Focus: In-Space Services

Rapid growth in on-orbit space services will create a market that generates $4.4 billion in revenue by 2031, according to analysis firm Euroconsult’s first-edition Space Logistic Markets report published May 19. The report’s editor, Euroconsult Analyst Maxime Puteaux, said that on-orbit space services — or space logistics, as it is referred to in the report...

SES Government Solutions (SES GS) is bringing Planet Labs onto its team for a recently awarded NASA contract to develop and demonstrate near-Earth communication services. NASA awarded SES GS a $28.96 million contract on April 20, along with contracts to Inmarsat Government, Kuiper Government Solutions, SpaceX, Telesat U.S. Services, and Viasat. This Communications Services Project (CSP) will develop high-rate and...

Kepler Communications signed Spire Global as a customer for its high-capacity Ku-band data transmission service, the companies announced Tuesday.  Under the contract, Spire will install Kepler’s physical Ku-band payloads to three initial satellites.  Kepler said its Ku-band terminals will allow Spire satellites to send large amounts of data back down to Earth, using Kepler’s regulatory...

Sky Perfect JSAT and Japanese telco NTT are working together to form a new joint venture, Space Compass Corporation, to establish an integrated space computing network. The joint venture, announced April 26, will take on the challenge of building new infrastructures in space in order to contribute to a sustainable society. Space Compass plans to...

NASA is working with six American satellite communications companies to develop commercial near-Earth space communication services. On Wednesday, the agency awarded $278.5 million in contracts to Inmarsat Government, Kuiper Government Solutions, SES Government Solutions, SpaceX, Telesat U.S. Services, and Viasat. This Communications Services Project (CSP) will develop high-rate and high-capacity two-way communications to replace NASA’s...

French space company Exotrail will debut a new orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) for rideshare missions called the SpaceVan on the SpaceX rideshare mission set for October 2023.  The company said in a Tuesday announcement that SpaceVan is designed to deploy customer constellations over several different planes, altitudes, and inclinations. It uses Exotrail’s space proven electric...

Axiom Space and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. are forming a joint venture in Japan to offer on-orbit services to commercial and government customers. The agreement announced Monday comes after Mitsui invested in Axiom Space last year. Axiom Space is working to build a commercial space station and offer human spaceflight services. The company currently has...

Aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin published an open-source, non-proprietary Mission Augmentation Port (MAP) interface standard for on-orbit spacecraft docking on Monday and made it available for download on their website. The company hopes the standard will accelerate the development of technology that allows interoperability of docking satellites. The Lockheed Martin standard includes: information required for a compliant...

SpaceLink is adjusting the plan to roll out its in-space relay constellation with plans to first launch a constellation of smaller satellites to go to market more quickly.  In October, SpaceLink announced an “authority to proceed” agreement with OHB Systems AG (OHB) to build the data relay satellites. SpaceLink and OHB then entered into a...

Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics sold its first Mission Extension Pod (MEP), the next generation of satellite servicing vehicles. Australian satellite operator Optus has agreed to purchase an MEP for its D3 satellite in 2025, the companies announced Tuesday.  Separately, SpaceLogistics signed a launch agreement with SpaceX for a planned spring 2024 launch of the Mission...