News

INNOSPACE (KS:462350) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with STEP Lab, to enhance the HANBIT launch vehicle’s capabilities for high-precision and multi-satellite deployments and to jointly pursue high-quality, customer-centric launch services.

Under this agreement, the two companies will collaborate on the following key areas:

Technical integration of STEP Lab’s vibration isolation technology into the HANBIT launch vehicle Expansion of customer-tailored launch services by leveraging mutual expertise Commercialization of STEP Lab’s satellite separation systems and cooperation on global market entry

STEP Lab’s vibration isolation technology is designed to significantly reduce the extreme shock and vibrations that occur during rocket launches. This ensures structural integrity for sensitive payloads such as optical instruments, precision sensors, and space-based bio/pharmaceutical equipment. By alleviating design load requirements for satellites, the technology enables more flexible and lightweight satellite designs, contributing to improved payload performance and reductions in development time and cost—aligning with the growing demand for cost-effective and efficient solutions in the global space industry.

STEP Lab’s proprietary vibration and on-orbit, micro-vibration isolation systems have been deployed in various space missions, including South Korea’s national defense satellite launched in 2023, KOMPSAT-7, and the bio-cabinet payload onboard the next-generation mid-sized Satellite-3. The company has also demonstrated its technological reliability and stability through international technology development and export contributions, notably with Germany’s leading satellite system company, OHB Systems AG.

INNOSPACE aims to further enhance satellite operational stability and its capabilities in high-precision and multi-payload launches by applying this technology to the HANBIT launch vehicles. The two companies will also cooperate in proposing and delivering STEP Lab’s satellite deployment solutions based on customer needs, while responding to new customer demands in the global markets.

“By combining our technologies and expertise in the space sector, we believe this enables us to offer differentiated launch services even for complex missions that demand high precision and orbital stability,” said Soojong Kim, founder and CEO of INNOSPACE. “We will continue expanding technical partnerships that support high-quality, customer-centric services and pursue joint growth within the space industry.”

“This partnership with INNOSPACE marks a key milestone as STEP Lab’s core technologies are formally adopted for use in private space launch vehicles,” said Hyunung Oh, CEO of STEP Lab. “We expect the integration of our vibration isolation solutions with the HANBIT series to significantly strengthen competitiveness in the global small launch vehicle market and accelerate our joint expansion into the space sector worldwide.”

ThrustMe, Marble Imaging, and Reflex Aerospace have formed a strategic, three-way partnership for an in-orbit demonstration (IOD) of the JPT150, the world’s first low-power, iodine, Hall thruster system.

The propulsion system will be integrated into MIRI, a high-performance Earth Observation (EO) satellite developed by Reflex Aerospace for Marble Imaging, where it will provide the precise orbit control and maneuvering capabilities needed to support Marble’s daily, very-high resolution, imaging objectives.

The partnership represents a significant commercial collaboration between three European companies in the small satellite constellation market. With Reflex providing the spacecraft platform and integration, Marble leading satellite operations and IOD execution, and ThrustMe supplying the JPT150 propulsion unit, the collaboration demonstrates how combining mature technologies with agile development can bring next-generation capabilities to orbit quickly and efficiently.

The JPT150 Hall thruster builds on ThrustMe’s space-proven NPT30-I2 propulsion system, incorporating successfully demonstrated subsystems that have accumulated over 12,000 hours of successful in-space operations across more than 100 systems that have been launched to space to date. Like the NPT30-I2, the JPT150 uses iodine as propellant, offering key advantages in storage, handling, performance and system compactness.

The JPT150 has been successfully tested on-ground in a fully integrated prototype, validating its targeted performance levels across thrust, specific impulse, and power efficiency under representative operational conditions. This proven technological foundation reduces development risk while enabling advanced maneuvering capabilities for larger satellite constellations.

The agile approach of all three European companies, combined with the mature technology foundation, enables the partnership to move from a collaboration agreement in July of 2025 to an on-orbit demo in 2026. This accelerated development cycle reflects the efficiency gains possible when proven technology meets strategic commercial partnerships.

