Nasa has announced that a new set of science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency’s latest CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) award. Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based space exploration specialist, will receive $116.9 million to deliver six NASA payloads to a particularly difficult region of the Moon. Although the night temperatures ...
Military/Aerospace Electronics
Electronics related to Military/Aerospace
SBQuantum takes quantum diamond magnetometers to space
SBQuantum is celebrating a pair of new contracts with government space agencies: the European Space Agency (ESA) and the the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The Canadian company – based in Sherbrook, southern Quebec – is developing quantum diamond magnetometers capable of providing readings from space. ESA For the ESA, the company has been contracted to evaluate the viability of using ...
Norway’s Andøya Spaceport closes in on first European satellite launch
The Andøya Spaceport in Norway has officially received its Launch Site Operator licence from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Less than one year after its opening, the spaceport describes it as another important milestone towards the first launch of satellites from Norwegian soil. Norway is now bidding to become the leading space nation in the Arctic, with ...
UK site to boost DARC deep space radar capability
The U.S. Space Force has awarded its Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Site 2 contract. This is for a location in the UK as part of its role as an AUKUS partner. DARC will track objects in the geosynchronous orbit GEO with the aim of protecting critical satellites. A global network of three advanced ground-based sensors, it will be operated ...
AstroForge raises Series A for asteroid mining
AstroForge, the asteroid mining startup, has raised $40 million in Series A funding to “unlock a cost-effective and sustainable mining solution”. The company’s aim is to establish an untapped supply chain of raw materials for use on Earth. The funding round was led by Nova Threshold with participation from 776, Initialized, Caladan, YC, Uncorrelated Ventures and Jed McCaleb. It brings ...
Axiom Space, Nokia integrate 4G/LTE comms into next-gen spacesuits
Axiom Space and Nokia are partnering to integrate advanced 4G/LTE comms into the former’s next-generation spacesuits. They are what the astronauts will be wearing when they return to the Moon as part of the Nasa mission Artemis III. The companies will work together to incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the spacesuit, which is called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). ...
UKSA funds 10 satellite data pilots for Unlocking Space for Business
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) has awarded £2.5 million to ten pilot projects as part of its Unlocking Space for Business programme. The projects will trial systems that use satellite data and services to support transport, logistics and financial services. The largest award for a single project is £400,000. According to the agency, the trials will combine terrestrial data and ...
Eutelsat carves out ground segment entity for private equity
Eutelsat is entering into exclusive negotiations with a private equity company, EQT, for the partial sale of its ground segment infrastructure assets. The parties are looking to carve out Eutelsat’s “passive assets”, i.e. land, buildings, support infrastructure, antennas and connectivity circuits. They would form a new company – a standalone legal entity – of which EQT will own 80% of ...
Phisat-2 launch tests onboard AI for Earth Observation
In partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), Open Cosmos has launched Phisat-2 (Φsat2), a 6U CubeSat to showcase in-orbit AI for Earth observations. The satellite carries a multispectral camera for imaging but also a computer to allow AI apps to run onboard, for adding intelligence to the processing of the data. This is done via the open source NanoSat ...
Space Norway, Viasat eyes Arctic region broadband coverage
Space Norway and Viasat are advancing a mission to supply broadband connectivity to the Arctic from polar orbits. The Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) – which is led by the Space Norway subsidiary Heosat – has successfully launched from Vandenburg Space Force Base. It will see two satellites deployed in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO). As such, it will be ...