Archives for January 2025

The GDM has supported Space Systems Command’s TacSRT pilot program and is designed to rapidly provide U.S. military combatant commands with access to insights for critical areas of interest worldwide.

The competitive, short duration TacSRT contracts team up multiple commercial data providers to cover specific requests for real-time operational planning products offering insight into global trends and events from violent extremism to humanitarian and disaster response as well as identification of potential threats.

“One year in operation, this novel marketplace increases speed and accessibility to BlackSky’s reliable high-cadence, low-latency dynamic monitoring capabilities,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “BlackSky’s momentum with these quick-turn contracts represents a significant structural demand signal from a key customer for operationally relevant space-based products. BlackSky has demonstrated repeated success in delivering tailored products featuring our automated AI-driven analytics to meet a diverse set of complex, time-sensitive civil and military tactical SRT missions around the world,” said O’Toole. “The fast-paced, short period of performance aligns with our strengths: rapidly delivering actionable insights from our core product offerings that require minimal integration, lowering customer acquisition costs and accelerating development of new technology.”

This reseller agreement integrates SpaceX’s Starlink LEO technology with SageNet’s comprehensive managed network services portfolio, which includes terrestrial, cellular and satellite solutions. As an authorized Starlink reseller, SageNet will provide complete turnkey satellite services—from installation and management to monitoring and maintenance—enabling enterprise and certain government clients to access secure, cost-effective and reliable high-speed connectivity.

The agreement offers several key advantages:

• Enterprise and high-performance packages with fixed and mobility plans
• Seamless integration with SageNet’s managed services model
• Professional services and consolidated billing
• Advanced API integrations for enhanced control and monitoring

SageNet is integrating Starlink’s capabilities into its proprietary SageVision platform, providing customers with unprecedented visibility into network performance, including real-time latency monitoring, site status and configuration management.

The company projects installation or support of more than 2,000 LEO satellite Earth station sites in the coming year, serving diverse clients from major retailers and pipeline companies to convenience store chains and government agencies. SageNet’s multi-orbit SD-WAN solutions offer rapid deployment capabilities and seamlessly fill gaps in terrestrial service coverage, providing a comprehensive connectivity solution for modern enterprises.

“After four decades of satellite service excellence, we’re thrilled to enhance our offerings with Starlink’s industry-leading LEO technology,” said John Brader, SageNet’s Executive Vice President of Satellite Services. “In this landmark year for non-geostationary satellite orbit services, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver multi-orbit, software-defined wide area network solutions nationwide. While SpaceX’s Starlink excels in rural connectivity, its applications extend far beyond remote locations. We’re seeing significant demand in urban and suburban areas where traditional broadband installation is cost-prohibitive or time-intensive.”

After 12 years at the helm of the Company, Platzer’s tenure as CEO was marked with several milestones that he set out to achieve before transitioning into the Executive Chairman role, including rapidly scaling the Company from $10 million to more than $100 million in revenue and taking it public. He also oversaw the Company’s recent agreement to sell its maritime business for approximately $241 million, which Spire intends to use to retire all outstanding debt and invest in near-term growth opportunities.

As Executive Chairman, Platzer will guide Spire’s vision and lead the Board of Directors, as well as focus on securing major opportunities to drive the Company’s growth strategy. He will remain involved in select investor engagements and speak at events about the burgeoning commercial space opportunity.

Condor, who was part of the Company’s founding team, has led the expansion of Spire’s solution offerings and business lines, growing the Company’s customer base to more than 745 customers across 65 countries. As CEO, she intends to lead Spire into its next phase of growth with a focus on streamlining operations and strong execution at scale.

“Peter has an incredible vision for how satellite technology and space can improve our lives here on Earth, and that vision has guided the growth of Spire since the company was founded,” said Will Porteous, Spire Board Member. “Theresa has been instrumental in turning that vision into reality. She has a deep understanding of Spire’s customers, the business, and its operations that will be transformational for the company as it enters this next phase of growth as an increasingly profitable company.”

The Company has also appointed two aerospace industry veterans to join its executive bench. Celia Pelaz, a former Airbus executive, will serve as Chief Operating Officer, assuming responsibility for the Company’s revenue and operations. And Gabriel Oehme will serve as Chief Transformation Officer following spent 22 years at Airbus in roles including operations, business development, procurement and sales. Pelaz and Oehme assumed their positions on January 6, 2025.

“Celia and Gabriel bring invaluable institutional knowledge of the aerospace industry and a wealth of expertise in operations, having effectively managed businesses centered on manufacturing and engineering,” said Condor. “With our recent agreement to sell our maritime business, we are at a transformational point as we seek to become a debt-free company with proven space infrastructure and technology. We are in a strong position to capitalize on significant near-term opportunities that generate long-term value. Celia and Gabriel’s experience will be integral in helping us seize these opportunities through focused execution and operational excellence at scale.”

