Archives for April 2025

Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) has received a Notice of Allowance of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/828,233, titled System for a Modular Satellite Testing Platform. This patent application is directed to the structural elements of the LizzieSat^® satellite, of which Sidus Space has successfully launched three satellites that are currently on-orbit. This patent reflects Sidus Space’s continued innovation in satellite technology, enhancing mission flexibility and scalability across government, defense, intelligence and commercial applications.

The system introduces a modular approach to satellite command and data processing, allowing operators to configure and reconfigure system components based on specific mission needs. This innovation improves processing efficiency, enhances redundancy, and simplifies the integration of new payloads—key advantages for space missions requiring adaptability and cost-effective operations.

With a heritage of spaceflight-proven technology and vertically integrated capabilities, Sidus Space delivers end-to-end satellite solutions, from design and manufacturing to launch and on-orbit operations. The company holds a robust intellectual property portfolio, with 13 granted U.S. patents, 1 patent application that has been allowed, but not yet granted, 6 additional pending U.S. patent applications, and 5 patent applications pending in foreign jurisdictions to support international growth of Sidus Space.

This patent represents a significant milestone in our mission to deliver innovative and adaptable solutions for the space industry,” said Carol Craig, CEO of Sidus Space. “This advancement aligns with our commitment to delivering scalable and customizable solutions, from satellites to technology to data, that meet the evolving demands of the space industry and our customers.

HawkEye 360 Inc. has partnered with General Atomics – GA-Integrated Intelligence, Inc. (GA-i3) to integrate its advanced RF data capabilities into GA-i3’s Optix platform—this collaboration establishes HawkEye 360 as a channel partner and value-added reseller of the Optix platform. This groundbreaking solution delivers HawkEye 360’s all-domain RF data out of the box, while enabling correlation with other disparate, intelligence sources.

Integrating HawkEye 360’s evolving suite of RF analytics, including archived RF data and analytics, augments the Optix platform to fill critical gaps in situational awareness. Optix enhances workflows by providing a combined multi-INT data picture, enabling users to ingest, visualize, and analyze multi-domain activity with unparalleled efficiency and insight. Optix supports advanced analytics for identifying suspicious behavior, such as dark activity and rendezvous patterns, providing a more comprehensive understanding of operations in complex environments.

The collaboration reflects HawkEye 360’s commitment to innovation in RF data capabilities. Optix enhances global domain awareness and supports more effective ISR planning by cueing assets based on RF emissions, improving the effectiveness of manned patrol and UAV missions, and reducing operational costs. This data-as-a-service model provides scalable, user-friendly solutions for defense, intelligence, and commercial customers, allowing them to streamline workflows and focus on actionable insights.

This partnership positions HawkEye 360’s RF data as an integral layer within the Optix platform, empowering a broader range of users to access its advanced capabilities. By making RF data more accessible and actionable, HawkEye 360 and GA-i3 are redefining how maritime and ISR challenges are addressed globally.

HawkEye 360 is advancing commercial signals intelligence by making RF data more accessible and actionable for a broader range of users,” said Patrick Zeitouni, Chief Strategy Officer of HawkEye 360. “Through our partnership with GA-i3, we are integrating our RF analytics into the OPTIX platform, enabling customers to seamlessly fuse multi-INT data, enhance workflows, and drive more informed decision-making across defense, security, and commercial sectors.”

Our customers have critical mission needs that require additional knowledge to reduce uncertainty about objects of interest,” said Brian Ralston, President of GA-i3. “With HawkEye 360’s commercial capabilities, we can better enrich their view of the world.”

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, April 24 for a Falcon 9 launch of 28 Starlink smallsats to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted for 9:52 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 1:28 a.m. ET on Friday, April 25. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Friday, April 25 starting at 9:55 p.m. ET.

The smallsats will be launched into the largest shell of its Starlink constellation.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.

This is the 23rd flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 18 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Bahamian Government has revealed it is looking forward to future Falcon 9 booster droneship landings in Bahamian waters, pending the satisfactory completion of the post-landing report and the approval of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) currently being finalized by SpaceX.

As part of the initial landing agreement between The Bahamas and SpaceX, the EIA began immediately following the first Falcon 9 droneship landing in Bahamian waters on February 18, 2025.

The Government is working closely with SpaceX and the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) to ensure that there was no impact to the environment prior to future landing. DEPP Director Dr. Rhianna Neely-Murphy stated that the report is to confirm that environmental conditions that existed prior to the launch remained unchanged after the launch.

The EIA is expected to be completed and submitted this summer, at which point a series of public town hall meetings will be held to inform and engage Bahamians on the environmental considerations surrounding the landings.

The Falcon 9 booster droneship landings are a key component of the company’s efforts to reduce the cost and environmental footprint of spaceflight.

