SpaceNews.com
• Jason Rainbow
ColliMate Space has demonstrated its Nexus software autonomously managing satellite downlinks onboard a spacecraft, marking the Silicon Valley startup’s first in-orbit demonstration. The milestone points to a potential shift toward more automated satcom operations, reducing the need for continuous ground-based orchestration of spacecraft communications.
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Satellogic has agreed with Innovative Defense Technologies to launch six additional Earth-observation satellites for the U.S. Office of Naval Research’s Slingshot III program. The agreement expands the satellite contribution to a U.S. defense-linked program focused on space-based Earth observation.
ESA’s FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites are encapsulated for launch aboard a Vega-C from French Guiana, while Airbus and Unseenlabs won a contract for France’s next-generation CASSIOPÉE SIGINT satellites. Satellogic also plans to expand its constellation with three NewSat spacecraft in October.
ColliMate Space has demonstrated its Nexus software autonomously managing satellite downlinks onboard a spacecraft, marking the Silicon Valley startup’s first in-orbit demonstration. The milestone points to a potential shift toward more automated satcom operations, reducing the need for continuous ground-based orchestration of spacecraft communications.
Satellite imagery is giving America’s adversaries persistent visibility into U.S. military bases, underscoring the need to adapt defense planning and operational security to an environment in which movements and infrastructure can be observed from orbit.
Exolaunch said Sept. 14 it secured capacity for rideshare payloads on two upcoming launches, one involving a Japanese rocket. The agreements add launch opportunities to Exolaunch’s manifest as the provider continues arranging shared-launch access for satellite customers.
SWISSto12 and Mitsubishi Electric have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore advanced payload and radio-frequency opportunities in Japan, alongside a new contract for phased-array antennas. The agreement expands cooperation between the Swiss space company and Japanese electronics group across satellite communications technologies.
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The economics of low Earth orbit constellations may hinge less on launch prices than on custom silicon and shared terminal architectures. The design choices could shape cost, scalability and competitiveness across networks ranging from Starlink to Europe’s planned IRIS² constellation.
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NOAA selected 14 providers under a new commercial environmental data framework designed to expand the agency’s use of satellite information for U.S. weather forecasting and space-weather monitoring. The arrangement formalizes a broader role for private-sector data in national environmental intelligence.
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