Archives for October 2024

AAC Clyde Space has announced that a total of 188,000 AAC Clyde Space shares, issued as consideration for the acquisition of Spacemetric AB, have been registered, bringing the total number of shares in AAC Clyde Space to 5,891,835 from the previous 5,703,835.

The acquisition of Spacemetric AB was completed on October 1, 2024, as previously announced. In connection with closing, the board of directors in AAC Clyde Space resolved, with support from the authorization granted at the annual general meeting held on 23 May 2024, to issue 188,000 shares and 106,800 warrants to the current shareholders in Spacemetric, entailing a total increase of AAC Clyde Space’s share capital with SEK 589,600, provided that all earn-out milestones are fulfilled and that the warrants are exercised for subscription of shares.

The consideration shares are subject lock-up undertakings, whereby one third of the shares are subject to a lock-up for 360 days, one third of the shares are subject to a lock-up for 630 days and one third of the shares are subject to a lock-up for 810 days. Shares issued by exercise of the warrants will be subject to a lock-up for 360 days.

For further information on the transaction, please refer to the press release issued on July 3, 2024, which is available on www.aac-clyde.space.

First Phase 3 Lane 1 task orders issued under dual-lane acquisition strategy expands
launch service provider pool for national security launches.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 Launch Service Task Orders (LSTOs) totaling $733,566,001 to SpaceX.

These are the first two NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 LSTOs issued under an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded in June of 2024. They include one Task Order for seven Space Development Agency (SDA) launches, and one for a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) mission set.

The SDA-1 LSTO will support the launch of Space Vehicles (SVs) for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer satellite constellation.

The NTO-2 LSTO will support an NRO mission set that will be launched into orbit during 4QFY25 and 4QFY26. SpaceX will launch the NRO mission set from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The next opportunity for providers to on-ramp their emerging systems to the Lane 1 IDIQ contract will occur later this year followed by several more Task Order RFPs for launch services in the third quarter of FY25.

The Phase 3 Lane 1 award period consists of a five-year base ordering period from FY25 to FY29 plus a five-year option. At least 30 NSSL Lane 1 missions are expected to be competed over the five-year base ordering period. 

“In this era of Great Power Competition, it is imperative to not leave capability on the ground,” said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space. “The Phase 3 Lane 1 construct allows us to execute launch services more quickly for the more risk-tolerant payloads, putting more capabilities on orbit faster in order to support National Security.”

“We are excited to kick off our innovative NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 effort with two task orders that support critical NRO and SDA missions,” said Lt. Col. Douglas Downs, SSC’s materiel leader for Space Launch Procurement. “Industry stepped up to the plate and delivered on this competition. Our innovative dual-lane strategy is enabling a streamlined process from mission acquisition to launch, getting our assets on orbit for our warfighters’ benefit more quickly. Plus, with the ability to on-ramp new providers and systems annually, we expect to see increasing competition and diversity.”

Space Systems Command is the U.S. Space Force’s field command responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in, from, and to space. SSC manages a $15.6 billion space acquisition budget for the DoD and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, and academic and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, and space defense technology company True Anomaly, Inc., today announced a multi-launch agreement for three responsive launch missions aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket.

The first mission will deploy the True Anomaly Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle (AOV) for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission targeted for 2025. The two additional missions are available for execution between 2025 and 2027.

True Anomaly first announced it was selected for the VICTUS HAZE mission in April of 2024. Now with support from Firefly, the company will execute four main phases: build, hot standby, launch, and on-orbit operations.

During the build phase, True Anomaly will complete development and testing of its Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle at its factory GravityWorks in Denver, Colorado, and transport it to Firefly’s SLC-2 payload processing facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California for fueling, integration, and encapsulation in Alpha’s fairing. The True Anomaly and Firefly joint mission team will then enter the hot standby phase while the encapsulated payload remains stored in Firefly’s environmentally controlled processing facility.

True Anomaly and Firefly will remain on call until the U.S. Space Force provides the notice to launch. The Firefly team will then have 24 hours to transport the payload fairing to the pad, mate the fairing to Alpha, fuel the rocket, and launch within the first available window. Once True Anomaly’s Jackal spacecraft is deployed, True Anomaly will begin its on-orbit operations.