The Government views the Falcon 9 landing agreement with SpaceX as a pioneering opportunity to diversify the national economy, support technological advancement, and showcase The Bahamas as a future-forward, globally connected destination.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. I. Chester Cooper, said, “We are excited about what the future holds for The Bahamas as we become a part of this dynamic and fast-moving sector. SpaceX has been a progressive partner, and we look forward to the continuation of this relationship. We are committed to ensuring that innovation and sustainability go hand in hand, and that our people remain informed and engaged as we help shape the future of space technology from right here in The Bahamas.”

Vice President of Launch at SpaceX, Kiko Dontchev, said, “We’re looking forward to the continued collaboration with The Bahamas. The Bahamas really is an ideal droneship landing location for our Falcon 9 landings, which we conduct with extreme precision. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with the Bahamian people to make this a successful and responsible endeavor.”

Under this partnership, E-Sat will be selling a full suite of LEO connectivity solutions powered by Eutelsat’s OneWeb constellation to Maritime and Enterprise customers across Europe

These high-speed, low-latency offerings, made possible by Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO constellation, will extend existing E-Sat service portfolio, and enable low-latency connectivity solutions to reach customers out of traditional coverage on land and offshore.

Combining Eutelsat OneWeb’s resilient, secure, high-performance connectivity with E-Sat’s commitment to end-to-end service excellence will ensure that customers receive the best satellite connectivity experience coupled with the best customer service experience.

For instance, OneWeb offers new specific market opportunities for maritime users requiring quality services with fast connection speeds and low latency of OneWeb LEO satellites with easy to install hardware and costs savings plans.

We are very enthusiastic to enter into this partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb. This promising collaboration will enable us to offer to our land and maritime customers high-speed, low-latency connectivity solutions with value added services. For more than 25years we have been offering the very best of satellite technology to our customers and we look forward continuing this with OneWeb,” said Sophie Proniewski, E-SAT CEO.

We are delighted to add E-Sat to our list of trusted distributors in a further step in expanding the reach of our OneWeb constellation’s high-performance connectivity solutions in Europe. By adding OneWeb to its suite of offers, we are confident E-Sat will be able to leverage secure, low-latency satellite technology to deliver enhanced service to its enterprise and mobility customers,” said Pascal Fallet, EUTELSAT Group VP Connectivity Europe.

ORBCOMM recently reported that AAMG has joined its SKYWAVE Connect partner program as the first member of its Ascent program—access to this program grants AAMG enhanced technical, sales and marketing support, early access to new products and more.

Based in Australia, AAMG enables their customers in the mining industry to remotely manage, monitor and automate water pumps, vehicles, lighting towers and more. This enables users to quickly identify and address leaks, improve operational efficiency, reduce labor hours, strengthen safety and more. AAMG’s Managing Director, Tim Guinea, says they chose ORBCOMM as a partner for its leading IoT technology.

The SKYWAVE Connect partner program empowers IoT solution providers, system integrators, value-added resellers and other channel partners to accelerate their IoT solution development, expand their market reach and take advantage of new growth opportunities. It features three tracks: Authorized Partners, Ascent Partners with exclusive benefits and Authorized Distributors.

Dave Roscoe, ORBCOMM’s President of Satellite IoT, said, “We’re excited to have AAMG join SKYWAVE Connect as an Ascent Partner,” says Roscoe. “Ascent is designed to support Authorized Partners with strong growth potential. Having the AAMG team onboard further strengthens our growing partner ecosystem in the APAC region, while also helping them enhance their solutions to continue exceeding customers’ expectations and expanding market reach.”

AAMG’s Managing Director, Tim Guinea, said, “ORBCOMM’s connectivity and devices have always been core components of our solutions,” says Guinea. “We’re proud to be in the program, and we look forward to working more closely together to develop the mining IoT solutions of tomorrow.”

On April 20th, the ISRO successfully demo’d the docking of the SpaDex satellites (SDX 01 & SDX 02) .

Subsequently, power transfer from SDX 02 to SDX 01 satellite, and vice versa, was also exercised and accomplished on April21st.. The experiment involved operating a heater element in one of the satellites via power from the other satellite. The duration of power transfer was approximately 4 minutes and the performance of the satellites was as expected.

In the second docking attempt, the docking was completed with full autonomy from an inter-satellite distance of 15 meters until docking, whereas in the first docking attempt, an additional hold point was manually exercised at an inter-satellite distance of 3 meters.

The second docking experiment was preceded by detailed ground simulations and on-orbit trials that incorporated the experience that was gained from first docking and undocking experiments.

The demonstration of the fully autonomous second docking along with power transfer marks the completion of an important milestone in the SPADEX mission.

China has successfully established the world’s first three-satellite constellation based on the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) in the Earth-moon region of space, laying a foundation for the exploration and utilization of space, and for future crewed deep-space exploration.

DRO-A and DRO-B, two satellites developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and deployed in the DRO, have established inter-satellite measurement and communication links with DRO-L, a previously launched near-Earth orbit satellite.

