Archives for May 2025

Speedcast has revealed the latest-generation of the company’s SIGMA intelligent edge network management solution.

The recent enhancements include a new architecture, evolving the SIGMA platform to address the modern-day challenges of visibility, control, compliance, and security required to manage distributed edge environments. The new base operating system and cloud-native orchestration platform are tailored for virtualized deployments and updates and policy-driven configuration throughout the entire lifecycle, aimed at addressing a critical need to automate at scale and enable streamlined, seamless rollouts to tens of thousands of edge devices.

As the leading, global, tier-one reseller of Starlink, along with being a Eutelsat OneWeb distribution partner, Speedcast sees growing demand to integrate LEO service offerings with its SIGMA platform, providing a fully managed and future-proof solution for remote connectivity. SIGMA supports a wide array of services, including Starlink, OneWeb, and other emerging constellations, alongside traditional connectivity options, and operationalizes multi-vendor enterprise SD-WAN and a range of other industry applications through highly flexible and automated edge deployment and marketplace.

The latest SIGMA release enhances remote site visibility and control with smaller routing functions, expands hardware diversity while reducing costs, and drives greater automation for deployment and updates, which is essential for managing the growth of edge devices. SIGMA brings together secure network connectivity, advanced firewall protection and strong hardware-based security, such as measured boot to ensure systems start safely, Zero Trust role-based access controls to ensure only authorized users can make changes, data encryption, and even disabling unused physical ports on devices, helping to prevent tampering or unauthorized access.

The enhanced SIGMA platform also offers a key building block to addressing the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) latest Unified Requirements intended to ensure that new ships are constructed with cybersecurity considerations from the outset. The new IACS E26 and E27 requirements focus on the entirety of the vessel and the computer based systems onboard in terms of how those systems should be protected. SIGMA’s SASE cloud-native technology provides added network security and ensures the new design, configuration, deployment and lifecycle of applications meets these more challenging new standards for fleet owners and operators.

Earlier this year, Speedcast announced a patent grant by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for technologies that the company has developed to overlay on the SIGMA platform. Speedcast’s intellectual property software will enable the company to deliver an intelligent network solution through a combination of proprietary algorithms, machine learning and automated analysis that dramatically improves the connectivity experience for customers.

Speedcast will debut the enhanced, next-generation SIGMA platform at upcoming industry trade show events.

Space Forge has opened of a new office in Portugal, on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, thereby establishing a satellite return location in mainland Europe and marking the start of the company’s wider European expansion.

This expansion follows the company’s record-breaking £22.6 million ($30 million) Series A round—the largest Series A secured by a UK space tech company—backed by the NATO Innovation Fund, World Fund, NSSIF and the British Business Bank. This also signals Space Forge’s ambitions to scale up European operations in alignment with its vision for a clean industrial revolution powered by in-space manufacturing.

The new location supports the development of a scalable return infrastructure across the continent and will be central to the company’s ambitions to make space a viable platform for industrial-scale manufacturing of advanced materials. Its location in the Azores—whose geographic positioning makes them an ideal return location for LEO missions—creates new opportunities for high-frequency satellite return operations and regional partnerships.

Space Forge will work in partnership with the Azores’ regional government to bring its Portuguese facilities online, the first step in broader plans that include R&D into future platform architectures and the development of one (or multiple) European manufacturing sites for next-generation semiconductors using seed crystals forged in space.

This move builds on Space Forge’s growing global momentum, with the ForgeStar®-1 integration already complete in the U.S. and the next-gen ForgeStar®-2 in active development. The company’s first on-orbit demonstration mission—The Forge Awakens—is slated for launch during 2025.

Marlink is supporting Simon Møkster Shipping with flexible allocation of Starlink LEO bandwidth across its fleet.

The pooled bandwidth model enables Simon Møkster to deploy LEO internet bandwidth where it is most needed, supporting simplified connectivity for business applications and crew welfare services.

Simon Møkster Shipping completed a fleet-wide upgrade of its hybrid network solution to Sealink NextGen in May of 2024, accelerating the company’s digitization program.

Adopting the pooled model for LEO internet services provides benefits including:

• Pooling of bandwidth between vessels in the same fleet enables capacity to be allocated to assets depending on deployment

• Baseline flexibility to use best effort LEO internet for crew welfare services and guaranteed bandwidth VSAT for business applications

Simon Møkster Shipping is a leading provider of modern, high-specification support vessels to the offshore energy sector, operating 15 vessels designed for operations in harsh weather conditions. From its head office in Stavanger, Norway, it mainly operates in the North and the Barents Seas with approximately 500 employees in onshore and offshore roles.