“This collaboration shows the agility and innovation driving the New Space economy,” said Ane Aanesland, CEO of ThrustMe. “By building on our proven iodine propulsion heritage, we’re able to rapidly advance Hall thruster technology while maintaining the reliability standards our customers depend on. The JPT150 represents the next evolution in sustainable space propulsion.”

“Working with ThrustMe and Reflex allows us to integrate cutting-edge propulsion capabilities into our satellite operations and to extend the operational lifetime of the MIRI satellite, maximizing mission value. This collaboration showcases the power of strategic partnerships in advancing commercial space missions,” said Robert Hook, CEO of Marble Imaging.

“This partnership shows how space companies can quickly innovate when we combine specialized expertise. The combination of proven technology and agile development approaches enables us to bring advanced capabilities to market efficiently,” said Sascha Weiss, Space Mission Manager at Reflex Aerospace.

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) announced that its Enterprise business, part of the company’s Communication Services segment, launched its next generation IoT Nano connectivity service to deliver powerful, two-way messaging connectivity across the globe.

IoT Nano is designed to meet growing global demand for cost-effective, low-data, low-power, Internet of Things (IoT) services across remote and challenging environments where mobile connectivity is often required. With IoT Nano, businesses can effectively monitor and control fixed and mobile assets across industries like agriculture, transport, utilities, mining, and environmental monitoring—all with ultra-reliable satellite coverage through Viasat’s global L-band network.

IoT Nano is powered by ORBCOMM’s next-generation satellite IoT service, OGx, an evolution of the IDP (IsatData Pro) service that offers faster message delivery speeds, larger message sizes, and new hardware options relative to its predecessor. This new service expands Viasat’s diverse portfolio of IoT connectivity services, which range from ultra-low data rate narrowband IoT services to static VSAT IoT offerings.

IoT Nano delivers near real-time visibility and situational awareness, as well as richer, more actionable data for end customers. The new service will continue to support IDP mode, both preserving existing customer investments in IDP while also enhancing capabilities for reduced power consumption, larger messages, and faster speeds to enable new higher value use cases in OGx mode.

Viasat’s IoT Nano service will help lower costs in some cases by optimizing power usage, resulting in smaller and cheaper solar panels, batteries, and enclosures. The service also offers new capabilities for OEMs and solution providers looking to build their own terminals and devices using embedded third-party modules. This approach will allow OEMs and IoT solution providers to develop hardware that will support a wide variety of IoT applications with a range of data requirements. Viasat offers full development resources through its ELEVATE partner program. Additionally, the service supports a range of ORBCOMM terminals and modules.

Andy Kessler, Vice President, Enterprise and Land Mobile, Viasat, said, “The IoT Nano service represents a significant advancement in providing flexible, scalable, and energy-efficient IoT connectivity to businesses operating in the most remote corners of the world. By leveraging the enhanced capabilities of the ORBCOMM OGx service and equipping our partner ecosystem with new low-cost modules and service capabilities, we are empowering customers with access to smarter data, more frequently, in more places, at a lower cost.”

“OGx delivers faster speeds, larger messages, and lower power usage, all backed by ORBCOMM’s proven terminals, network, and field support,” said Dave Roscoe, President of Satellite IoT at ORBCOMM. “We are excited to partner with Viasat to enable solution providers to build and scale IoT applications across industries including agriculture, transportation, maritime, oil and gas, heavy equipment, and mining. By lowering the cost and increasing the effectiveness of satellite connectivity, OGx makes it possible for our partners to enter new markets, expand use cases, and drive incremental growth.”

Lynk Global, which is building a satellite-based service targeting cellular users, has abandoned its proposed merger with SLAM Corp, the ‘special purpose acquisition company’ (SPAC), which was working to mounting an IPO for the joint venture.

The JV suffered a series of legal actions between the pair.

The Slam business is headed by former baseball star Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez.

Luxembourg-based SES is a minor shareholder in Lynk.

Lynk, in a statement from CEO Ramu Potarazu, said, “With the Delaware litigation resolved and the [business combination agreement] mutually terminated, Lynk is now better positioned to pursue a broader set of strategic and commercial opportunities that were previously constrained by the agreement. We remain fully focused on executing our long-term vision and, in partnership with the newly merged SES and our global MNO partners, accelerating our mission to deliver mobile connectivity to anyone, anywhere—directly from space.”

