defence-industry.eu
• Martin Chomsky
Rocket Lab has established Rocket Lab Germany GmbH, expanding its European footprint as governments and customers seek sovereign satellite manufacturing and launch capacity. The subsidiary will support the company’s efforts to capture regional demand for its Electron small-launch vehicle and planned Neutron medium-lift rocket.
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Rwanda has launched a national program with Planet Labs to provide the company’s satellite data to government agencies and other users. The initiative positions Rwanda among African countries building domestic access to commercial Earth-observation data for public-sector applications.
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VinSpace, a Vingroup unit, has contracted SpaceX to launch its first satellites on a rideshare mission in 2027. The agreement is an initial step in the Vietnamese company’s plan to build a domestic space business spanning satellite manufacturing, spacecraft operations and data services.
Rocket Lab has established Rocket Lab Germany GmbH, expanding its European footprint as governments and customers seek sovereign satellite manufacturing and launch capacity. The subsidiary will support the company’s efforts to capture regional demand for its Electron small-launch vehicle and planned Neutron medium-lift rocket.
Rocket Lab forecast third-quarter gross margin below Wall Street expectations, citing a larger contribution from lower-margin satellite-platform sales. The mix shift signals near-term pressure on profitability as the company’s satellite business accounts for a greater share of revenue.
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Rocket Lab says its containerized GHOST infrastructure will enable more flexible Electron and HASTE operations beyond permanent launch sites, including military orbital and hypersonic test missions. Separately, the company cautioned that development challenges are narrowing Neutron’s 2026 debut window, raising the prospect of a first launch in 2027.
MDA Space reported another quarter of double-digit increases in revenue and adjusted EBITDA, while outlining an international strategy focused on expanding its space hardware and geospatial imagery businesses in the United States and Europe. The company is also widening its portfolio and geographic presence.
ALL.SPACE has won a contract to provide Aalyria with Hydra MAX terminals for deployment alongside Aalyria’s Spacetime orchestration software. The software will be integrated directly with the terminals, combining the companies’ hardware and network-management capabilities in a joint platform deployment.
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Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is deploying Rassvet, a domestic Starlink-style satellite network, faster than planned, with 292 satellites targeted by 2027 and 924 by 2035. Moscow is also reportedly developing Volna-Kupol-Garant, a system designed to disrupt satellite communications at the spacecraft level.
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