Space.com
• Josh Dinner
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch Strix, a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective, on the “Owlright, Owlright, Owlright” mission on Sept. 25. The flight will support Synspective’s imaging constellation and marks another commercial deployment serving Japan’s growing space-data market.
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Deutsche Telekom, Liberty Mobile, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone see promise in satellite direct-to-device services but acknowledge that the market’s scale and profitability remain unclear. Their assessment highlights the commercial uncertainty facing operators and satellite partners pursuing connectivity that reaches standard mobile devices from orbit.
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch Strix, a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective, on the “Owlright, Owlright, Owlright” mission on Sept. 25. The flight will support Synspective’s imaging constellation and marks another commercial deployment serving Japan’s growing space-data market.
At the Space Defense and Security Summit in Paris, BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole identified sovereign customers as the company’s leading market opportunity. In an interview with Via Satellite, O’Toole discussed demand across defense and sovereign markets and BlackSky’s positioning in those segments.
A robotic spacecraft launched in July to raise the orbit of NASA’s aging Swift astrophysics observatory has reentered Earth’s atmosphere less than three months later, ending an unsuccessful rescue attempt. Swift is expected to follow with its own reentry in the coming weeks, closing the mission with lessons for NASA and its commercial partner.
Arabsat has contracted China Great Wall Industry Corporation to build and launch Arabsat-50, a high-power Ku-band spacecraft based on the DFH-3E platform. The satellite will support direct-to-home broadcasting continuity at 26° East as the regional operator marks its 50th anniversary.
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Iridium stockholders approved Rocket Lab’s acquisition with 99.6% of votes cast in favor, advancing a transaction valued at $54 per share through a combination of $27 in cash and Rocket Lab shares. The deal remains subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by mid-2027.
York Space Systems told investors that winning work on the $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense project would drive growth, but says its prospects are being challenged by SpaceX’s dominance in Pentagon contracting. The episode highlights the competitive pressure facing space companies pursuing major defense programs.
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Beyond Gravity is doubling production capacity for satellite dispensers as Amazon Leo accelerates deployment of its low-Earth-orbit constellation. The expansion highlights the manufacturing scale-up required to support Amazon’s planned satellite network and the suppliers positioned to serve it.
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