The UK, an investor in Eutelsat/OneWeb, has signed an agreement with Eutelsat to deliver Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity for UK government operations worldwide.

The agreement is with “trusted distribution partner” NSSLGlobal, to support vital diplomatic, defence, policing, and disaster response operations. NSSL will use capacity on the OneWeb fleet.

This strategic partnership will support a broad range of critical UK government activities worldwide – including diplomatic missions, policing, resilience, defence and other essential operations.

Under the agreement, Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO’s constellation will provide high-speed, low latency connectivity for British Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates as well as broader UK government activities globally. NSSLGlobal will deliver fully managed, end-to-end services ensuring seamless support for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) missions across all sectors.

Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO services and user terminals will be deployed to enhance regional resilience and ensure continuity of operations as part of the FCDO’s commitment to hurricane preparedness and response across British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.

Cyril Dujardin, President of the Connectivity Business Unit at Eutelsat Group, said, “We are proud to support the UK government and its global missions by delivering secure, resilient connectivity worldwide, even in the most remote or challenging environments. This agreement reflects the critical role LEO services play in enhancing operational effectiveness and enabling secure, low-latency communications for government operations.”

Mike Astell, CEO/FCDO Services, said, “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter in FCDO Services’ long history of providing secure satellite communications. By joining forces with NSSLGlobal and Eutelsat OneWeb, we’re enhancing our ability to deliver rapid, secure connectivity anywhere in the world. This reinforces our commitment to meeting the unique needs of our government customers.”

Morpheus Space, earlier this month, completed their on-orbit demo mission in collaboration with space logistics company, D-Orbit—this mission validated the primary objectives of accuracy and performance of Morpheus’ next-generation electric propulsion system, GO-2.

The following capabilities were successfully validated:

• Communication between the host spacecraft and GO-2

• Electronics and sensors reliably working in LEO

• Heat up and liquification of metallic propellant, confirming a 35-minute heat-up time

• Stable hot standby, with expected low power consumption

• Successful ignition of thrusters and generation of ions in space

• Accurate individual control of thrusters with sub-second response time

• Generation of simple and complex thrust profiles

With GO-2 now space-proven, Morpheus Space is ramping up production at its Reloaded Facility, targeting 100 units annually to meet market demand. This marks a major step from validation to full-scale delivery of efficient, reliable electric propulsion for satellite operators worldwide.

This mission represents a major achievement for the Morpheus team,” said Kevin Lausten, CEO of Morpheus Space. “We set aggressive goals for this demonstration, and I’m proud to say we achieved them. From thrust characterization to system validation, our GO-2 unit delivered.”

From day one, GO-2 was built to redefine the standard for in-space propulsion,” said Daniel Bock, CTO and Co-Founder of Morpheus Space. “This mission confirms that vision is now a reality.“

SEOPS Space is providing the capacity, mission management and integration services for EPIC Athena, a 110 kg pathfinder spacecraft funded by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Defense’s U.S. Space Force (USSF)’s Space Systems Command (SSC).

EPIC Athena represents the fifth of six spacecraft to launch under the Rideshare 2024-Blaze contract between SEOPS and the USSF’s SSC.

As a secondary rideshare payload on NASA and the University of Iowa‘s upcoming TRACERS mission, EPIC Athena is a Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program mission containing a DoD experiment.

SEOPS has provided integration and mission services for more than 400 satellite deployments, including for the U.S. Space Force, NRO and NASA, as well as commercial organizations around the world.

The spacecraft is slated to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 later this month from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The mission is a technology pathfinder of NovaWurks’ Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat) disaggregated satellite platform for making critical Earth science sensing measurements. Equally important is the goal to prove out technical partnerships and processes between multiple federal agencies to create a simple, rapid and highly integrated bus-payload system as a more affordable way to launch missions on a reduced schedule.

NovaWurks designs, manufactures and operates satellites based on the HISats architecture, or SLEGO, at its production and engineering facilities in Southern California.

It’s always a privilege to work with the federal government on missions, and this one was particularly rewarding because of its goal to advance rapid response capabilities,” said Chad Brinkley, chief executive officer of SEOPS. “It’s in our wheelhouse and aligned with our goals of providing space access without compromise to organizations around the world.”

