Archives for March 2025

HawkEye 360 is participating in the U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S) Commercial Integration Cell (CIC)—this partnership reinforces HawkEye 360’s commitment to supporting the U.S. Space Force’s mission and national security through seamless and rapid operational collaboration.

The CIC, operating under the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC), facilitates the exchange of critical information between U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) and commercial partners.

This collaboration enhances coordinated, time-sensitive responses to space events, bolstering the resilience of U.S. government satellite operations.

Through the CIC, HawkEye 360 will contribute to mission-critical areas, including the detection of radio frequency interference (RFI), warning intelligence of threats, and other aspects of space situational awareness and space domain awareness.

The CIC represents the first-ever initiative integrating commercial satellite owners/operators directly into the CSpOC. This partnership strengthens the synchronization of efforts between government and commercial mission partners, supporting resilient space operations in an increasingly complex domain

HawkEye 360’s participation in the CIC underscores our commitment to delivering valuable RF data and analytics that enhance situational awareness and support informed decision-making,” said Patrick Zeitouni, Chief Strategy Officer of HawkEye 360. “As commercial and government entities collaborate to advance the Space Force’s mission, we are honored to contribute our capabilities to this historic endeavor.”

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SWISSto12 has debuted HummingLink-SOTP, a new type of terminal for GEO connectivity that combines a small form factor, high portability, quick deployment as well as high-throughput.

HummingLink-SOTP leverages SWISSto12’s proprietary Additive Manufacturing processes to produce ultra-lightweight, high-gain antennas in X-, Ku-, and Ka-band. HummingLink-SOTP integrates these antennas together with state-of-the-art RF electronic circuits to enable the highest throughput out of highly portable and compact systems. These terminals focus on GEO SATCOM-On-The-Pause (SOTP) connectivity and target a sub-50 cm size.

HummingLink-SOTP is a compact, highly portable yet highly performing SATCOM product that answers the requirements of operators for systems that can be rapidly deployed by a single person to establish robust, high throughput connectivity over GEO,” said Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12. “Despite the small size of the HummingLink-SOTP terminals, the antenna arrays that we integrate into our terminals are extremely efficient and highly differentiated when compared to traditional dish antennas, which require larger surface areas to reach similar performance. We combine this with an optimized system design and industrial approach to provide a cost-competitive solution.”

Mathieu Billod, Head of Terminals at SWISSto12 said, “HummingLink-SOTP is first released in Ka-band (HummingLink-SOTP-Ka), and in different gain, polarization, and frequency configurations. The terminal is designed for ultra-fast deployment. HummingLink-SOTP terminals can integrate a modem and can be equipped with  auto-pointing systems. Terminals in X-band (HummingLink-SOTP-X) and Ku-band (HummingLink-SOTP-Ku) are available for pre-release demos and will be available for order later in 2025.”

About SWISSto1
SWISSto12 is a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite RF products, payloads and systems, including the HummingSat: a small yet powerful geostationary telecommunications satellite developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) through its public-private-partnership program. The company’s RF products benefit from unique and patented 3D-printing technologies and associated Radio Frequency (RF) product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF functionality. In addition to the company’s space portfolio, Swissto12 is also active in telecommunications and aeronautic industry. The firm has developed commercially with success in Europe and in the USA, and is amongst the fastest growing aerospace companies in Europe. SWISSto12 spun off in 2011 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors. 

SuperSharp Space Systems Ltd. (SuperSharp), a University of Cambridge spinoff, earlier this month received a £5 million award from the UK Space Agency—these funds will enable an on-orbit demonstration of SuperSharp’s unfolding thermal infrared (TIR) space telescope for climate change mitigation applications.

In addition, the company has delivered the first prototype of its ultra-high resolution telescope, Hibiscus, which is scheduled to start space operations in Q4 of 2026. The development of this prototype was support by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation and the UK Space Agency.

SuperSharp develops innovative space telescopes that capture ultra high-resolution images of Earth’s surface and that transform the economics of earth-observation imagery. With small satellites that unfold in space into large telescopes, these devices achieve up to 10x better resolution per unit cost than the current standard. With the ability to resolve single buildings and the wide field of view to capture entire cities in a single pass, SuperSharp’s mission is to enable climate change-mitigation applications, moving them from the drawing board to in-orbit deployment. Specific applications include detecting heat stress in agriculture and monitoring urban heat loss at the individual building level.

