Payload
• Douglas Gorman
Blackswan Space has raised €2.5 million in seed funding as it prepares to launch its first in-orbit mission for the RPO Kit payload. The demonstration will advance the company’s rendezvous and proximity operations technology in space.
Commercial Space
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Hop Aero has raised $11 million to develop suborbital point-to-point logistics, following the company’s participation in Y Combinator’s summer batch. The funding represents a new private-sector investment in space transportation concepts aimed at moving goods between distant locations through suborbital flight.
Blackswan Space has raised €2.5 million in seed funding as it prepares to launch its first in-orbit mission for the RPO Kit payload. The demonstration will advance the company’s rendezvous and proximity operations technology in space.
Sophia Space and Redwire have agreed to collaborate on the development and deployment of scalable, space-based computing infrastructure. The partnership targets orbital data centers, signaling continued commercial interest in moving data processing and related infrastructure into space.
Varda has raised $251 million in a Series D financing led by Lux Capital and Natural Capital, valuing the in-space manufacturing company at $1.6 billion. The funding reinforces investor backing for Varda’s commercial space business as it advances its growth strategy.
High activity
Astranis has secured a $468 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank to expand satellite production, according to an exclusive report. EXIM Chairman John Jovanovic framed the financing as part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S. leadership in space.
Chinese commercial launch provider CAS Space is targeting early 2027 for the first flight of its reusable Lihong-2 suborbital rocket. The mission is planned to carry pharmaceutical payloads, linking the company’s vehicle development to emerging commercial demand for suborbital research and in-space processing.
Space Florida and the UK Space Agency are seeking proposals for collaborative space research and development projects involving companies in Florida and the United Kingdom. The initiative is intended to support cross-border innovation and strengthen commercial ties between the two regional space ecosystems.
Lithuania’s Blackswan Space has raised approximately $2.9 million in seed funding to develop a rendezvous and proximity operations payload. Orbit Fab plans to use the technology in what it describes as Europe’s first in-space satellite refueling demonstration, targeted for 2028.
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