“VICTUS HAZE is an exemplar for how strong partnerships between the U.S. government and an exceptional industry team can create asymmetric capabilities at record speeds,” said Even Rogers, CEO of True Anomaly. “Firefly Aerospace has consistently demonstrated innovation and agility in the rapidly evolving landscape of responsive space launch logistics and space vehicle deployment. We are confident that they will build on their track record from VICTUS NOX, enabling True Anomaly to deploy the Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle for VICTUS HAZE. The procurement of additional rapid, responsive launch capacity from Firefly beyond VICTUS HAZE, paired with True Anomaly’s rapid manufacturing capability, will enable standing capacity for the U.S. National Security Space enterprise to rapidly respond to mission requirements in Low Earth Orbit and Medium Earth Orbit.”

“After launching VICTUS NOX last year, the Firefly team is ready to hit the ground running to support another rapid launch for tactically responsive space,” said Jason Kim, CEO at Firefly Aerospace. “We are honored by the vote of confidence from True Anomaly and the U.S. Space Force in Firefly’s ability to unlock repeatable, on-demand launch capabilities that enable our nation to respond to urgent on-orbit needs.”

VICTUS HAZE will be the second U.S. Space Force mission Firefly has supported with its rapid launch capabilities. In September 2023, Firefly successfully launched the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS NOX mission following a 24-hour notice, demonstrating a critical capability for the United States to rapidly respond to on-orbit needs during a conflict or in response to a national security threat. The Firefly team has since operated every Alpha launch as a responsive space demonstration, enabling the team to continue practicing and streamlining its rapid launch capabilities for both government and commercial customers.

About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace is an end-to-end space transportation company with launch, lunar, and on-orbit services. Headquartered in central Texas, Firefly is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners (“AEI”) focused on delivering responsive, reliable, and affordable space access for government and commercial customers. Firefly’s small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide the space industry with a single source for missions from low Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon and beyond.

OQ Technology has secured a convertible loan investment as part of its Series-B round — the investment is from the newly-established Luxembourg Space Sector Development fund (LSSD) which is co-led by SES S.A. and the Luxembourg government, and by existing shareholders who strongly backed up this second investment: Waed Ventures (the venture capital arm of the oil and gas giant, Aramco) and Phaistos Investment Fund from Greece.

OQ raised Series-A round of 13 million euros in 2022. This new investment will help OQ Technology accelerate its commercial operations globally, expand its licensed spectrum market access, and convert its existing pipeline into paying customers. OQ Technology already has commercial partnerships with customers such as Aramco, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Transatel, and many more.

The company deployed the first batch of its satellites since 2019 and is looking to expand its satellite constellation by raising the remaining amount of its Series-B round. The company is also looking into expanding its NTN services to address direct-to-smart phone messaging.

“This investment represents a major boost for the company and gives the confidence to other investors to join our round, being backed up by both the world’s largest satellite operator and the venture capital fund of the oil and gas giant is a strong testimony to the value of our standard-based 5G satellite connectivity service” said Founder and CEO, Omar Qaise.

EarthDaily Analytics has acquired Descartes Labs and that company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Descartes Labs Government, Inc. — the newly combined company will be led by EDA CEO, Don Osborne.

The integration of Descartes Labs’ established insurance, energy, mining, and U.S. defense and intelligence business segments represents a major expansion of EDA’s Earth Observation (EO) and value-added products into market segments with a diversified existing customer base and significant growth potential. Established DL commercial products, including Marigold, Iris, and Ascend, as well as DLG products Retina and Wayfinder, which are used by the U.S. Government, will be enhanced by the powerful data provided by the EarthDaily Constellation, set to launch in 2025. The Acquisition ensures that both current and future customers will benefit from best-in-class solutions with unprecedented capabilities.

The acquisition also further enhances EDA as a platform for future geospatial acquisition opportunities. The Company is focused on acquisition opportunities in which it can gain immediate access to select high-value verticals, leveraging its core technology and cross-platform synergies to unlock material value in the acquired businesses.

Don Osborne, CEO of EarthDaily Analytics, said, “We are thrilled to welcome the Descartes Labs team into the EarthDaily Analytics family. Having worked closely with DL in recent months, we have been deeply impressed by their unique knowledge and insights in the application of geospatial data to address key challenges facing the public and private sectors. Moreover, drawing on the success of our agriculture business and our proven capabilities in using broad area change detection to identify and address issues on the ground, we see DL as being highly complementary to EDA’s overall business. EDA and DL share a vision for EO in which the value of cutting-edge technology is firmly rooted in its ability to provide material support to decision makers on the ground. Leveraging our core technology, this acquisition instantly positions the combined EDA as a highly relevant player in multiple fast-growing, high-value markets, building on our established position as a global leader in the agriculture and ag insurance markets. Additionally, this significant expansion positions us to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end geospatial and AI service offering that meets the complex and multifaceted needs of even the largest civil government and commercial partners. The full extent of this synergy will become undeniable with the 2025 launch of the EarthDaily Constellation, which will change the game in EO with daily imaging of the world’s landmasses and relevant maritime areas, creating a scientific-quality data source purpose-built for AI applications. Utilizing the combination of Everywhere Everyday EO, multiple high-impact downstream business segments, and our focus on real-world applications and seamless integration with best-in-class data analytics tools, EDA is poised to unlock the full power of big data and AI in geospatial intelligence and applications, driving superior business, regulatory, and policy outcomes.”