There’s a lot of promise riding on this spacecraft’s shoulders,” said Dr. Roberta Ewart, chief technology officer for the SSC. “NASA, the Space Force and NOAA have strategically aligned efforts to gain wisdom from the EPIC Athena Sensorcraft, from demonstrating key capabilities to spearheading efficiencies and new ways of collaborating across the federal government, all while creating a transformational advantage for our country.”

With the rapid expansion of satellite constellations in LEO, the risk of orbital collisions is rising at an unprecedented pace. The proliferation of objects in space—ranging from active satellites to defunct assets and debris—poses serious challenges for operators striving to maintain the safety and sustainability of their missions.

As daily data volumes grow and conjunction warnings become more frequent, the space community faces mounting pressure to adopt more advanced and reliable collision avoidance solutions.

In this context, GMV has been awarded a new R&D contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) under its Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Core Competitiveness program within ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications. The initiative aims to develop an advanced collision avoidance service tailored to the needs of large-scale telecommunications constellations.

Building upon the success of GMV’s proven Focusoc platform, the new service—FOCUSOC NXTGEN—will deliver faster and more accurate collision risk assessments by integrating a wide array of data sources and enhancing response strategies. This next generation solution is designed to empower satellite operators with smarter, more agile tools to safeguard their assets in an increasingly congested orbital environment.

A key innovation of the project is the creation of a new conjunction assessment center in the United Kingdom. This centre will serve operators both in the UK and globally, offering expanded capabilities beyond current services. Thanks to a complete system redesign, the platform will support significantly higher data processing volumes, with a scalable and dynamic infrastructure that adapts to user demands.

While the current service can process constellations of tens of satellites, the goal is to accommodate the new key players: large-sized constellations that feature hundreds of them. FOCUSOC-NXTGEN is aiming to assess conjunctions for more than 1,000 satellites. Nevertheless, the standout feature of the project is its horizontal scalability, which allows the system to expand as user demands grow.

This significant leap not only enhances computational capacity, but also requires improved user interfaces to provide real-time global insights, specifically optimized for large-constellation operations.

FOCUSOC-NXTGEN tackles the growing challenge of managing vast volumes of orbital data—now reaching over 7 GB daily—by filtering out false positives and pinpointing genuine threats with greater precision. The system will deliver timely and highly relevant maneuver recommendations, helping operators avoid unnecessary disruptions to their missions.

Among its standout features, the service will include a dedicated database of conjunctions to support long-term trend analysis, a maneuver testing environment leveraging GMV’s renowned Flight Dynamics Systems expertise, and seamless API integration for operational efficiency. Redundant system architecture will ensure uninterrupted 24/7 availability.

The new service is scheduled for official launch in the summer of 2026, with ongoing developments in close collaboration with leading industry stakeholders. With FOCUSOC-NXTGEN, GMV reinforces its position at the forefront of safe and sustainable space operations.

By contributing to the development of FOCUSOC NXTGEN, ESA is helping tackle a critical issue: the risk of orbital collisions,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications. “The success and long-term sustainability of space activities rely heavily on orbital safety; ensuring satellites and space assets remain free from collision risks. This service will be instrumental in enabling other ESA-supported innovations to thrive, delivering fast and reliable communications without interruption.”

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has committed to a multi-year contract expansion with the Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC), in partnership with Planet geospatial intelligence partner Procalculo.

With this contract, IGAC will continue leveraging Planet’s technology for national land management, now incorporating the Planet Insights Platform and the AI-powered change detection service for roads and buildings. These tools will enhance analysis and decision-making in urban planning, infrastructure, and environmental management.

IGAC is the governmental entity in Colombia responsible for generating, managing, and disseminating geographic and cartographic data. In 2023, Planet signed a contract with IGAC to provide advanced access to SkySat tasking and daily monitoring with PlanetScope, thereby strengthening land-use planning and risk management throughout the country.

With this expanded data access and collaboration with Procalculo, IGAC is strengthening its ability to enforce regulations, identify and monitor risks such as floods and landslides, and carry out land management efforts throughout Colombia. By integrating Planet’s data into its government platform, the Observatorio de la Tierra y el Territorio (OTT), IGAC is able to efficiently support various organizations aiming to conduct AI-enabled change analysis, monitor infrastructure, support urban planning, and evaluate land-use over time—becoming a key input for informed decision-making.

