Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
Space42 said its Equatys joint venture with Viasat has secured regulatory clearance that had blocked the venture’s progress. The partnership is focused on direct-to-device satellite telecommunications, a service model that connects consumer devices directly to satellites.
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AST SpaceMobile characterizes building a rocket as “simple,” while saying it is not pursuing the effort because it likes rockets. The available report provides no details on the vehicle, its development plans or how the effort fits the company’s broader strategy.
Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has contracted SATIM to provide software that automates analysis of satellite radar imagery, supporting intelligence collection through the MikroSAR program. Separately, Earth-intelligence platform SkyFi has integrated British company SatVu’s high-resolution thermal imagery, expanding the commercial data available through its platform.
Space42 said its Equatys joint venture with Viasat has secured regulatory clearance that had blocked the venture’s progress. The partnership is focused on direct-to-device satellite telecommunications, a service model that connects consumer devices directly to satellites.
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Spaceium is opening a license for its spacecraft-refueling hardware, aiming to make pump technology available to spacecraft builders. The move is an initial step toward the company’s longer-term goal of deploying gas stations in orbit, though the announcement provides no details on licensing terms or deployment timing.
Military forces that depend on a foreign commercial provider for satellite communications may surrender some control over their operations, the article argues. End-use agreements can help define how the service is provided and used, making those terms a strategic consideration alongside the connectivity itself.
Caltech and Momentus have made progress testing in-space robotic assembly technology aboard a Momentus spacecraft under a DARPA effort. The work aims to enable the construction of very large structures in orbit, a capability that could change how future space systems are built and deployed.
High activity
Iberia has fitted its full eight-aircraft A321XLR fleet with Starlink, with the final jet emerging from maintenance in Madrid. Separately, Slate Aviation plans to begin equipping its entire fleet in December, while United expects Starlink to be available on nearly 64% of daily flights by the end of 2026 and across its fleet by the end of 2027.
High activity
OwlO Cloud has emerged from stealth with plans to build a European orbital-cloud network under sovereign control. The company is targeting a constellation of 10 spacecraft by 2030; the announcement sets out its goal and timeline, but provides no further program or deployment details.
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