Author: starpathwp-production
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Xona Space Systems Wins AFRL Contract to Demonstrate LEO GPS Alternative
Xona Space Systems signed a $4.65 million contract with Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to demonstrate commercial PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) solutions for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) missions, Xona announced on Feb. 25. Awarded through the Space Technology Advanced Research – Fast-tracking Innovative Software and Hardware (STAR-FISH) program, the contract increases Xona’s total…
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Bayer Expands its License Agreement With Planet for Agricultural Data
Bayer has expanded its work with Planet in a multi-year enterprise license agreement for greater access to Planet’s satellite imagery for its agriculture products. Planet announced the deal on Feb. 25, financial terms were not disclosed. Bayer has been a longtime customer of Planet. The expanded enterprise agreement will provide better access to Planet’s data…
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PLD Space Expands Global Reach with Second Launch Site at Etlaq Spaceport in Oman
PLD Space, an international space services company with vertical integrated engineering and manufacturing, has announced that the Etlaq spaceport in Oman will be its second global launch base for MIURA launch vehicle family. This infrastructure joins the company’s Launch Complex at the CSG (Kourou, French Guiana), owned by CNES and ESA, thus expanding vehicle service…
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Asteroid 2024 YR4 is going to miss Earth, but the story doesn’t end there
It was only a few days ago that a certain fear-mongering website named, ahem, Ars Technica published an article about the prospect of a killer asteroid striking the planet Earth in the year 2032. At the time, the odds of a small asteroid first discovered late last year—and designated 2024 YR4—hitting us were non-negligible. There…
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NASA Awards Delivery Order to BAE Systems for NOAA’s Space Weather Program
NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded a delivery order to BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems of Boulder, Colorado, to build spacecraft for the Lagrange 1 Series project as a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program. The award made under the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract, has…
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Airbus-Built Biomass Satellite Ships to Kourou for ESA’s Forest Monitoring Mission
Biomass, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Airbus-built satellite, has left Toulouse for its journey by ship to Kourou, French Guiana, ready for launch. Biomass, an Earth Explorer satellite, is ESA’s flagship mission to measure forest biomass to assess terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes from an altitude of 666km above the Earth. The spacecraft will carry…
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SES Selects Quvia for Network Orchestration for Multi-Orbit Connectivity
SES and Quvia, will codevelop enhanced network orchestration capabilities for its multi-orbit connectivity solutions, SES announced on Feb. 24. Quvia, formerly known as Neuron, is an AI-powered quality of experience (QoE) platform. The platform unifies billions of data points to deliver connectivity across multiple providers, orbits, and networks. The partnership integrates SES’s Adaptive Resource Control…
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Launch Roundup: Starship, Ariane 6 and telescope missions delayed, lunar lander flies
Several significant missions were scheduled for this week, including the third lunar lander to launch in just over a month. The Intuitive Machines-2 (IM-2) mission will explore and analyze the Moon’s subsurface, testing new technologies and paving the way for future lunar missions. NASA is also set to launch its SPHEREx observatory, which will map…
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Kapta Space to Develop the Next Generation of Advanced Spaceborne Radar Systems
Kapta Space, a Seattle-based space tech startup, came out of stealth mode and announced that it has raised a $5 million seed round to support the development of its advanced spaceborne electronically-steered, radar-based imaging technology. The round was led by MetaVC Partners, in participation with Entrada Ventures and Blue Collective. The company will use the…
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Isar Aerospace Prepares for First Spectrum Launch After Successful Static Fire Tests
Satellite launch service company Isar Aerospace is preparing for its first test flight, having completed static firings of both stages of its launch vehicle ‘Spectrum’. The first flight will take place from Andøya Spaceport in Norway as soon as possible following Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) approval and licensing. On February 14, Isar Aerospace completed…