Ars Technica
• JENNIFER OUELLETTE
Impact testing found that 3D-printed aluminum arrays built with an eggshell-like structure and filled with water provided greater resistance than conventional designs. The approach could offer spacecraft developers a new path to improving protection against impacts while managing structural mass and manufacturing complexity.
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Impact testing found that 3D-printed aluminum arrays built with an eggshell-like structure and filled with water provided greater resistance than conventional designs. The approach could offer spacecraft developers a new path to improving protection against impacts while managing structural mass and manufacturing complexity.
Telesat and Farcast have completed an antenna technology demonstration milestone for Telesat Lightspeed, advancing validation of the technologies supporting Telesat’s satellite communications program. The companies did not disclose additional technical details in the announcement.
Earth observation company Satellogic appointed Frank “Trey” Whitworth, the former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as its president on Sept. 8. The leadership change brings a former senior U.S. geospatial-intelligence official into a top executive role at the satellite operator.
Pivotal Research initiated coverage of SpaceX with a buy rating, arguing the company can overcome Starship’s reusability bottleneck. The firm sees a successful solution potentially supporting Starlink’s expansion into part of the $1.7 trillion terrestrial and wireless communications market, while failure could leave SpaceX smaller than expected.
Pivotal set a $220 price target for SpaceX, arguing that Starship reusability could cut launch costs by more than 90% and accelerate Starlink and AI growth. The investment case remains execution-sensitive: failure to solve reusability could materially constrain the company’s future scale and valuation.
Hydrosat and Kazakhstan’s JSC “NC “KGS” have established a framework to assess a dedicated thermal-infrared satellite constellation. The proposed capability would focus on supporting water-security needs across Central Asia, though the announcement does not specify a development timeline, funding structure or constellation size.
The Toulouse-based startup has inaugurated a satellite factory built in three months, with €7 million in investment supporting production of three spacecraft for CNES, France’s DGA and a telecommunications provider. Its satellites will inspect other spacecraft, support defense missions and extend the in-orbit lives of large telecom platforms.
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