Boeing’s 1-million-square-foot El Segundo facility (92,903 square meters) designed for efficiency and rapid delivery timelines will house the small satellite production line.

Boeing unveiled a new high-throughput small satellite production, integration and test facility designed for efficiency and rapid delivery timelines. Housed in the world’s largest satellite factory, Boeing’s 1-million-square-foot El Segundo facility (92,903 square meters), the small satellite production line will be powered by Boeing subsidiary, Millennium Space Systems. 

“Boeing and Millennium are bringing together Boeing’s production expertise, domain knowledge, and manufacturing capacity with Millennium’s agility and rapid prototyping,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing Space and Launch. “We’re scaling and growing to fulfill our customers’ vision for multi-orbit constellations with demand across markets and mission sets.”

The companies are applying advanced and additive manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing entire space-qualified satellite buses, to offer faster cycle times while improving performance.

“Our customers need satellites on-orbit faster than ever,” Chilton said. “Much like an airplane or auto production line, we’re employing lean production principles and advanced manufacturing techniques to accelerate delivery and pass on cost savings to our customers.”

Millennium’s team will staff the small satellite factory, bringing the subsidiary’s proven processes and infrastructure, in addition to environmental test capabilities tailored to small satellites. Boeing will also provide access to extensive environmental and specialty testing capabilities that have qualified some of the most iconic spacecraft, including the first vehicle to make a fully controlled soft landing on the moon and more than 300 satellites.

“Millennium’s culture is rooted in creating innovative ways to revolutionize space,” said Jason Kim, chief executive officer, Millennium Space Systems. “We’re bringing that culture into our facilities, rapidly building large constellations of high-performance small satellites, taking advantage of a footprint that’s larger than two professional hockey rinks.”

Designed to build small satellites for different security levels on the same assembly line, the digitally-defined small satellite factory incorporates model-based systems engineering, digital design engineering, and design for manufacturability.

“Understanding security protocols and how to build secure systems is critical to national security space, and this is an area where Millennium and Boeing excel,” said Kim. “We’re excited to leverage this impressive capability to support our customers’ critical missions.”

Initial operating capability took place in September 2021, and the small sat factory’s full operational capability is expected in late 2022.

Telstra recently expanded their presence in the rapidly growing satellite telecommunications market, building and maintaining three new dedicated teleports across Australia to provide satellite gateway services for OneWeb in the Southern Hemisphere.

The first of the new teleports, located in Darwin Tivendale, is scheduled to begin installation in March, with go-live planned in July. Two further sites – Charlton Toowoomba and Wangara, Perth, WA – are planned for completion later in 2022. Each facility will provide turnkey ground station support for OneWeb’s growing fleet of LEO satellites.

These facilities are being delivered as part of a 10-year deal between Telstra and OneWeb. Telstra’s turnkey approach for OneWeb includes designing, building and activating the teleports with ground station capabilities to meet OneWeb’s requirements. Telstra will also provide 24/7 monitoring and quality assurance services at each location.

Telco providers typically own and operate significant terrestrial and subsea assets, including fiber networks, IP backbones and data centers. These resources provide the critical ground service required to support satellite operators’ growing constellations, reduce their costs of entry into new markets and minimize the need for personnel to maintain their own terrestrial infrastructures.

OneWeb has two-thirds of its constellation launched and is providing coverage above the 50th parallel North – reaching areas that have historically been hard to connect with distributed communities and challenging terrain. This includes Alaska, Canada and the wider Arctic Region.

Earlier in March, OneWeb signed an MOU with Telstra to explore new connectivity solutions for Australia and the Asia pacific regions.

“OneWeb had exacting requirements from the outset, and we worked in close partnership with them from site selection through construction,” said Vish Vishwanathan, Vice President Wholesale & Satellite, Telstra Americas. “Teleports are complex sites involving access to secure and resilient infrastructure and on-the-ground expertise, which Telstra has provided to OneWeb throughout this project.”

“Low Earth Orbit satellite technology is transforming the global connectivity landscape, not only by creating new business opportunities, but also giving more businesses, communities and governments the internet access they need for progress,” said Michele Franci, Chief of Delivery and Operations at OneWeb. “More connectivity options benefit everyone and our approach in establishing strategic partnerships with experienced providers like Telstra is core to how we deliver the OneWeb mission.”