Chandra Patel, Managing Partner of Antarctica Capital and Chairman of EarthDaily Analytics, said, “Antarctica Capital has a strong institutional commitment to the geospatial and data analytics sectors. We believe this merger will unlock significant opportunities for growth and innovation, with the newly combined Company positioned to be a vertically integrated industry leader focused on leveraging its data, software, and data analytics as a service platform, driven by AI and machine learning. Antarctica Capital remains committed to supporting EDA through this exciting new chapter.

About EarthDaily Analytics
EarthDaily Analytics (EDA), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a vertically integrated provider of Earth Observation data, analytics, and solutions. Utilizing a unique combination of proven space technologies, ground-breaking AI applications, and cutting-edge big data tools, EDA provides value-added, actionable insights to decision-makers and risk managers across the public and private sectors on a global basis. Building on a 35-year track record of leadership and innovation in the commercial application of Earth Observation technology, EDA is moving the state of the Change Detection industry forward with the 2025 launch of the EarthDaily Constellation. Supported by best-in-class project partners including Loft Orbital, Airbus, ABB, and SpaceX, the EarthDaily Constellation will provide spectrally robust, analytics-ready data covering nearly 100% of the world’s landmasses and key maritime regions, collected at the same time every day. Pairing the unmatched data collection of the EarthDaily Constellation with EarthPipeline, the world’s first fully managed, endlessly scalable ground segment pipeline-as-a-service, EarthDaily Analytics is bringing the world’s most advanced change detection system to bear on the biggest challenges facing businesses, governments, and humanity as a whole.

About Descartes Labs
Descartes Labs, Inc., and its wholly-owned government subsidiary, Descartes Labs Government, Inc., solve the world’s most complex problems through advanced science. We offer customers an accelerated ability to address operational needs by transforming the world’s data into actionable and predictive insights that impact climate change, sustainability, food security, and safeguard natural resources at the speed of relevance. Our solutions offer unique advantages to our customers that are grounded in an ever-expanding portfolio of dual-use commercial products and capabilities which are enabled by our core technology stack. Descartes Labs is an industry innovator, transforming data to decisions around the world.

About Antarctica Capital
Antarctica Capital is an alternative asset management firm headquartered in New York with assets under management of approximately $3.6 billion as of December 31, 2023. Antarctica Capital is a registered investment advisor and is dedicated to investments in private markets and real assets and the establishment of long-term capital vehicles to leverage this investment focus. Antarctica Capital’s investment approach is active ownership with an inherent focus on sustainability and providing more than capital to develop companies. The firm has an absolute return focus, which leads the firm to rigorously evaluate and build conviction around idiosyncratic investment opportunities and build value through the implementation of its investment strategies, such as SIGA®, SARO® and SEREY.

Hydrosat has been selected by the U.S. Air Force for a $1.9 million contract to provide Hydrosat’s thermal satellite data to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF) — under this contract, Hydrosat will provide innovative cloud and weather prediction capabilities based on its thermal satellite data that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

This significant achievement underscores the potential of Hydrosat’s industry-leading thermal data and its crucial role in enhancing cloud and weather prediction models for the Department of Defense. By integrating its cloud top temperature data into current models, Hydrosat will improve weather modeling capabilities, providing unparalleled decision-making superiority and full-spectrum awareness for the Air Force and Space Force. This capability will enhance operations planning critical to the execution of the National Defense Strategy.

The new contract is Hydrosat’s 5th contract with the United States Air Force, and its largest US Air Force Contract to date. Hydrosat also holds a contract to supply satellite data to the National Reconnaissance Office announced in December of 2023.

The contract is part of the AFWERX Tactical Finance program, known as TACFI. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded.

“Hydrosat is honored to deepen our long-standing partnership with the US Air Force through this contract and excited to deliver the U.S. Air Force thermal satellite data from our VanZyl satellites for the first time,” said Pieter Fossel, CEO and cofounder of Hydrosat. “This award is significant not only because it is to provide thermal data from our satellites but also because it is Hydrosat’s first contract for weather and marks the opening of a new market for the company.”

