Fugro and GomSpace have been working together on the SpaceStar product since 2020. Since that time, the first SpaceStar systems has gained flight heritage and credible performance: Real time, sub-decimeter, absolute positioning on board an LEO satellite without additional, required ground-infrastructure for the satellite operator — a truly unique capability that can be instrumental in advanced missions that involve rendezvous and docking or precise formation flying.

SpaceStar relies on GomSpace’s Software Defined Radio (SDR) with Fugro’s software using real-time orbit and clock corrections from GEO satellites. The SDRs are delivered by GomSpace with the Fugro SpaceStar software pre-installed, and the customer signs a service agreement with Fugro to use the system in space.

GomSpace has recently received an additional product order from a well-known and returning customer that will use the SpaceStar system on multiple satellites.

“We are excited about the cooperation with Fugro and having SpaceStar on the market as a standard product. The performance demonstrated in space is amazing.” — Carsten Drachmann, CEO, GomSpace

Exolaunch integrated 32 customer satellites with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as all reached their orbits following the Transporter-8 mission liftoff from Vandenberg SFB — Exolaunch has now managed 300 satellite launches.

Exolaunch provided mission management and integration services for New Space leaders and longstanding customers such as Spire Global, Kongsberg NanoAvionics and ICEYE, as well as returning customers Satlantis, Swarm Technologies and TU Stuttgart.

Additionally, Exolaunch welcomed new customers who selected the Company’s CarboNIX, shock-free smallsat separation systems to ensure a reliable separation for their satellites, including Muon Space, Turion Space, Aerospacelab and Azista BST Aerospace (ABA).

Exolaunch successfully mated all 32 smallsats with SpaceX’s new Rideshare Plates. Exolaunch welcomed customer teams from around the world to its Berlin facilities to perform a joint integration of CubeSats with their EXOpod / EXOpod Nova deployers.

In addition to its integration services, Exolaunch is provided proprietary and flight-proven hardware to all customers on this mission. The Company’s CarboNIX separation system boasts a heritage of more than 50 smallsats deployed across 12 missions and has become the system of choice for smallsat innovators, due to its reliability and scalable solution. Exolaunch is also provided CubeSat customers with EXOpod / EXOpod Nova deployers that have set multiple industry records by deploying the first 16U smallsat in orbit and are the only product to achieve this in GEO.

This was Exolaunch’s 11th mission with SpaceX, manifested under long-term Multi-Launch Agreements (MLAs) first signed in 2020 and repeatedly expanded to include new missions. Transporter-8 was the latest launch in SpaceX’s dedicated rideshare program and Exolaunch has manifested customers on each Transporter mission since the program debuted.

“Our mission management team is committed to customer success every step of the way, from the clean room to orbit. They orchestrate missions that are years in the making to ensure a smooth experience – even on entirely new rideshare architectures like we’ve seen here. However, launch services are only one side of the story, and we’re very grateful to SpaceX for continuing to transform the access-to-space landscape with regular, reliable launches and ever-better technology.”
— Connor Pollock, Mission Director at Exolaunch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the Transporter-8 mission to LEO occurred at Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, and four Starlink missions.

Following 1st stage separation, Falcon 9 landed on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Transporter-8 is SpaceX’s eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. There are 72 payloads on this flight, including smallsats, a re-entry capsule and orbital transfer vehicles (OTV) carrying spacecraft for orbit deployment at a later time.

As a member of this mission, Space Systems Command (SSC)’s Space Domain Awareness & Combat Power (SDA&CP) and partner Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have now launched the Department of Defense‘s Space Test Program (STP)-CR2301 mission, with three, experimental satellites delivered to LEO.

The three experimental satellites delivered by STP-CR2301 to LEO include two Modular Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (MISR) CubeSats and an XVI military communications spacecraft. The MISR CubeSats demonstrate two-way communications with ground devices as well as experiment with novel methods for the DoD to tactically leverage smallsat capabilities. The XVI CubeSat will test the capacity of the Link-16 network to communicate to space.

STP-CR2301 is another example of demonstrating commercially available rideshare solutions for placing USSF satellite capabilities on-orbit, providing flexibility and resiliency for the USSF, and supporting warfighter requirements in an increasingly contested environment.