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has been awarded a contract by GHGSat to build another three microsatellites – GHGSat-C6, C7, and C8 – for the company’s commercial greenhouse gas monitoring constellation. A key factor in the selection was the high-performance attitude control system developed by SFL to enable precise pointing of the onboard methane-detecting sensors.

GHGSat has achieved success in detecting and measuring point sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the Earth’s surface from space. Thanks to its technology, GHGSat is the only organization in the world capable of detecting methane emissions from sources 100 times smaller than those detected by other satellites by using a resolution 100 times greater than other systems. GHGSat-C6, C7, and C8 are needed to meet the growing commercial demand for GHGSat services and information products.

As the three newest GHGSat satellites began development, SFL was completing successful testing of GHGSat-C3, C4, and C5 planned to launch in summer 2022.

The GHGSat contract win marks another highlight in an impressive run of accomplishments by SFL over the last two years – roughly coinciding with the COVID pandemic. Since early 2020, SFL has seen 25 of its smallsats and commissioned. The company has also been awarded contracts to build two smallsats in the NASA Astrophysics Pioneers program, to develop Norway’s NorSat-4 maritime tracking smallsat and the technology demonstration mission NorSat-TD, and to collaborate on a series of communications cubesats by a Canadian firm.

GHGSat first selected SFL in 2013 to develop the GHGSat-D (Claire) demonstration satellite to prove that sufficient on-orbit stability and sensor pointing could be achieved by a satellite platform small enough to meet the cost considerations of a commercial business model. Launched in 2016, Claire was a breakthrough small satellite mission that exceeded its objectives. GHGSat then contracted SFL to build GHGSat-C1 and C2 commercial satellites, currently in orbit, launched in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

All eight commercial GHGSat satellites (C1-C8) have been, or are being, developed using the SFL 15-kilogram Next-generation Earth Monitoring and Observation (NEMO) smallsat platform. The GHGSat C3-5 and C6-8 satellite groups have each included technical improvements to enhance data processing and communications.

GHGSat CEO, Stephane Germain, said, “Satellite data is critical to make informed decisions and take immediate action for a sustainable future. GHGSat is serving this need with our growing constellation, identifying methane leaks around the world, every day.”

“GHGSat is recognized as the world leader in high-resolution remote sensing of greenhouse gas emissions,” said SFL Director, Dr. Robert E. Zee. “SFL is proud to assist GHGSat in expanding its capacity to meet demand for these important services. “Achieving the on-orbit stability to precisely point an atmospheric sensor on a satellite of this size and relatively low cost is rare. From the Claire demonstration mission to the commercial microsatellites now under development in our Toronto facility, SFL continues to refine our industry-leading attitude control technology.”

OneWeb has announced that the company and SpaceX entered into an agreement that will enable OneWeb to resume satellite launches.

The first launch with SpaceX is anticipated in 2022 and will add to OneWeb’s total on-orbit constellation that currently stands at 428 satellites, or 66 percent of the fleet. OneWeb’s network will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.

OneWeb CEO, Neil Masterson, said, “We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe.”

Demand for OneWeb’s broadband connectivity services has continued to grow across telecommunications providers, aviation and maritime markets, and governments worldwide. OneWeb has activated service with its network at the 50th parallel and above, and early partners are initiating service.

Terms of the agreement with SpaceX are confidential.

Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL) has shipped five satellites to be launched in early Q2 from Cape Canaveral — the launch will be part of SpaceX’s Transporter-4 mission onboard a Falcon 9 reusable, two-stage rocket, under SpaceX’s Rideshare program.

The upcoming launch includes the first deployment of Satellogic’s new Mark V satellite model. This new generation of satellites enhances the company’s constellation with improved cameras, radios, computers, and other subsystems compatible with all components from previous models, offering Satellogic’s customers higher quality products.

The remaining satellites are four updated NewSats Mark IV. These improved satellites contain increased onboard storage and upgrades to the propulsion and navigation systems. The enhancements include manufacturability and cost saving processes used in preparation for the start-up of Satellogic’s High-Throughout Plant in the Netherlands later this year.

The new Mark V model includes a new proprietary-designed multispectral camera as the primary payload that will boost image quality with 70 cm native resolution and significantly improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio and the Dynamic Range of the images. The new satellite also increases swath by 40%, optimizing Satellogic’s constellation size while guaranteeing world remap capabilities and reducing imagery costs. The Mark V also includes a new generation of onboard computers with enhanced processing power, allowing for better operations and improved efficiency.

