that it will partner with Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) and VIRATEC, adding the VUAS large antennas to the SSC Connect network. This will increase SSC’s capability to support a wide range...

Propulsion company Phase Four received a funding increase from the Air Force Research Laboratory and its innovation arm AFWERX. The $4.26 million funding increase is focused on developing a propellant decomposition chamber for propellant-agnostic electric propulsion.  This contract is a tactical funding increase (TACFI) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology...

Satellite technology company hiSky recently shared two updates to its technology, introducing the Falcon ASIC modem-on-chip which is ready for mass production, and FCC certification for its Smartellite Fixed KA terminal.  The Falcon ASIC modem-on-chip is designed to be integrated in hiSky’s next generation of Smartellite terminals and is op timized for mass production. The...

Cailabs will host Astrolight’s laser communications terminal on an upcoming satellite mission, the companies announced June 28. Astrolight’s lasercom terminal ATLAS-1 will demonstrate pointing, acquisition, and tracking capabilities at gigabit per second data rates between the spacecraft and and Cailabs optical ground station (OGS). Astrolight is developing a direct-to-Earth optical data downlink system for LEO...

Space computing company Ramon.Space has raised $26 million from Ingrasys, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group, Abu Dhabi-based strategic investment firm Strategic Development Fund, and existing investors Grove Ventures, Deep Insight and UMC Capital.  Ramon.Space announced the new funding on June 28 and said the funding will help it commercialize its computing platform for space...

Google connectivity-focused spinoff Aalyria has a new contract from the Office of Naval Research and Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to develop over-the-horizon connectivity for the Navy’s sea, air, and land assets. The initial $7 million contract award is for the first phase of the Navy’s Secure Optical Aerial Relay (SOAR) project, which aims to provide...

The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded GMV a contract worth more than 200 million euros ($218 million) to develop the ground segment for in-orbit control and validation of the Galileo Second Generation (G2G). Galileo is Europe’s global navigation satellite system. GMV will contract out core G2G activities, for a value of around 155 million euros...

SpiderOak has demonstrated its OrbitSecure cybersecurity software in space on a Ball Aerospace prototype payload, the company announced June 22.  The OrbitSecure cybersecurity software uses encryption and distributed-ledger software to operate a decentralized key management system. The software has been tested on the ground, but this was the first test in space. The prototype payload...

Mynaric will supply Raytheon Technologies with optical communication terminals for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer program under a deal announced Wednesday.  Raytheon is building seven satellites for the SDA, and each satellite will feature three Mynaric Condor Mk3 terminals, for a total of 21 laser terminals. Product deliveries are expected in...

Intelsat has ordered another Mission Extension Pod (MEP) from Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics, the fourth mission-extending deal that the operator has done with Northrop Grumman.  This follows after Intelsat ordered its first MEP earlier this year. Intelsat hasn’t specified which satellites will receive the pods, but both will be paired with satellites in Geostationary Orbit (GEO)...