The company was among the first operators to deploy a Marlink hybrid network solution and has progressively upgraded its fleet to ensure high quality and reliability, treating its vessels as floating offices. Reflecting the increased cyber risk that can occur with the use of LEO internet solutions, the Sealink NextGen solution comes with EDR and UTM cyber solutions as default standards.

INNOSPACE (KS:462350) has rescheduled the first commercial launch of its small satellite launch vehicle, HANBIT-Nano, from July to the second half of 2025—the schedule adjustment follows the identification of technical inspection issues related to the vehicle’s first-stage electric pump and hybrid propulsion system during preparations for the stage qualification test.

While these issues were not evident during earlier performance tests, they were identified during a propellant supply system test conducted prior to the stage qualification test. Additional time is now required to address the identified risks and complete more detected inspections to ensure a stable launch.

The stage qualification test, a key milestone for verifying the launch vehicle’s safety and mission capability, is a mandatory step for securing launch approval. Testing is scheduled to begin next month, with approval review to commence upon its completion.

The revised launch schedule will be finalized promptly upon the completion of technical inspections and the stage qualification test.

Previously, INNOSPACE rescheduled the HANBIT-Nano launch from March to July 2025 due to delays in the delivery of electric pump components and the construction of the Goheung Integrated Test Facility.

Note: The stage qualification test is the last stage of ground testing before launch. It simulates real launch conditions with the vehicle fixed vertically to a test stand, verifying the full performance of propulsion systems, propellant tanks, supply lines, valves, control electronics, and all operational systems.

Anywaves has marked a significant milestone by becoming the first commercial equipment provider to deploy a Reflectarray in orbit—this achievement follows the company’ earlier selection by CNES to demonstrate the technological feasibility of this type of antenna that is tailored for nanosatellites.

The Reflectarray antenna, featuring a deployable configuration and compact form factor, delivers exceptional gain and enhanced reliability through a simple, robust passive deployment mechanism. First used by NASA on the ISARA, MarCO-A, and MarCO-B missions, this type of antenna is now being deployed in orbit by Anywaves.

This technical breakthrough enables the use of very high-gain antennas while meeting the size constraints of nanosatellite platforms. The use of foldable flat panels allows for easy storage and transport on small spacecraft.

Paving the way for new high-data-rate communication capabilities, the Reflectarray, designed in the Ka-band but adaptable across various frequency bands (from X- to Ku-, including Q-/V-), is ideally suited for deployment in satellite constellations. It targets commercial LEO missions and exploration missions, representing a major competitive advantage.

With higher antenna gain, satellite operators and integrators can now opt for a more efficient system, either significantly reducing onboard power requirements or substantially increasing data rates. Designed for rapid serial production, the development of this new antenna follows a roadmap aligned with evolving market demands.

The successful deployment in orbit of this Reflectarray is the result of a collaborative effort between several space players, including COMAT and Nimésis.

Synspective Inc. has launched the firm’s Object Detection and Classification (ODC) solution that is designed to enhance the accuracy and reliability of monitoring vessels and aircraft—this solution overcomes the limitations faced by traditional monitoring systems, offering scalable and cost-effective wide-area security.

Monitoring maritime and land domains faces significant challenges due to the vast areas and dynamic nature. Optical satellites have difficulty with cloud cover and darkness, while ground-based systems and patrols face limitations in coverage and high operational costs. Recognizing these hurdles, Synspective’s ODC solution delivers a persistent surveillance capability, ensuring security and operational efficiency around the clock, regardless of weather conditions or time of day.

Synspective’s ODC leverages advanced SAR data and analytics to provide timely and precise insights into the presence, location, and type of vessels and aircraft. This is supported by our plan to deploy a constellation of more than 30 StriX SAR satellites by 2030, which will significantly enhance monitoring frequency and coverage capabilities.

The company’s collaboration with SATIM, a leader in AI-based Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) on SAR imagery, integrates proven algorithms into Synspective’s analytical platform, ensuring reliable detection and classification of target objects. This platform is designed for flexibility and future advancements, with plans to extend detection capabilities to a broader range of objects.

