Payload
• Douglas Gorman
Redwire has secured a $20 million contract from DARPA under its Otter program, which funds air-breathing electric propulsion. The award supports a second demonstration of the technology for very-low-Earth orbit, where propulsion systems must operate in the sparse atmosphere.
Satellite
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Redwire has secured a $20 million contract from DARPA under its Otter program, which funds air-breathing electric propulsion. The award supports a second demonstration of the technology for very-low-Earth orbit, where propulsion systems must operate in the sparse atmosphere.
On Nov. 4, 2015, the experimental Super Strypi rocket failed shortly after liftoff from Hawaii on its first launch. The rail-launched vehicle was carrying 13 small satellites, making the mission an unsuccessful test of a new approach to placing payloads in orbit.
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Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global Management are in talks with investors to sell portions of a roughly $40 billion financing deal for SpaceX’s AI chips, according to the reports. The potential distribution would bring outside investors into a financing package tied to SpaceX’s expansion of its AI computing capacity.
The Pentagon has committed $150 million in financing to support LeoLabs’ radar expansion. The announcement identifies a substantial defense-backed investment in the company’s space radar infrastructure, though the available report provides no details on the expansion’s scope, locations or schedule.
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Decisions involving South Korea’s Kompsat-6 radar Earth-observation mission, Thailand’s Thaicom-9 telecommunications satellite and Oman’s Omansat show how the International Telecommunication Union is handling requests to extend satellite deployment deadlines. The cases span different orbit and mission profiles, including Oman’s use of an untested orbital transfer vehicle.
SkyFi is making satellite imagery used by government agencies and hedge funds available to individual investors through a new service for Robinhood customers. For $10 a month, subscribers can monitor activity at factories, warehouses and other corporate facilities from space.
The UK Space Agency has launched a research competition focused on in-orbit manufacturing, while Italy’s Space Industries has inaugurated a €20 million satellite production and environmental qualification center near Turin. Orbital Matter and EnduroSat also plan a 2028 mission to demonstrate a 5 kW solar array using in-space 3D printing.
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