Satellogic’s customers have the opportunity to fly their own hardware in space onboard each NewSat Hosted Payload bay without the purchase of an entire satellite. This bay’s modular design and standard interface definition facilitate hardware integration in the company’s manufacturing plants, provide transparent operations for customers, and optimize time to orbit from contract signature to launch date.

The Mark IVs include Hosted Payloads from Satellogic’s customers and the company’s last-mile testing of future payloads, including onboard edge computing for customers who want to run their algorithms where data is generated, and future radio frequency (RF) products. With this Hosted Payload, Satellogic will begin to equip its satellites with a payload that enables its constellation to geolocate devices that emit RF signals.

This launch is part of Satellogic’s previously announced plans for 2022 and will expand Satellogic’s fleet to 22 satellites delivering high-resolution data from space. Satellogic plans to launch up to 12 additional spacecraft later this year, offering up to seven daily revisits of any point of interest, which would result in a total of 34 commercial satellites in orbit by Q1 2023.

The company intends that its constellation will include over 200 satellites by 2025, providing Satellogic with the capacity to remap the entire Earth daily. By democratizing EO imagery, Satellogic is able to serve previously underserved verticals, and partner with US government and Dedicated Satellite Constellations customers around the world, to provide new insights into the occurrence and progression of economic activities, security risks, and natural events unfolding across the globe.

“We are excited to increase our customer’s opportunities and product offering with this launch,” said Matthew Tirman, President of Satellogic North America. “The new and enhanced satellites will increase the quality of our current services and create new opportunities for our customers.”

Founded in 2010 by Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte, Satellogic (NASDAQ: SATL) is the first vertically integrated geospatial company, driving real outcomes with planetary-scale insights. Satellogic is creating and continuously enhancing the first scalable, fully automated Earth Observation platform with the ability to remap the entire planet at both high-frequency and high-resolution, providing accessible and affordable solutions for customers. Satellogic’s mission is to democratize access to geospatial data through its information platform of high-resolution images and analytics to help solve the world’s most pressing problems including climate change, energy supply, and food security. Using its patented Earth imaging technology, Satellogic unlocks the power of EO to deliver high-quality, planetary insights at the lowest cost in the industry. With more than a decade of experience in space, Satellogic has proven technology and a strong track record of delivering satellites to orbit and high-resolution data to customers at the right price point.

An encore, of sorts, is the result of a satisfied client who has again hired AAC Clyde Space for a power subsystem. This power subsystem is to be used in a new type of mission that will be delivered to a Far Eastern company during the fourth quarter of 2022. The order is valued at EUR 0.5 M (approx. SEK 5.3 M)

The power system will be used by a Far Eastern company in their demonstration version for a new type of regular space flight service. In parallel to demonstrating its capabilities, the mission will also carry third-party payloads. If the mission is successful, the customer plans to continue with further space flights, ultimately establishing a regular service.

“We are very proud to be part of this mission, that aims to pave the way for a new type of space missions. That our power system has been selected for this challenging mission, shines the light on how advanced and robust our small satellite technology has become in recent years,” says AAC Clyde Space’s CEO Luis Gomes.

AAC Clyde Space’s portfolio of power subsystems includes a diverse and advanced range of products in the market. It covers products addressing the needs of the cubesat and nanosat markets as well as larger spacecraft operating in LEO (Low Earth Orbit).

OneWeb Satellite Construction Could Remain In Florida

When the UK made its $500 million investment in the – then bankrupt – OneWeb satellite constellation, much was made of the prospects for production of the actual satellites, with UK officials talking optimistically about satellites being built in the UK.

Alok Sharma, then business secretary in the UK government, spoke at the time of the prospects for OneWeb boosting the UK’s existing satellite production and output. OneWeb itself also confirmed at the time a wish to see satellites being built in the UK. Chris McLaughlin, OneWeb’s head of government affairs, said he could see output being transferred by 2024 or 2025.

However, Bharti Enterprises and its chairman, Sunil Mittal, which owns 40 percent of OneWeb, said that it is happy to “nudge” whoever wins the contract for OneWeb’s second-generation satellites toward the UK but “there’s a lot of things that’ll depend on it.” He added that pricing would be key, reports the FT.