Key Features and Benefits

• Reliable All-Weather, Day/Night Monitoring: SAR technology provides uninterrupted surveillance through clouds, fog, and smoke, operating effectively 24/7.

• High-Frequency Monitoring: Our expanding satellite constellation aims for frequent revisits and timely updates, enhancing situational awareness.

• Wide-Area Surveillance: Efficiently monitors large maritime zones, coastlines, airports, and remote regions, ensuring comprehensive coverage.

• Accurate Object Detection (Vessels & Aircraft): Precisely identifies the locations of target objects using SATIM’s OREC technology.

• Intelligent Object Classification: Applies advanced AI/ML analytics to categorize detected objects, facilitating rapid identification and informed decision-making.

Motoyuki Arai, CEO and Founder of Synspective, said, “We are excited to launch the Object Detection and Classification solution, which significantly advances our SAR-based analytics for defense intelligence. Our collaboration with SATIM strengthens our solution lineup, reinforcing a core pillar of our company’s growth strategy. By continuously innovating and expanding our solutions, we are working towards achieving our mission to realize a resilient future.”

Jacek Strzelczyk, CEO and Co-Founder of SATIM, said, ”Our technology is mission-agnostic, resolution-independent, and field-proven. Whether it’s low-resolution wide-area scans or high-resolution tactical imagery, we transform SAR data into intelligence that matters. This partnership with Synspective not only validates our technology—it also aligns with our long-term vision to support large-scale, multi-orbit surveillance operations across diverse geographical regions.”

Eutelsat OneWeb and Kymeta have announced the general availability of the new Kymeta Goshawk u8 flat-panel terminal on the Eutelsat OneWeb LEO network, a new multi-orbit terminal for government and military customers.

The terminal meets key defense needs by enabling the benefits of both GEO and LEO networks on one terminal, providing resilient, flexible multi-orbit connectivity across all operational domains. As nations boost defense spending and invest in sovereign SATCOM, the Goshawk u8 is purpose-built to deliver.

With robust and trusted communications being a top security priority, the Goshawk u8 delivers seamless connectivity from both LEO and GEO satellite networks in a single user terminal. The terminal’s rugged, low-profile design and reliable, high-bandwidth performance make it ideally suited for the evolving demands of allied nations’ defense and security sectors.

The Kymeta Goshawk u8 provides a ‘plug-and-play’ terminal, designed for use across a range of platforms, including land vehicles, maritime vessels, and fixed installations. Combining LEO, GEO, and cellular connectivity it allows for improved responsiveness to enable maneuver warfare tactics, such as rapid, focused, and unexpected actions that can shatter an enemy’s cohesion.

The Goshawk u8 delivers a critical solution with its flexible, open network architecture designed to support defense operations on the move.

In today’s contested battlespace, the ability to move, adapt, and fight without losing connectivity is non-negotiable,” said Rick Bergman, President and CEO of Kymeta. “The Goshawk u8 gives defense forces the freedom to operate across orbits with resilience and certainty, even under pressure. Kymeta remains connected with governments, special forces, and military operators to assist with providing solutions to critical defense requirements. Together with Eutelsat OneWeb, we are equipping all warfighters with the communications infrastructure they need to dominate the mission environment.”

Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) recently announced the successful on-orbit operation of the firm’s advanced onboard edge computer, FeatherEdge GEN-2, that is integrated into the ongoing commissioning of LizzieSat®-3 (LS-3).

FeatherEdge GEN-2 is now flight-proven and commercially available, offering 100 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of AI processing power in a space-hardened, compact format. By leveraging NVIDIA’s Jetson Orin NX module, this advanced onboard computer is built to perform in harsh radiation environments—making it ideal for sustained low Earth orbit missions. After successful on-orbit validation, FeatherEdge GEN-2 is now commercially available for customers seeking compact, high-performance AI processing solutions.

In addition, Sidus is now enabling third-party algorithm integration aboard LizzieSat®-3, allowing government and commercial space domain customers to test and deploy proprietary AI solutions in orbit without building their own satellite infrastructure.

As LizzieSat®-3 continues to perform successfully through its commissioning phase, the company believes the platform is demonstrating its potential to become a flexible, revenue-generating asset with dual-use applicability far beyond space. FeatherEdge GEN-2 opens up high-value opportunities for recurring revenue through hardware sales, data processing services, and technology integration—positioning Sidus to capitalize on future growth across both government and commercial sectors.