Leo Basola has informed the Company that he will step down from his role as Chief Financial Officer once the Company completes its previously disclosed review of certain accounting practices and the related restatement of prior period financial statements. Thomas Krywe, Spire’s former CFO, will assume an interim role while the Company searches for Basola’s replacement. Krywe has worked as a consultant for the Company since August 2024 and was instrumental in signing the agreement to sell Spire’s maritime business.

Kitay brings more than 20 years of experience in the space and defense sectors and has a proven track record of leadership and innovation. Prior to joining True Anomaly, he was Senior Director of Strategic Ventures and Azure Space at Microsoft, focused on emerging technologies and supporting the space industrial base through cloud-enabled technologies.

Prior to joining the private sector, Stephen served in multiple key government positions, including as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy in the Pentagon, as a Professional Staff Member on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Service Committee, and as a military veteran and intelligence professional to include space systems development at the National Reconnaissance Office.

Stephen played a critical role in the creation and stand-up of the U.S. Space Force, and his experience in government and industry will prove invaluable at a time of rapid growth for both True Anomaly and the broader private space sector.

This appointment underscores True Anomaly’s commitment to hiring foundational experts in the field of space defense and security. The news comes on the heels of True Anomaly’s Mission X Flight Test 2 in late December 2024, which saw the successful deployment, command, and control of its Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle (AOV). 

“We are at an inflection point in the space defense industry, where the private sector is able to bring a new approach to defense systems development, delivering innovation at the pace required to meet the needs of the warfighter,” said Even Rogers, CEO and co-founder of True Anomaly. “Steve is here to help us scale our product portfolio and mission readiness infrastructure, bringing together engineering, product, strategy, and training and testing operations. He’s had a unique and impactful role in the industry as a key leader in the creation of the Space Force and shaping the national policies to enable U.S. superiority in space. We’re excited to have Steve join us and are grateful for the expertise he will bring to True Anomaly, our partners and customers.” 

“We are at a critical moment in time in the evolution of activity in space,” said Kitay. “The domain has never been more contested, while also providing unmatched opportunity for prosperity and exploration. I was drawn to True Anomaly’s mission focus on providing Guardians, national security professionals, allies, and partners with the tools to compete and win, ensuring security and safety of critical assets in space. The company has assembled an unmatched team with a differentiated approach to building a tightly integrated hardware and software platform that leverages innovative technologies including autonomy and AI. I’m thrilled to join the team and make an impact in reshaping space operations for future generations.” 

By adding space heritage multiple times, Pale Blue will diversify its offering to better meet the rising demand of on-orbit control and debris mitigation for small satellite missions with its specifications, as compared to the conventional propulsion systems.

Orbit control plays a crucial role for satellites to provide consistent service. In addition to orbit maneuvering, there is a surging demand to mitigate space debris by de-orbiting and collision avoidance, and an increasing number of small satellites are equipped with propulsion systems. Pale Blue’s 1U+ Water Ion Thruster (PBI) is a fully integrated propulsion system with its outstanding total impulse achieving 7,000 Ns, which makes it one of the highest options on market under this form factor.

By using water as a propellant, the propulsion system has a number of additional advantages such as safety, ease of handling as well as propellant availability. Furthermore, this compact system is clusterable to meet a wider range of satellite missions.

The contract with D-Orbit includes two launch opportunities and operation respectively onboard D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier, a space vehicle that has demonstrated its versatility through 14 successful missions that performed multiple satellite deployment, hosted payload operations, and in-orbit demonstrations. The on-orbit demonstration mission is scheduled to launch in June and October of 2025.

Jun Asakawa (Pale Blue), Renato Panesi (D-Orbit) said, “We are incredibly excited to conduct in-orbit demonstration of the world-first water-based ion thruster that is innovative and sustainable propulsion solutions to the space industry,” said Jun Asakawa, Co-founder and CEO at Pale Blue. By partnering with D-Orbit, we are taking a significant step forward in validating the performance and reliability of our propulsion technology. This collaboration will enable us to meet the growing demand, while contributing to space sustainability. We are confident that our water-based propulsion system will redefine the future of satellite missions and open up new possibilities for space exploration.”

“Water-based propulsion technology perfectly aligns with D-Orbit’s commitment to sustainable space operations,” said Renato Panesi, co-founder and CCO at D-Orbit. “Drawing on our extensive experience in successful in-orbit demonstrations and the proven versatility of ION Satellite Carrier, we are happy to support Pale Blue in advancing their innovative propulsion solution.”

