ESA
ESA, acting for the European Commission, has contracted four additional Galileo Second Generation positioning, navigation and timing satellites, extending contracts with Airbus and Thales Alenia Space for two spacecraft each. The additions bring the planned fleet to 16; the original 12 were ordered in 2021, with launches scheduled to begin in 2028 and the new satellites slated for 2031.
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Craft Prospect is working with Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics and Vector Photonics on PERSEUS, a project exploring next-generation laser technology for high-performance optical communications in space. The announcement identifies the partners and research focus, but provides no technical specifications, schedule or funding details.
A Falcon 9 lifted off from California overnight on Oct. 27, carrying 27 additional Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. The launch adds another batch to SpaceX’s constellation, extending its deployment cadence through a mission launched in the early morning hours.
Writing from Munich Climate Week, Torsten Kriening argues that satellites should serve firefighters as operational infrastructure rather than simply provide data. The piece connects space capabilities with wildfire response, emphasizing the need to make satellite-derived information useful to those working on the ground.
Experts at a digital defense firm found that an Israeli ad tech company was heavily targeting users of Starlink’s satellite internet service, according to six people familiar with the matter. The activity was described as a likely effort to spy on those users.
ESA, acting for the European Commission, has contracted four additional Galileo Second Generation positioning, navigation and timing satellites, extending contracts with Airbus and Thales Alenia Space for two spacecraft each. The additions bring the planned fleet to 16; the original 12 were ordered in 2021, with launches scheduled to begin in 2028 and the new satellites slated for 2031.
Astroscale says technologies developed to remove space debris and service malfunctioning satellites could be adapted into fleets of spacecraft that guard high-value orbital assets. The proposal repurposes on-orbit servicing capabilities for satellite protection, bringing commercial spacecraft and security missions into closer alignment.
EraDrive has received clearance to test autonomous maneuvering software aboard NASA’s Starling satellites. The trial advances onboard navigation and control capabilities, putting spacecraft maneuver decisions closer to the vehicle rather than relying solely on ground-based direction.
Cowboy Space has revealed Big Iron, a launch vehicle whose upper stage is designed to remain in orbit and operate as a megawatt-class data center. The concept links launch vehicle architecture with orbital computing infrastructure, making the vehicle’s upper stage part of its intended on-orbit mission.
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