The £5 million award comes from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Program, designed to invest in high-potential technologies, drive innovation and unlock growth across the UK. SuperSharp joins seven leading innovators from the UK’s space industry, receiving £24 million in total.

Using thermal infrared imagery for sustainability applications has been spoken of for many years but has failed to make the leap into real-world deployment. The promise remains rich, including urban energy monitoring, identifying where roof insulation is missing, and early detection of heat stress in crops, to direct efficient resource use and boost yields, but a ‘Goldilocks Problem’ has proved difficult to overcome: Existing space imaging technology cannot provide detailed thermal images at the frequency that’s required. Some large, expensive satellites in LEO can capture high-resolution images infrequently, while small, low-cost satellites capture frequent but low-resolution images. While space-derived data has been used to assess the thermal efficiency of large buildings, this has not translated to smaller buildings.

SuperSharp’s approach is different, with smaller payloads that unfold in space to become large telescopes. As a result, SuperSharp can match the current state-of-the-art for imaging resolution, while at the same time maximizing the field of view: scanning an area that can cover entire urban conurbations or large-scale agriculture. The result is much greater resolution per unit cost, enabling these new climate change mitigation applications.

Last month, SuperSharp announced it had selected Kongsberg NanoAvionics’ MP42 microsatellite platform as its launch platform, in anticipation of launching in late 2026, onboard SpaceX’s Transporter rideshare service.

Marco Gomez-Jenkins, CEO of SuperSharp, said, “These are two critical milestones in SuperSharp’s history, and in the coming age of space observation for climate change mitigation. We’re proud of the vote of confidence that the UK Space Agency funding represents, and the delivery of the first prototype of our Hibiscus telescope. Our objective has always been to rewrite the economics of space imaging, through innovative technology and a user-centered approach, and we’re on our way.”

SES Space & Defense earlier this month celebrated the grand opening of the company’s newly renovated, 25,000-square-foot flagship facility in Tampa, Florida—the ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Congresswoman Kathy Castor, Mayor Jane Castor, and U.S. Department of Defense officials, marking a major milestone in advancing national security space operations and strengthening Florida’s space industry footprint.

The state-of-the-art facility features two, 24x7x365 Network Operation Centers (NOCs), which operate satellites and provide network services to customers worldwide, delivering global commercial SATCOM bandwidth, satellite operations support, and a secure accredited terrestrial network. Additionally, it houses a Network Engineering Lab designed to configure, test, and ship equipment across the globe.This expansion underscores SES Space & Defense’s commitment to supporting national security interests through innovation and collaboration, with a network designed for the mission and backed by those who have lived it to support the U.S. military’s most critical operations.

Partnerships with companies like SES Space and Defense, that provide quality, advanced technology and infrastructure support to SOCOM and our military broadly, are pivotal to meeting our national security needs. Special Operations Command is the ‘tip of the spear’ of our national security, and I know this new facility will play an important role in strengthening SOCOM’s tactical edge in the land, air, sea, and space. I commend the SES Space and Defense team for their commitment to investing in and growing the national security space architecture right here in Tampa”, said Representative Castor.

In a world where the threat landscape is constantly evolving, the role of space in national defense has never been more critical,” said David Fields, President and CEO of SES Space and Defense. “Our facility will serve as a global hub for cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships, ensuring that we are ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Southern Launch has closed out a significant funding round that will propel the company forward to build out its spaceports and scale its service offerings. The funding round was led by a syndicate of prominent Australian infrastructure investors who recognize the unique capabilities that Southern Launch has to offer the global space and high-tech industries.

As a part of the funding round, leading space industry figure Jeremy Hallett has been appointed Chair to the Southern Launch board. He has 20 years’ experience as a Space and Defence executive with global expertise and networks in Space, Defence and Private Capital. Jeremy was previously CEO at Clearbox Systems and is currently Chairman at the Space Industry Association of Australia, Executive Director of Brindabella & Company and CEO of Atto Devices.