OneWeb’s satellites are currently being built in Florida, where Airbus and OneWeb have a production joint-venture.

LEO Potentials Realized With Starlinks New SATCOM Ukraine Services

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has initiated Starlink satellite broadband service in war-hit Ukraine. The latest development highlights the significance and future potential of LEOs across key applications, stated GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

Reportedly, Starlink terminals receive Internet from SpaceX’s 2,000 satellites to allow users to get online even if their service has been disconnected.

GlobalData’s FutureTech Series report reveals that the growing deployment of a large group of LEOs, often dubbed LEO mega constellations, could herald the next era of connectivity, with their potential to address the gaps in internet adoption and infrastructure access in remote areas that are not served by terrestrial and traditional satellite networks.

Kiran Raj, Principal Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData, said, “An unprecedented level of VC funding is flowing into the space economy. LEOs’ low latency compared to geostationary orbit (GEO) and middle earth orbit (MEO) satellites can play a crucial role in applications that require real time data access such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP), surveillance and imaging, telemedicine, and remote-controlled machines. LEOs can backup telcos to optimize their existing backhaul network for the transmission of large volumes of different types of data in compliance with 4G and 5G. In this regard, both terrestrial and LEO- based backhaul connectivity can be selected to manage the traffic demand. LEO backhaul can also provide additional backup during massive events such as concerts and sports. During emergency response situations, LEOs service providers can launch satellite broadband services in victimized areas to offer continuous connectivity.”

Although no new major commercialization initiatives have been observed in the short-term, LEOs are touted to play a key role in connecting millions of IoT-backed devices and sensors, managing the boom in Internet users, and minimizing the digital divide to strengthen community resilience.

At present, LEO projects, such as Amazon’s Kuiper, SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb, are aiming to bridge the digital divide and offer Internet services with low latency and high-speed broadband connectivity to remote and unserved communities globally.

Raj concluded, “Coupled with machine learning, edge computing, and artificial intelligence, LEOs can promote enterprise digital transformation. With greater adoption of remote work models, LEOs will become critical to offering lightning speed broadband services, tracking of assets, securing data, and strengthening the network infrastructure of organizations. With the advantage of near-earth location and lower orbital periods, LEOs can strengthen community and business resilience, and unlock new possibilities for latency-critical applications.”

Planning Permission Received For Scottish Spaceport

A planned spaceport in Unst, Shetland, in the far North of the UK, has received planning permission to go ahead.

Shetland Islands Council says work to prepare the Saxavord Spaceport can proceed, provided Scottish ministers don’t call the project in for further review. Three rocket pads would be built at the Lamba Ness peninsula in Unst, Shetland.

The plan is that the first launch of what’s likely to be a meteorological satellite could occur before the year’s end. However, both Saxavord itself and the rocket company expected to send up the spacecraft will first need a license from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Saxavord Spaceport CEO Frank Strang described the planning approval as a “huge tipping point in our evolution. This is such a big day for us. We’ve been on this journey for five years. We’ve had to overcome all sorts of obstacles, and I take great pride in this team. Until we got that planning permission, nobody was really going to take us seriously and we can now really charge on,” he told BBC News.

Telesat Moves To Increase Focus On Africa

Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat, which is planning an LEO constellation called Lightspeed, has said the company has signed with Liquid Intelligent Technologies for a strategic cooperation agreement for Telesat’s Lightspeed services in Africa.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies is part of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African fiber network group.

As part of the agreement, the companies will closely collaborate on the commercial and technical aspects of integrating the Telesat Lightspeed enterprise-grade, high-throughput, low-latency satellite network with Liquid’s global value-added services network. This integration can enable the expansion of Liquid’s enterprise portfolio offerings, including next-generation cloud services, managed security services, business Wi-Fi and data center connectivity.

At the same time, Telesat will explore combining Liquid’s landing stations, Points of Presences (PoPs), site hosting, management services, and fibre network as part of its global terrestrial infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with the Telesat Lightspeed satellite network.

“Liquid’s terrestrial infrastructure in Africa is second to none, from the largest fiber network spanning over 100,000 kms to state-of-the-art teleports and access to diverse points-of-presence within the continent,” said Glenn Katz, Telesat’s CCO. “We’re eager to explore the synergies between both of our company’s offerings, with confidence that we will establish a ‘win-win’ for our organizations and the future of connectivity for Africa.”

