Space.com
• Josh Dinner
Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft reached NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory but was unable to complete the planned mission to boost the observatory’s orbit. LINK remains operational, allowing the spacecraft to continue conducting operations despite the failed rescue attempt.
Commercial Space
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Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft reached NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory but was unable to complete the planned mission to boost the observatory’s orbit. LINK remains operational, allowing the spacecraft to continue conducting operations despite the failed rescue attempt.
Tomorrow.io’s planned DeepSky constellation will combine microwave sounders, GNSS radio-occultation receivers, GNSS reflectometers, precipitation radars, and optical and infrared cameras to collect global weather data. The company announced the payload suite on Sept. 10, outlining a multi-instrument approach to atmospheric observation from space.
NASA awarded Inversion Space a contract to study aerocapture, a concept that uses a planetary atmosphere to slow an incoming spacecraft. The work could examine a new approach to interplanetary travel by reducing the need for conventional propulsion during spacecraft arrival.
TrustPoint, a startup developing a commercial global navigation satellite system, has selected EnduroSat to build a 40-satellite constellation. The agreement adds a defined spacecraft manufacturing partner to TrustPoint’s plans to establish an alternative commercial GNSS service.
Four developments highlight Europe’s push to build sovereign technology capacity: Mistral raised €3 billion for AI, Isar Aerospace reached orbit with Spectrum, Eutelsat and Skynopy expanded LEO data-downlink services, and Aerospacelab won a €2.4 billion contract for 264 IRIS² satellites.
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Amazon Leo has ordered six additional Ariane 64 launches from Arianespace, bringing its contracted total to 24 as Europe seeks to strengthen independent access to space. Separately, the European Launcher Challenge awarded €544 million to three rocket developers, while ICEYE and Arianespace signed a sovereign-access partnership.
The UK’s space plans include Eutelsat’s €1 billion order for 229 Airbus-built OneWeb satellites, extending network replenishment through 2034, alongside nearly $40 million spent on SpaceX services and the first public acknowledgement outside the US of Starshield adoption for military and intelligence communications.
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The Exploration Company has reserved an Ariane 6 flight for the Nyx demonstration mission through the European Space Agency’s ALADDIN cargo program. The booking links the company’s in-space transportation vehicle to Europe’s institutional launch framework and adds a commercial cargo mission to Ariane 6’s manifest.
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