DRO is a unique type of orbit, and the Earth-moon space refers to the region extending outward from near-Earth and near-lunar orbits, reaching a distance of up to 2 million kilometers from Earth. In the Earth-moon space, DRO is characterized by a prograde motion around Earth and a retrograde motion around the moon, said Wang Wenbin, a researcher at the CAS’ Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CSU).

Since DRO provides a highly stable orbit where spacecraft require little fuel to enter and stay, it serves as natural space hub connecting Earth, the moon and deep space, offering support for space science exploration, the deployment of space infrastructure, and crewed deep-space missions, Wang said.

On February 3, 2024, the experimental DRO-L satellite was sent into a SSO and began conducting experiments as planned. The DRO-A/B dual-satellite combination was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on March 13, 2024, but failed to enter its intended orbit due to an anomaly in the upper stage of the carrier rocket.

Facing this challenge, the satellite team performed a “life-or-death” rescue operation under extreme conditions, promptly executing multiple emergency orbit maneuvers to correct the trajectory of the two satellites.

After a journey of 8.5 million kilometers, the DRO-A/B dual-satellite combination ultimately reached its designated orbit, according to Zhang Hao, a researcher at CSU who participated in the rescue operation.

On August 28, 2024, the two satellites were successfully separated. Later, both DRO-A and DRO-B established K-band microwave inter-satellite measurement and communication links with DRO-L, testing the networking mode of the three-satellite constellation, Zhang said.

Currently, the DRO-A satellite stays in DRO, while the DRO-B satellite operates in Earth-moon space maneuver orbits, according to CSU. The smallsats ultimately succeeded in entering their designated orbit.

Wang Qiang, deputy director of CSU, said that following the successful networking of the constellation, a series of cutting-edge scientific and technological experiments have been conducted, driving research on the Earth-moon space.

In 2017, the CSU research team initiated studies on DRO in the Earth-moon space and tackled key technological challenges, proposing the concept of a DRO-based spaceport. In February 2022, CAS launched a plan to build the DRO-based, three-satellite constellation in the Earth-Moon space.

The project achieved the world’s first spacecraft entry into DRO with low energy consumption. The team completed a lunar transfer and DRO entry by using just one-fifth of the fuel that is usually required for such a maneuver. This breakthrough has significantly reduced the costs of entry into the Earth-Moon space, paving the way for the large-scale exploration of the Earth-Moon space, Zhang Jun said.

Additionally, the project validated the K-band microwave measurement and communication links between the satellites and the ground at a distance of 1.17 million kilometers, achieving a key-technology breakthrough for large-scale constellation construction in the Earth-moon space, Zhang said.

Addressing challenges such as insufficient ground-based tracking and control precision, as well as the high costs and low efficiency of lunar and deep-space exploration missions, the research team pioneered a satellite-to-satellite, space-based orbit determination system.

By using three hours of in-orbit inter-satellite measurement data, the team achieved an orbit determination precision level that would typically require two days of ground-based tracking. This advancement has significantly reduced operational costs and improved the efficiency of spacecraft in the Earth-moon space, Zhang added.

In the future, the research team will continue investigating the complex and diverse orbits in the Earth-moon space, and study the laws of the lunar space environment. Leveraging the long-term stability of DRO, scientists will carry out fundamental scientific research in such fields as quantum mechanics and atomic physics, according to Wang. (Xinhua)

News article by CHEN Na, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Space Forge has shipped ForgeStar®-1—made in Wales and the UK’s first In-Space Advanced Manufacturing (ISAM) mission—to the U.S. prior to the spacecraft’s launch later this year.

As a next generation materials manufacturer, Space Forge is harnessing the unmatched conditions of space—microgravity, extreme temperatures, and a vacuum environment—to produce materials that are impossible to make on Earth.

These advancements have wide-reaching applications in semiconductors, quantum computing, clean energy, and defence technologies. Research suggests that manufacturing these materials in space could reduce CO2 emissions by 75% in high-value infrastructure—delivering breakthroughs in security, defence, and climate-focused innovation.

ForgeStar-1 will also test the mechanics of the Pridwen shield—Space Forge’s innovative heat shield designed to facilitate safe, reusable satellite re-entry.

This historic mission follows Space Forge becoming the first company to be granted a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) license for ISAM, cementing its leadership in the field and unlocking a new era of sustainable, scalable manufacturing in orbit. ForgeStar®-1 will prove that high-performance semiconductor materials can be manufactured in space and safely returned to Earth.

Joshua Western, CEO and Co-founder of Space Forge, said, “This is the moment we’ve been working towards. This upcoming in-orbit mission is more than just a test flight—it’s a critical step toward building an entire infrastructure that can support us back on Earth with space-made materials. With this mission laying the groundwork, the next is all systems go for commercial manufacturing—returning materials that will transform entire industries.”

The UK’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said, “Space Forge is a real space success story, providing more than 60 highly skilled technical roles and supporting another 1000 in the immediate supply chain, and we are delighted to be supporting them to realize their huge ambitions. It was fascinating to see the work ongoing at Space Forge recently and I wish them the best of luck for the launch of ForgeStar-1.”