Space.com
• Mike Wall
Newly released video shows LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket exploding during its first attempt to land the reusable first stage, offering a close look at the spectacle and the risks facing China’s emerging commercial launch sector as it develops orbital-class recovery capability.
Commercial Space
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Indian space startup InspeCity has secured $10.5 million in a pre-Series A round to finance four planned on-orbit missions over the next 18 months. The funding signals continued private-sector investment in India’s emerging commercial space industry and expands the company’s near-term mission pipeline.
Newly released video shows LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket exploding during its first attempt to land the reusable first stage, offering a close look at the spectacle and the risks facing China’s emerging commercial launch sector as it develops orbital-class recovery capability.
Japan’s Astroscale is maintaining an investment strategy focused on securing an early lead in satellite debris removal, rendezvous and proximity operations, and other in-orbit services. The approach may come at the expense of profitability over the next one to two years as the company builds positions in emerging markets.
Japan’s Astroscale is maintaining an investment-heavy strategy in satellite debris removal, rendezvous and proximity operations, accepting that it may forgo profitability over the next one to two years. The company is pursuing first-mover advantage as commercial demand for in-orbit servicing and space sustainability develops.
High activity
Highlands and Islands Enterprise has acquired the assets of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd following the collapse of launch company Orbex. The Scottish development agency has not yet determined what will happen to the spaceport, leaving the site’s operational and commercial future unresolved.
Shanghai has started work on a wharf designed to connect a planned commercial rocket manufacturing hub with sea-launch operations, according to Chinese commercial space sources. The infrastructure would link production and maritime launch activity within the city’s emerging commercial space ecosystem.
High activity
Exolaunch will manage the deployment of 68 client payloads across SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 and Bandwagon-5 rideshare missions, underscoring the scale of its role in arranging access to orbit for satellite operators and other commercial space customers.
ICEYE has opened three international offices in a single week, establishing new operations in the Netherlands, South Korea and India. The expansion positions the synthetic-aperture radar satellite company closer to customers in markets where demand for SAR-based Earth observation is increasing.
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