With the expansion of the contract, IGAC leverages a comprehensive ecosystem of Planet solutions, including the Planet Insights Platform for geospatial data analysis and management, SkySat Flexible Tasking, PlanetScope Monitoring, Planet Change Detection: Roads and Buildings, and the Education & Research package, aimed at supporting government-led research initiatives.

By working in collaboration with IGAC and our partner Procalculo, we’re excited to see how Planet’s data is being used for nationwide disaster response, monitoring public policy compliance, and detecting changes through artificial intelligence across Colombia,” said Ashley Johnson, Planet President and CFO. “By leveraging our platform and AI-powered analytics, IGAC will continue advancing near-daily broad area land management at scale.”

Planet offers a unique combination of satellite data and analytical capabilities that we can integrate into our national management systems to provide decision-makers with up-to-date data and information that ensure reliable insights about the territory,” said Anderson Puentes Carvajal, Director of the Dirección de Gestión de Información Geográfica at IGAC. “By leveraging Procalculo’s expertise along with Planet’s advanced data and analytical tools, we’re making significant progress in change detection and the implementation of public policies at both national and local levels across the country.”

L3Harris recently demonstrated a cutting-edge Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solution for the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command that is adaptable to different platforms, is fully reprogrammable on-orbit, and is scalable to support additional signals and increased power to address evolving threats.

This ready-now solution can provide the USSF with the ultimate flexibility to efficiently field smaller, multi-launch capable satellites to augment or disaggregate the constellation.

During a two-day event, the company conducted a comprehensive Design Concept Review (DCR) showcasing a Resilient-GPS (R-GPS) prototype that performed beyond current requirements. The session demonstrated the ability to accelerate the existing USSF R-GPS roadmap for a more resilient PNT infrastructure.

Using their Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) reprogrammable payload and National Security Agency-certified reprogrammable cryptography, L3Harris successfully simulated the commanding of an R-GPS satellite to transmit navigation signals that were acquired and tracked by a monitor station receiver, as well as Military User Equipment and commercial receivers, signifying that R-GPS can seamlessly and efficiently be integrated into the existing GPS infrastructure.

L3Harris followed a “prototyping with purpose” approach, which is much more than a laboratory demonstration. The review showcased maturity far beyond a traditional Preliminary Design Review, translating into a low-risk, achievable plan for future development phases of the R-GPS program. The L3Harris R-GPS design includes capabilities aligned to future Lite Evolving Augmented Proliferation, providing an opportunity for roadmap acceleration and reduction in lifecycle costs.

The DCR conveyed how the L3Harris R-GPS satellite will minimize impact on the Control Segment and maintain backward compatibility with current and in development user equipment to ensure operational compatibility. L3Harris is the only company to support the entire GPS enterprise across all operational segments. As a critical contributor, the company has provided navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched.

In 2024, L3Harris was selected to design concepts for Phase 0 of the R-GPS program through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) vehicle, managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). The new, agile R-GPS satellite program will dramatically reduce costs by launching eight smaller, more capable space vehicles at one time. This enables the U.S. to quickly and affordably augment, modernize, and upgrade the GPS space layer for resiliency, significantly increased power to combat terrestrial jamming and enhanced security and cryptography.

Our team transmitted, tested, and validated the core set of R-GPS signals across the entire enterprise to showcase a fully reprogrammable, resilient PNT solution for the Department of Defense,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “We leveraged best in class commercial technology in the payload and spacecraft bus and the government’s investment in cutting-edge NTS-3 PNT technologies. Conducting an end-to-end demo using fielded Space Force user equipment in just six months is an unprecedented accomplishment. Using NTS-3’s advanced technology, L3Harris’ R-GPS solution is the most advanced capability offering supporting PNT proliferation to augment or disaggregate the constellation.”

Zoiss added, “Our approach supports satellite design verification, proves compatibility with the Control Segment and User Equipment, and allows for early enterprise integration opportunities. As a global PNT leader for more than five decades, we understand the challenges in aligning three segments of the GPS enterprise (Space, Control and User), so we showcased a holistic, aligned approach.”