Southern Launch is focused on providing world-class services including orbital launch, sub orbital missions including hypersonic flight, orbital re-entries, and range services that support the testing of advanced technologies. Since securing final approvals for the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex south of Port Lincoln, Southern Launch has received ever increasing interest from the global market for the services the company provides.

Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said, ‘We are seeing strong interest from around the world for the globally unique test ranges Southern Launch brings to the market. At our ranges we provide four distinct services that are highly sought after by domestic and international customers. We are excited that this funding round will build out our infrastructure as we increase our cadence of activities at our ranges, and highlight Australia as a global space and high-tech industry development hub. Securing Jeremy to the board will help accelerate our growth and be the leading provider of test ranges and associated services.’

The transaction was participated in and managed by Brindabella & Company, Australia’s specialist Defence Industry Merchant Bank. Investment from this funding round will be used to build out Southern Launch’s unique service offering and continue to mature infrastructure at the company’s two spaceports, the Koonibba Test Range which is the world’s largest commercial overland test range, and the overwater Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex surrounded by low trafficked open ocean.

Southern Launch conducted the first commercial launch from Australian soil in 2020. Since then, the company has gone on to achieve many other firsts for the nation, including operating the first licensed space launch facilities in 2021, securing the first approvals to fly rockets into space in 2021, in 2024 the first high-powered rocket launch and most recently, in February 2025 the first ever commercial spacecraft re-entry and successful recovery to Australia.

About Southern Launch
Southern Launch provides bespoke mission services for orbital launch, sub-orbital missions including hypersonic flight, orbital re-entries and range services for the global space industry. Southern Launch provides an end-to-end service for missions including sourcing regulatory approval, managing logistics, coordinating range management and leading recovery operations. The company is headquartered in Adelaide and operates two world-class spaceports the Koonibba Test Range and Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. The Koonibba Test Range is the largest commercial rocket and air vehicle testing facility in the world. The range is used to launch sub-orbital missions including hypersonics, flight test drones and other long duration air vehicles, and is the leading global landing site for orbital re-entries for spacecraft.

WISeKey International Holding (NASDAQ: WKEY; SIX: WIHN) and the firm’s subsidiary, WISeSat.Space (“WISeSat”) have engaged in a strategic partnership with Skyroot Aerospace, India’s leading private space launch company. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in advancing secure and efficient satellite deployment, leveraging India’s rapidly growing space ecosystem.

WISeSat’s objective is to diversify the launch locations of its WISeSat next-generation satellites to accelerate the establishment of the installation. India is a strategic location due to the ongoing projects to establish an OSAT in India by SEALSQ.

Under this partnership, WISeSat will launch its latest generation of secure satellites aboard Skyroot’s Vikram series launch vehicles, ensuring reliable, cost-effective, and innovative access to space. By working with Skyroot, WISeSat strengthens its commitment to delivering quantum-resistant, secure IoT connectivity solutions globally.

Skyroot Aerospace provides flexible and affordable launch solutions tailored to the needs of satellite operators like WISeSat. The partnership will enable efficient satellite deployment, supporting applications in critical sectors such as cybersecurity, IoT, environmental monitoring, and secure communications.

This announcement comes at a time when the European market for satellite connectivity is experiencing rapid expansion, with growing demand for European alternatives in the sector. The partnership between WISeSat and Skyroot underscores the importance of international collaboration in fostering secure and sustainable space technology.

The first joint launch in 2025 marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between WISeSat and Skyroot Aerospace. The companies will continue to explore further opportunities for cooperation in space-based cybersecurity, AI-driven satellite applications, and beyond.

Partnering with Skyroot represents a major step forward in expanding WISeSat’s capabilities in secure satellite communications,” said Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey. “India has emerged as a key player in the global space industry, and Skyroot’s cutting-edge technology aligns perfectly with our vision of providing highly secure and resilient connectivity solutions.”

“With WISeSat, we are excited to contribute to the future of secure satellite communications,” said Pawan Chandana, CEO at Skyroot Aerospace. “Our collaboration reinforces India’s potential as a global hub for satellite launches and strengthens technological synergies between our two organizations.”