“Telesat Lightspeed will be the world’s most advanced LEO network, delivering the enterprise-grade, fibre-like connectivity that Africa’s massively underserved market needs,” said Scott Mumford, Liquid Satellite Services CEO. “Integrating ubiquitous, multi-gigabit per second links with guaranteed SLA’s from Telesat Lightspeed will enable Liquid to expand their award-winning services via an untethered network in the sky, and deliver expanded service offerings to our customers not possible through the current satellite-based offerings.”

This is good news for Telesat, but the company – despite planning for Lightspeed’s 298 satellites – has yet to confirm launch dates for the Lightspeed fleet. Thales Alenia is building the satellites.

Eutelsat could switch off Russia transponders

Eutelsat executives say they have about 6 percent of group revenues exposed to Russian activity. The bulk of this comes from distribution deals on Russian pay-TV systems operated by Tricolor and NTV+.

A report from analysts at investment bank Exane/BNPP forecasts a scenario – unconfirmed by the company – where the French government requests (or Eutelsat offers) to switch off transponders for Russia on its Eutelsat 36B satellite thereby blacking out dozens of millions of TV sets.

“We believe such a move could improve Eutelsat’s position on the EU-backed constellation project,” said the bank’s note.

The EU constellation is a proposed LEO satellite system now being researched and specified by the EU.

“[Eutelsat] management sees the EU-backed government constellation project as an attractive opportunity but believes many uncertainties remain and sees related benefits taking time to materialize. In particular, Eutelsat is working to have OneWeb 2nd-generation satellites meets EU eligibility criteria,” added the bank.

It also emerged that Eutelsat is not contractually obliged to participate in the funding of OneWeb’s 2nd-generation craft but considers all its options, including ownership dilution of its stake in OneWeb, or the opposite which would see it increase its stake.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has successfully deployed a second Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite to orbit for data and solutions provider Synspective, bringing the total number of satellites deployed by Rocket Lab to 110. — ‘The Owl’s Night Continues” mission is Rocket Lab’s 24th Electron launch.

“The Owl’s Night Continues” mission was the first to launch from Rocket Lab’s second pad at Launch Complex 1, Pad B, on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. Following lift-off at 20:37 UTC, February 28, 2022, Electron successfully delivered the StriX-β satellite, growing Synspective’s SAR constellation. The planned constellation of 30 satellites is designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space, independent of weather conditions on Earth and at any time of the day or night.

“The Owl’s Night Continues” follows on from Rocket Lab’s first launch for Synspective in December 2020, called “The Owl’s Night Begins.” This mission was the first mission as part of a three-launch contract signed with Synspective in late 2021. Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch another Synspective mission in 2022 and the third in 2023.

The mission was the first to employ the new Pad B launch pad at Launch Complex 1, which is the company’s third pad globally. By operating two pads at Launch Complex 1, Rocket Lab can eliminate pad recycle time between missions to support more frequent and responsive launch capabilities.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said “Congratulations to the team at Synspective for the successful deployment of the second satellite in their constellation. We are proud to continue our partnership with Synspective and to have provided flexibility around launch timing. We look forward to our upcoming missions with Synspective as they grow their SAR constellation.”

Synspective founder and CEO, Dr. Motoyuki Arai, said, “We thank both Rocket Lab and Synspective members for their diligence and teamwork to successfully put StriX-β into orbit promptly despite unforeseen circumstances and challenges due to the ongoing pandemic. With the successful insertion of our second SAR satellite, we will be able to improve our technology for operating multiple satellites and strengthen our data services. With this achievement, we will accelerate the expansion of a thirty SAR satellite constellation and enhance our data analysis technology to realize a “learning world” for a sustainable future.”

Details about Rocket Lab’s next planned launch will be announced shortly.

Additionally, Rocket Lab has officially selected Wallops Island, Virginia as the location for their first launch site and manufacturing and operations complex for Neutron, the company’s new 8-ton reusable rocket.

Some key points : The Neutron Production Complex and Neutron’s first launch pad will be located within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The complex will be home to a rocket production, assembly, and integration facility, as well as a dedicated launch pad for the Neutron rocket located on the southern end of Wallops Island.

Rocket Lab’s Neutron Production Complex is expected to create as many as 250 jobs in Virginia.

