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ESA announces 100 million euro satellite-mobile convergence initiative

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TAMPA, Fla. — The European Space Agency announced up to 100 million euros ($118 million) in funding March 2 for projects promising to accelerate the convergence of satellite and terrestrial communications. The funding will be distributed in partnership with GSMA Foundry, the mobile industry association’s innovation platform that connects operators, vendors and startups to develop … Read more

Spaceium demonstrates refueling actuator in orbit

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SAN FRANCISCO – Spaceium, a startup planning to establish a network of in-space refueling and repair stations, demonstrated the actuator for its robotic arm in space.   Extensive testing of Spaceium’s actuator, which flew on Transporter-15, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare launched in November, confirmed its accuracy.“We tested the actuator first, because our technology revolves … Read more

Varda’s W-5 mission lands in Australia

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WASHINGTON — Varda Space Industries completed its latest reentry mission Jan. 29, completing an end-to-end demonstration of a new in-house spacecraft design. The W-5 mission concluded with a reentry Jan. 29 (U.S. time) at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, operated by Southern Launch. The landing ended a mission that began with the spacecraft’s … Read more

Space Beyond lines up 2027 SpaceX launch for low-cost memorial cubesat

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TAMPA, Fla. — Florida-based Space Beyond plans to start building its first memorial spacecraft next week after booking a launch on SpaceX’s October 2027 rideshare mission. Ryan Mitchell, a former Blue Origin engineer who founded Space Beyond last year, said the startup is in final design review for a brick-sized cubesat designed to carry around … Read more

Arianespace to begin Amazon Leo launches in February

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WASHINGTON — Arianespace will begin launches for its largest commercial customer in February as it works to ramp up its flight rate and attract additional business. Arianespace announced Jan. 15 that it will conduct its first launch for Amazon’s low Earth orbit broadband constellation on Feb. 12 from French Guiana. The mission, the first of … Read more

Portal Space selects ‘Space Armor’ debris shield for 2026 mission

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WASHINGTON — Portal Space Systems, a defense-focused space startup developing long-endurance maneuvering satellites for national security missions, has selected a new protective material made by Atomic-6 for a mission scheduled to launch in October 2026. Atomic-6, a startup that specializes in advanced composite materials for extreme environments, produces a shielding product known as Space Armor, … Read more