Via Satellite
• Rachel Jewett
A memorandum of understanding will combine Astrogate Labs’ AstroLink optical communication terminals for satellites with Spacebeam’s Osong optical ground station infrastructure. The companies plan to bring their respective technologies together for optical communications, linking onboard terminals with ground services.
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A memorandum of understanding will combine Astrogate Labs’ AstroLink optical communication terminals for satellites with Spacebeam’s Osong optical ground station infrastructure. The companies plan to bring their respective technologies together for optical communications, linking onboard terminals with ground services.
Amazon Leo says it remains on track to begin initial broadband service this year, with its first launch on ULA’s Vulcan and its third flight on Europe’s Ariane 6 in the 64-booster configuration expected “in the coming weeks.” The missions are part of the constellation’s deployment sequence.
A Royal United Services Institute study says Moscow has incentives to use a nuclear weapon in space to disable proliferated satellite networks that support U.S. missile defenses. The warning highlights the exposure of space-based defense infrastructure to attacks with potentially broad effects across satellite networks.
Seattle-based Kapta Space has raised a $24 million Series A to build next-generation radar payloads designed to track moving targets. The funding will support development of the company’s space-based sensing technology, though the announcement provides no further details on customers, deployment timing or the payloads’ specifications.
Small-satellite operators targeting a 2029 launch may already be struggling to secure a ride, while the lowest-cost rideshare option is no longer accepting bookings. The shift puts renewed focus on whether dedicated small-launch providers can attract anchor customers and establish viable demand.
Planet Labs has opened a major manufacturing hub in Berlin and secured a contract to provide data and analytics to civil government agencies through Germany’s Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy. The moves deepen the Earth-observation company’s presence in Germany amid demand for sovereign data capabilities.
Day two of Germany’s ND conference focused on dual-use systems, launch, the IRIS² satellite network and intelligence needs. An industry panel identified security clearances as the central constraint on progress, shifting attention from satellite availability to the ability to access and use space capabilities.
High activity
The European Space Agency has released Earth Virtual Expert (EVE), an AI platform designed to make Earth-observation knowledge more accessible and answer Earth science questions. ESA plans to add satellite imagery search in 2027; the release does not specify further capabilities or deployment details.
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