Payload
• Victoria Woodburn
Cowboy Space has revealed Big Iron, a launch vehicle whose upper stage is designed to remain in orbit and operate as a megawatt-class data center. The concept links launch vehicle architecture with orbital computing infrastructure, making the vehicle’s upper stage part of its intended on-orbit mission.
Commercial Space
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Cowboy Space has revealed Big Iron, a launch vehicle whose upper stage is designed to remain in orbit and operate as a megawatt-class data center. The concept links launch vehicle architecture with orbital computing infrastructure, making the vehicle’s upper stage part of its intended on-orbit mission.
Flexell Space has created FLEXELL SPACE FRANCE SAS in Paris, establishing a local base to support ongoing contract and volume-production discussions with European customers. The company says the entity will handle engagement ranging from technical reviews to supply planning.
The Pentagon has conditionally committed $150 million in financing to Stoke Space to build a second launchpad at Cape Canaveral. The commitment links federal support to the startup’s launch-infrastructure expansion, though the announcement provides no further details on the conditions or project timeline.
The Australian startup, founded by two former Tesla engineers, raised $16 million in seed funding to expand production of standardized satellite power and energy-storage systems, it announced Oct. 26. The financing targets manufacturing scale-up for components serving satellite operators and builders.
Open Cosmos has filed detailed documentation with the International Telecommunication Union in a renewed effort to extend the deployment deadline for Connected Cosmos. The company expects the planned Ka-band broadband constellation to comprise 192 satellites and provide secure connectivity.
SpaceX has begun preparations for Starship’s fifteenth test flight, targeted for early November pending FAA authorization, after a Super Heavy booster static-fire test. Separately, three Falcon 9 missions are scheduled to carry Starlink satellites and a classified U.S. Space Force payload, alongside a GSLV launch from India.
Sierra Space has appointed Daniel Gittsovich as chief financial officer, bringing in an executive who most recently held the same role at L3Harris Technologies’ missile solutions unit. The hire comes as the company pursues a shift toward defense, placing financial leadership alongside its strategic repositioning.
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