STP-CR2301 is managed by the DoD STP office located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. SSC’s SDA&CP headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, administers the DoD STP which delivers experimental demonstrations of new capabilities and expedient space access solutions for research and development experiments.

SDA&CP is the program executive office within SSC that is responsible for delivering ground- and space-based infrastructure and systems that identify threats to national, allied, and commercial space systems. Its innovations integrate seamlessly across the space enterprise and promote deterrence by providing advances in space-enabled warfighting capabilities to our joint military forces.

“Cultivating multiple paths to space for experimental satellites is imperative to maintain continued access as space becomes further congested and contested. STP manifests experiments based on the prioritized list of critical space technologies generated by the Space Experiment Review Board (SERB) as well as the ability of the payloads to meet the launch dates, and orbital requirements. STP is proud to be the front door for experimental satellites looking for a ride to space.”
— Lt. Col. Jonathan Shea, SSC’s director of the DoD’s Space Test Program

SSC is the U.S. Space Force’s field command responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in and from space. SSC manages an $11 billion space acquisition budget for the DoD and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.

Additional deployed payloads include…

D-Orbit manifested, ION SCV-011 to be deployed by Savvy Simon

Exolaunch manifested, AFR-1 | All-DELTA | Ayris-1, -2 | Droid.001 | EIVE | GEISAT | Grégoire | ICEYE-1, -2, -3, -4, deployed for ICEYE | LEMUR 2 AADAM-ALIYAH, LEMUR 2 EMBRIONOVIS, LEMUR 2 NAZIYAH | MuSat-1 | Spacebees [Swarm] |

iQPS: QPA-SAR-6 AMATERU III

Launcher: Orbiter SN3

Lockheed Martin Corporation: Blackjack Aces-1, -2, -3 and -4

Maverick Space Systems: FOSSASAT-FEROX | GHOSt-3 | MISR-A, MISR-B | Tomorrow-R2 | Tiger-4 | XVI |

Satellogic: NewSat 40, 41, 42, 43

SatVu: HotSat-1

Skykraft: Skykraft-3

Terran Orbital: Runner-1

Varda: W-Series 1

The first SpaceX launch of the day and this one occurred on Tuesday, June 12th., at 3:10 a.m. ET (07:10 UTC) and a Falcon 9 carried 53 Starlink satellites to LEO from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Hispasat Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, and four Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the Transporter-8 mission to LEO is expected to occur at Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 57 minute launch window opens at 2:19 p.m. PT (21:19 UTC). If needed, there is a backup opportunity on Tuesday, June 13th, with the same window.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, and four Starlink missions.

Following 1st stage separation, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Transporter-8 is SpaceX’s eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. There will be 72 payloads on this flight, including smallsats, a re-entry capsule and orbital transfer vehicles (OTV) carrying spacecraft for orbit deployment at a later time.

A live webcast of this mission will start about 15 minutes prior to liftoff at this direct link…

As a member of this mission, Space Systems Command (SSC)’s Space Domain Awareness & Combat Power (SDA&CP) and partner Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is preparing to launch the Department of Defense‘s Space Test Program (STP)-CR2301 mission to deliver three experimental satellites to LEO.v

The three experimental satellites to be delivered by STP-CR2301 to LEO include two Modular Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (MISR) CubeSats and an XVI military communications spacecraft. The MISR CubeSats demonstrate two-way communications with ground devices as well as experiment with novel methods for the DoD to tactically leverage smallsat capabilities. The XVI CubeSat will test the capacity of the Link-16 network to communicate to space.

STP-CR2301 is another example of demonstrating commercially available rideshare solutions for placing USSF satellite capabilities on-orbit, providing flexibility and resiliency for the USSF, and supporting warfighter requirements in an increasingly contested environment.

STP-CR2301 is managed by the DoD STP office located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. SSC’s SDA&CP headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, administers the DoD STP which delivers experimental demonstrations of new capabilities and expedient space access solutions for research and development experiments.

SDA&CP is the program executive office within SSC that is responsible for delivering ground- and space-based infrastructure and systems that identify threats to national, allied, and commercial space systems. Its innovations integrate seamlessly across the space enterprise and promote deterrence by providing advances in space-enabled warfighting capabilities to our joint military forces.

