SpaceNews.com
• Andrew Jones
China completed its ninth and tenth orbital launches of September, placing Guowang and Yaogan-40 satellites into orbit. The missions underscore an intense launch tempo and set the stage for a crowded fourth-quarter manifest as Beijing expands its satellite infrastructure and space activity.
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China completed its ninth and tenth orbital launches of September, placing Guowang and Yaogan-40 satellites into orbit. The missions underscore an intense launch tempo and set the stage for a crowded fourth-quarter manifest as Beijing expands its satellite infrastructure and space activity.
Researchers say they have spent eight years probing satellite systems and recently demonstrated that a commercial satellite could be compromised in orbit. The finding is part of a broader body of work aimed at showing the space industry where cybersecurity weaknesses may threaten spacecraft and mission operations.
NASA pursued an unconventional effort to preserve Swift, combining pressure on the Treasury and rapid, AI-assisted software development. The attempt produced notable technical work but ultimately could not take the observatory further, according to comments from a participant described as “absolutely gutted.”
LiveEO CEO Daniel Seidel discusses the INSPECTEO award’s combination of optical and synthetic-aperture radar data, Berlin’s financing guarantee for the company’s satellites and a more collaborative approach emerging across Europe’s space industry.
High activity
SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission is set to carry a prototype Google AI satellite among 130 payloads, advancing efforts to process data in orbit. Separately, Satlyt raised $8 million to develop open software for virtual on-orbit data centers operating across multiple satellite platforms.
London-based Foundational has raised £8.2 million ($10.8 million; €9.6 million) in pre-seed funding, which it describes as Europe’s largest space-tech pre-seed round. The startup is developing satellite-mounted retroreflectors, automated ground stations and software to improve positioning data for satellites and orbital-debris tracking.
High activity
Nokia and ICEYE will jointly develop secure, broadband low Earth orbit satellite systems that governments can own and operate. The planned network is intended to support defense, border security, emergency services and disaster response, with the first satellites expected to launch in 2028.
High activity
Rocket Lab has signed its largest Electron launch-services agreement to date, covering 20 missions for longtime Japanese customer Synspective. The deal follows Rocket Lab’s 97th Electron launch for the Earth-observation constellation operator and comes as launch providers reassess pricing and competition in the commercial market.
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