About Hydrosat
Hydrosat is the climate tech company leveraging thermal imagery to measure water stress in agriculture and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Hydrosat currently monitors millions of acres across customers such as NOAA, NRO, SupPlant, and Nutradrip, who trust the company’s high-resolution, timely satellite thermal imagery to deliver advanced analytics that convey precise crop yield forecasts and improved irrigation tools to financial and agribusiness customers around the globe.

Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a 107 million euros contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the supply of 6 additional radar-based satellites dedicated to the Italian Earth observation constellation, IRIDE.

This second batch of satellites, as the previous batch of six, will rely on the innovative and scalable NIMBUS (New Italian Micro Bus) platform. Built by Thales Alenia Space, the high-performance NIMBUS will be produced rapidly and is designed for high-revisit and high-capacity constellations in addition to very high throughput.

For the Italian Earth Observation Constellation IRIDE, Thales Alenia Space will build a total of 13 satellites: 12 small-sized satellites based on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology and 1 satellite based on optical technology.

IRIDE is one of the most important European space programs in the field of Earth Observation. It is a government project funded as part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), complemented by funding from the National Integration Plan (PNC). IRIDE is a constellation of satellites, operational by 2026, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in conjunction with the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

IRIDE features a hybrid constellation of different satellites with dedicated EO sensors; this end-to-end system comprises a series of LEO satellite sub-constellations, ground infrastructures (downstream) and services dedicated to the Italian Public Administration.

Thales Alenia Space will contribute to the achievement of this innovative constellation of satellites that feature sophisticated operating modes to support high revisit rates, providing data that can be integrated with that from other existing or future programs and infrastructures, including COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation and Prisma, as well as Europe’s vast Copernicus Earth observation and protection program.

Thales Alenia Space will further contribute to the constellation by supplying an optical satellite with a performance tailored to its needs. Built on the platform NIMBUS, the optical payload is developed by the Italian companies Media Lario and TSD-space, specialized in the creation of instruments and electronics for space.

The satellites will be built in Italy under the responsibility of Thales Alenia Space and thanks to the contribution of the entire supply chain of SMEs in the space sector. They will provide valuable data not only to researchers studying the evolution of the environmental conditions of Italy but also to the Civil Protection and other Public Administrations to protect coasts, monitor critical infrastructures, air quality and weather conditions. IRIDE’s data will be of paramount importance. This data will allow the development of commercial applications by start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises and industries in the geospatial sector.

“I would like to thank the European and Italian Space Agencies for once again entrusting Thales Alenia Space’s competences and expertise,” said Giampiero Di Paolo, Senior Vice President Observation, Exploration and Navigation for Thales Alenia Space. “Leveraging our experience onboard major Earth observation programs, we are ready to reinforce our capabilities in the small satellite segment. Based on a series of sensing instruments and technologies, the IRIDE constellation will range from microwave imaging with radar sensors to optical imaging at various spatial resolutions and in different frequency ranges, making it a cutting-edge space program in Earth Observation. The radar technology on board this program will be a crucial pillar of our ALL-IN-ONE Earth observation solution, which effectively combines optical and radar small satellites to ensure high revisit frequency and control for near real-time monitoring.”

Argotec has signed a contract for the delivery of 15 additional Earth Observation (EO) smallsats that will comprise the IRIDE constellation — this is a program desired by the Italian government and is funded by PNRR funds and coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA).

This is the second batch for the company, which, back in December 2022, was the first to sign on for the delivery of the first 10 satellites, now nearly finished and ready to be launched in the coming months.

The satellites have a mass of about 70 kg and are equipped with a sophisticated on-board computer capable of processing images directly on-orbit. The constellation will provide crucial data for the provision of services, among them monitoring of land consumption, observation of critical land points, coastal protection, precision agriculture, support to Civil Defense and more. The constellation formed by Argotec’s platforms is named HEO (Hawk for Earth Observation) and is widely scalable.

All the satellites will be made in the SpacePark, a Space Factory on the outskirts of Turin, Italy, that will be among the most advanced in Europe and will be officially opened just days from now on October 18th. The company is continuing to grow and structure itself to increase production capabilities, thanks to the know-how of the firm’s engineers and the technological solutions the company has implemented in the SpacePark.

