Technology

Rising interest rates have made for a tough fundraising environment for space startups in the past year and a half. This environment has put the value of business cases in critical focus for investors. Yet, creative startups with strong business cases are still attracting attention. From April to June of this year, space startups received...

French startup Skynopy, which hopes to make connectivity-as-a-service a commercial reality, could close a number of deals this year ahead of expectations. The company, which is led by CEO Pierre Bertrand, and CTO Antonin Hirsch, both former directors at Loft Orbital, recently closed another $3.1 million in funding. In an interview with Via Satellite, Bertrand said the...

Former Made in Space and Redwire leaders Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder are launching a new venture Star Catcher Industries to build the first power grid in space to bring more power to satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).  Star Catcher announced a $12.25 million seed round on July 24, led by Initialized Capital and B...

Aalto HAPS has received a key regulatory approval in the U.K. The company which designs, manufactures and operates the stratospheric, solar-powered Zephyr high altitude platform station (HAPS), has secured its Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Aalto says this is the first DOA to be issued to a HAPS...

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) awarded Orbit Fab a £1.3 million ($1.7 million) Major Project grant under their National Space Innovation Programme. This grant will fund the design of a high-pressure variant of the RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fuel Transfer Interface) refueling port, set to be available in 2025. Separately, Orbit Fab has secured additional contracts,...

Stellar Blu Solutions has completed qualification on the multi-orbit Sidewinder terminal designed to deliver in-flight connectivity (IFC) for airlines. Both Stellar Blu and strategic partner BAE Systems have ramped up production on the terminal to meet more than 1,000 existing orders.  The Ku-band terminal received DO-160 airborne equipment qualification in March and then completed flight...

Astroscale secured $15 million to support the final phase of its End-of-Life by Astroscale-Multiple (ELSA-M) in-orbit demonstration. The contract from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) is another key milestone for the company. It was announced July 22. The funding was released following the securing of the contract with Eutelsat...

Thales Alenia Space recently received contracts for space-based carbon monitoring and an in-orbit capture and inspection service, both supported by the France 2030 national investment plan.  On July 18, Thales announced a deal with French space agency CNES and Bpifrance to lead a consortium along with Magellium Artal Group to demonstrate an in-orbit capture and...

A number of major satellite operators said they were unaffected by the Microsoft outage on July 19 that created IT issues in multiple industries around the world and grounded flights.  Intelsat, Eutelsat Communications, SES, Telesat, and Iridium Communications said in statements to Via Satellite they were not impacted by the Microsoft outage.  Intelsat operates a fleet...

Cobham Satcom is launching a new antenna for the maritime market, specifically designed for cruise ships and mega yachts. The Sea Tel 370s TV is Cobham Satcom’s second new TVRO launch in as many months. The 3.7 meter Sea Tel 370s TV aims to expand onboard access to the highest quality programming anywhere in the...