“This contract with Pale Blue marks an exciting first step in D-Orbit’s journey into the Japanese market, and we are thrilled to support the validation of such a pioneering propulsion technology,” said Ash Takao, Sales Development Manager for D-Orbit and member of Marubeni Corporation, one of D-Orbit’s main investors. “As our first collaboration with a Japanese company, this contract highlights our commitment to strengthening ties within Japan’s advanced space sector and expanding D-Orbit’s reach in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Pixxel’s hyperspectral data offers far greater spectral detail than traditional multispectral data, enabling precise analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.

SIIS plans to strengthen its Earth Observation (EO) business with the launch of its ultra-high-resolution satellite, SpaceEye-T, in March of 2025. Developed with domestic private technology and investment, SpaceEye-T will be Korea’s first private EO satellite capable of delivering 30 cm-class, ultra-high-resolution, spatial information. With this, SIIS aims to compete with global leaders in the geospatial industry.

Through this partnership with Pixxel, SIIS intends to enhance its market competitiveness by combining precise spatial information obtained from ultra-high-resolution imagery with the material-specific properties of hyperspectral data. The company expects this integration will enable users to leverage the unique characteristics and strengths of different data types, meeting diverse analytical demands and expanding the applications of satellite data.

Pixxel is gearing up to launch its Fireflies constellation, consisting of six commercial-grade hyperspectral satellites, in early 2025. Designed to deliver 5 meter resolution, a 40 kilometer swath, and daily revisit capabilities across hundreds of bands, this constellation will provide unparalleled global coverage and enable industries to access high-fidelity hyperspectral data for a wide range of applications, including agriculture, climate monitoring, and resource management.

SIIS CEO Kim Moon-Gyu said, “Through this collaboration with Pixxel, we will expand our offerings beyond optical and radar imagery to include hyperspectral data. We are committed to broadening the scope of satellite data applications and providing valuable insights to the Earth observation solutions market.”

Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Pixxel, said, “This partnership with SIIS marks an exciting opportunity for us. Together, we aim to provide transformative insights that enable end-users across industries to tackle complex challenges. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to building a health monitor for the planet and advancing Earth observation solutions globally.”

Pixxel’s Chief Commercial Officer, Aakash Parekh, said, “We are thrilled to partner with SIIS and could not think of a better way to enter the Korean market with our groundbreaking 5-meter hyperspectral dataset.” He added, “SIIS has built a high-calibre team with deep expertise, ideally suited to educate end-users across agriculture, energy, environment, and defence on the transformative benefits of hyperspectral technology.”

The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) is investing 60 MSEK in the project SMART 6GSAT (Sustainable Mobile Autonomous and Resilient 6G SatCom), with KTH as the coordinator and project leader.

The aim is to integrate traditional land-based mobile communication with satellite communication in 6G. The vision is for mobile communication services to be seamlessly accessible to anyone with a 6G device, anywhere and anytime.

In addition to Ovzon, the industry consortium includes companies such as Ericsson, Saab, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), Eutelsat-OneWeb, Airbus, and Viasat, as well as authorities such as the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) and the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT).

Mr. Krauss, formerly Terran Orbital’s Chief Operations Officer, successfully led the company’s business operations, significantly strengthened its operational framework, and set the company on a path of improved processes and operational efficiencies.

Since assuming the role of CEO in October, Krauss is no stranger to managing complex organizations. He has overseen merger and acquisition activities, global manufacturing, and distribution networks across European, American, and other markets.

His focus now lies on creating a new era for Terran Orbital, and doing so by leaning into the following key priorities:

• Advancing Innovation: Positioning Terran Orbital at the forefront of space technology will continue building on the company’s expertise in satellite manufacturing and aerospace solutions.
• Expanding Capacity: Scaling its manufacturing operations to meet growing market demand for small satellites, with a commitment to operational excellence.
• Fostering Growth and Collaboration: Cultivating a team-driven culture where transparency and collaboration are central to success.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Krauss has a passion for racing and performance cars. He spends his weekends on the race track, trying to beat his best time – something that spills over into his professional world and inspires him to continue delivering competitive solutions in the tech industry.

With Krauss at the helm, Terran Orbital is well-positioned to enhance its impact in the aerospace and defense sectors, championing new technology and expanding its market presence.

“I am deeply honored to step into the CEO role at Terran Orbital,” Krauss said. “Our talented team is the cornerstone of our success. Together, we will continue to drive innovation, strengthen our strategic initiatives, and build a collaborative culture focused on the missions of our customers and achieving new milestones for the company.”