The manufacturing complex will be located within proximity of Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2, the Company’s launch site for the Electron launch vehicle, the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually since 2019.

Rocket Lab selected Virginia as the location of its Neutron expansion on the strength of the proposal from the Commonwealth of Virginia, which includes $30 million set aside for infrastructure and operational systems improvements to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport where the Neutron launch site will be located, along with $15 million from the MEI Project Approval Commission in site improvements and building construction in support of Neutron.

Rocket Lab expects to begin construction on the Neutron Production Complex in Virginia shortly, and further Neutron expansion will continue throughout the United States as the program develops toward first launch.

Commercial and government interest in Neutron is strong and includes a recent $24 million development contract granted by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Commands (SSC) in support of Neutron’s capability to aid national security and defense missions ranging from scientific and experimental satellites to the largest and most critical national security payloads.

Once again, this time on Friday, February 25, at 9:12 a.m. PST, SpaceX launched 50 Starlink satellites to LEO from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

This was the fourth flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission — this booster previously supported Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART and one Starlink mission. SpaceX’s booster successfully landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship.

Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab has accelerated its next stage of growth with a successful raise of €40 million. The Series B round is co-led by Airbus Ventures and XAnge, a leading European investor in early-stage startups. Additional investors in the round include Octave & Miroslaw Klaba, SRIW, Noshaq, BNP Paribas Private Equity, Sambrinvest, and Belaero. Since its inception in 2018, Aerospacelab has raised a total of €60m. 

“With its clear and significant potential to positively impact both European and global markets, Aerospacelab sparked our immediate interest and attention,” remarks Airbus Ventures Partner Mat Costes. “They won our support by demonstrating how they can substantially improve decision-making processes across a robust sequence of varied sectors and are uniquely positioned to provide geospatial intelligence to private companies and governments alike. To the entire Aerospacelab team we offer a warm welcome as the newest members of our worldwide system of entrepreneurs spearheading the advance of our fund’s portfolio companies across the planetary system.”

Supported by an ambitious, vertically-integrated approach and dedicated to making geospatial intelligence actionable and affordable, Aerospacelab is powered by proprietary satellite data and enabled by its own satellites. Their constellations provide real-time content for a wide range of applications, ranging from defense and security, to civil sector applications including environmental, commercial insurance, and economic intelligence.

“2021 was a fantastic year for Aerospacelab, marking the launch of our first satellite and demonstrating the efficacy of our technology in space,” notes Benoît Deper, Founder and CEO of Aerospacelab, who presented the company’s industrial roadmap during a keynote at the #SpaceSummit, alongside European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher, in Toulouse, with the French Presidency of the European Union and European Commission in attendance.

“Aerospacelab is a prime example of how European talents can realize important space projects in Europe. I am also glad to see that the work of ESA is contributing to this success. I warmly congratulate Aerospacelab on its successful fundraising,” comments ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.

Géraldine Naja, as Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement, adds: “We warmly congratulate Aerospacelab on its latest fundraising and fully expect to seek continued inspiration and advice from Benoît and the team as they scale.”

The company’s latest funding will ramp up satellite production capacity, deploy multiple constellations to establish an intra-daily monitoring of the Earth’s surface, and implement geospatial data fusion analytics capabilities.

“With this round, we are eager to continue to deepen our relationship with one of our earliest investors, XAnge, and thrilled to see Airbus Ventures enter our cap table, collectively confirming our ability to impact the space ecosystem and earn even greater opportunities in the European and global markets,” Deper adds.

Since 2018, Aerospacelab has grown substantially, with two offices and over 110 full-time employees, rapidly positioning itself as a leader in geospatial intelligence and small satellites platforms.

“We have followed Aerospacelab since its very first steps. We’ve confidently believed from the very beginning their serious potential, as we led their first fundraising in 2018,” explains Guilhem de Vregille, Partner at XAnge. “Today, we are especially pleased to be co-leading the second round with Airbus Ventures, and we are happy to continue to support Aerospacelab’s bright future.”

Nicolas Dhaene, Investment Manager at the SRIW (Regional Investment Company of Wallonia in Belgium) concludes: “Aerospacelab is an excellent example of the extent of Wallonia’s potential when its talent is matched by entrepreneurial spirit and ambition. As an early-stage investor, we are proud of the company’s achievements to date and happy to further support its exciting industrial and technological roadmap within this strategic sector.”