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• Jeff Foust
Rocket Lab launched another Electron mission for Japanese radar-imaging company Synspective on Sept. 25, deploying the 13th satellite in the company’s constellation. The flight extends a sustained launch relationship supporting Synspective’s expansion of space-based Earth observation capabilities.
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Rocket Lab launched another Electron mission for Japanese radar-imaging company Synspective on Sept. 25, deploying the 13th satellite in the company’s constellation. The flight extends a sustained launch relationship supporting Synspective’s expansion of space-based Earth observation capabilities.
High activity
SpaceX is preparing Starship Flight 14 for a Sept. 28 launch attempt that would take the vehicle beyond previous suborbital tests and into orbit for the first time. The mission may also deploy a group of new Starlink satellites, subject to final approval and launch conditions.
Finnish synthetic aperture radar satellite operator Iceye is establishing a technology center and new Polish headquarters in Warsaw. The company plans to invest $31 million in Poland, expanding its operational and technology presence in the country.
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 private robotic spacecraft launched in July to raise the orbit of NASA’s aging Swift astrophysics observatory has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, ending a mission that failed to extend the telescope’s life. Swift is expected to follow with its own re-entry in the coming weeks, while NASA and the company assess the mission’s lessons.
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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