“We are extremely proud to once again be at the forefront of this strategic program for the entire Italian space sector,” said Argotec CEO David Avino. “We have proven once again that we are able to manufacture, validate and deliver excellent products in record time. For us, the signing of this second contract is further recognition of Argotec’s reliability and efficiency. Not only that, the IRIDE program, has been an enabler for investments in the area amounting to 25 million in facilities and over 100 new hires related to the SpacePark project. The goal for the future is to take Made in Italy excellence in the space sector far beyond national borders, consolidating Italian leadership globally.“

GomSpace has engaged in a new industrial Collaboration Agreement with ST Engineering Satellite Systems to explore and expand business opportunities for the small satellites and micro satellites market — this partnership comes as part of the company’s continued efforts to strengthen the firm’s presence in Asia, following previous successes with a major strategic project in Singapore.

Building on the momentum from earlier achievements, GomSpace sees this new collaboration with ST Engineering Satellite Systems as a key step toward enhancing the footprint in one of the world’s most promising markets. ST Engineering Satellite Systems’ expertise will complement GomSpace’s existing capabilities and industrial setup, allowing for a more comprehensive approach to serving customers. Together, the two companies will work to offer innovative solutions for the new space industry. 

“We are proud to be partnering with ST Engineering Satellite Systems as we look to capitalize on the strong foundation of both companies,” said Carsten Drachmann, CEO at GomSpace. “Our previous success in the region has given us valuable insights, and this collaboration with ST Engineering Satellite Systems opens up new possibilities for growth, technological innovation, and customer engagement. On a personal note, Singapore is close to my heart and am very happy once again to work with old friends and colleagues”.

Radisys® Corporation has announced its inclusion in the AccelerComm® 5G Ecosystem Partner Program, formalizing a long-standing partnership.

This collaboration will enable Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to unlock new business opportunities for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) 5G communication, extending coverage to areas that were previously inaccessible due to high costs, and allowing companies to explore innovative applications that were previously deemed too expensive.

The collaboration aims to enable SATCOM technology with 3GPP standards-compliant solutions, reducing costs and improving network flexibility. Additionally, it will promote cross-compatibility with Radisys’ NR-NTN gNodeB software, NTN 5G Core (5GC) and Multi Non-3GPP Interworking Gateway (AGF/TWIF) software for interworking with legacy NTN technologies, and RIC for monitoring and control of multi-layer/ad-hoc reconfigurable satellite networks.

5G LEO regenerative satellites represent a significant advancement over traditional satellite communication systems which use simple relays, receiving signals from a ground station and retransmitting them to another location resulting in higher latency and lower efficiency, as the data must travel long distances to and from the ground stations. 5G LEO regenerative satellites are equipped with advanced processing capabilities that allow them to handle and route data directly without relying solely on ground infrastructure to reduce latency, enhance data throughput, and increase overall network efficiency.

Last year, AccelerComm and Radisys announced a joint effort to develop a high-performance Regenerative 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) reference solution and architecture based on 3GPP standards for deployment on LEO satellites. The endeavor integrated the expertise and intellectual property of both companies, along with additional technology from ecosystem partners, to create a 5G regenerative gNodeB (gNB) solution tailored to support high-performance 5G services in the challenging NTN environment.

AccelerComm provides comprehensive 5G New Radio (NR) Layer 1 solutions that deliver enhanced performance. Their physical layer IP solutions enable optimal performance of 5G radio access networks, addressing challenges that would otherwise limit throughput, latency, and spectral efficiency in 5G deployments.

Radisys’ 5G software is equipped with NTN capabilities, enabling access to GEO/MEO/LEO satellites. Its architecture is both flexible and scalable, featuring well-defined interfaces that seamlessly integrate with SATCOM infrastructure. This advanced software allows OEMs to capitalize on the substantial investments in SATCOM technology, opening up new business opportunities.

“Our relationship with Radisys has been highly productive over the years, consistently yielding innovative solutions that advance the field of 5G communications,” said Tom Cronk, CEO, AccelerComm. “We are confident that this strengthened partnership will continue to drive significant innovation in 5G NR communication, ultimately benefiting our customers with enhanced performance and new business opportunities.”

“We are pleased to partner with AccelerComm in their Ecosystem Program,” said Munish Chhabra, Head of Mobility Software and Services Business, Radisys. “This collaboration represents a significant milestone in our long-standing relationship with AccelerComm. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of 5G technology. The opportunity to deploy disaggregated 5G software to create a 5G regenerative gNB solution supporting high-performance 5G services in NTNs is very exciting. By combining our advanced software capabilities with AccelerComm’s expertise in physical layer IP solutions, we are poised to deliver unparalleled performance and innovation in the 5G NTN market. We look forward to continuing our joint efforts to revolutionize satellite communications and provide our customers with cutting-edge solutions.”