“Cultivating multiple paths to space for experimental satellites is imperative to maintain continued access as space becomes further congested and contested. STP manifests experiments based on the prioritized list of critical space technologies generated by the Space Experiment Review Board (SERB) as well as the ability of the payloads to meet the launch dates, and orbital requirements. STP is proud to be the front door for experimental satellites looking for a ride to space.”
— Lt. Col. Jonathan Shea, SSC’s director of the DoD’s Space Test Program

SSC is the U.S. Space Force’s field command responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in and from space. SSC manages an $11 billion space acquisition budget for the DoD and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.

Additional payloads manifested for the Transporter-8 mission include…

D-Orbit manifested, ION SCV-011 to be deployed by Savvy Simon

Exolaunch manifested, AFR-1 | All-DELTA | Ayris-1, -2 | Droid.001 | EIVE | GEISAT | Grégoire | ICEYE-1, -2, -3, -4, deployed for ICEYE | LEMUR 2 AADAM-ALIYAH, LEMUR 2 EMBRIONOVIS, LEMUR 2 NAZIYAH | MuSat-1 | Spacebees [Swarm] |

iQPS: QPA-SAR-6 AMATERU III

Launcher: Orbiter SN3

Lockheed Martin Corporation: Blackjack Aces-1, -2, -3 and -4

Maverick Space Systems: FOSSASAT-FEROX | GHOSt-3 | MISR-A, MISR-B | Tomorrow-R2 | Tiger-4 | XVI |

Satellogic: NewSat 40, 41, 42, 43

SatVu: HotSat-1

Skykraft: Skykraft-3

Terran Orbital: Runner-1

Varda: W-Series 1

Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC) has been selected for a $64 million award from the Space Development Agency (SDA) to develop, implement and maintain the Battle Management Command, Control and Communications (BMC3) Application Factory for the agency’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

“The BMC3 component of the PWSA is transformational for the Department of Defense and the country,” said Michael LaRouche, president, National Security and Space Sector at SAIC. “The Space Development Agency is entrusting SAIC to deliver an innovative approach that weaves together command and control, secure cloud and space systems integration for critical warfighter needs.”

The BMC3 Application Factory is a cloud-based solution that will deliver software through a DevSecOps process to a constellation of hundreds of low-Earth orbit satellites. To support time-sensitive missions, BMC3 software applications will deliver automated space-based battle management through command and control, mission processing and dissemination of data. The BMC3 Application Factory’s ability to rapidly test and integrate upgraded software capabilities of on-orbit assets will help the Space Force adapt to evolving threats and needs.

Through the award, SAIC will integrate command and control, software, cyber, cloud and engineering solutions. As the BMC3 integrator, SAIC will support the PWSA, a critical component to the Department of Defense’s JADC2 strategy. The PWSA provides ubiquitous data communications and accelerates decision-making. This will ensure the SDA’s on-orbit assets that have been built by multiple vendors, can quickly adapt to evolving near-peer threats and warfighter needs. SAIC will also develop a secure interoperable middleware layer that will ensure BMC3 mission applications can operate on the various satellite providers’ hardware, enabling real-time coordination across the PWSA.

To learn more about SAIC’s work in digital capabilities visit.

Another SpaceX launch — in addition to the firm’s Transporter-8 mission from the West coast — is scheduled to occur on Monday, June 12th., at 3:10 a.m. ET (07:10 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to LEO from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

If needed, there is an additional launch opportunity the same day at 4:52 a.m. ET (8:52 UTC). Backup opportunities are also available Tuesday, June 13 at 2:45 a.m. ET (06:45 UTC) and 4:26 a.m. ET (8:26 UTC).

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Hispasat Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, and four Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will start about five minutes prior to liftoff at this link…

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has been selected by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate (RV) to provide on-orbit, space relay connectivity for the agency’s ARBALEST program, which aims to support a future, space-based demo of operational capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD).

The future AFRL mission will illustrate the advantages of enabling real-time, global connectivity between DoD LEO spacecraft and commercial GEO satellites.

The ARBALEST program and expected AFRL-led mission will demonstrate the military utility of LEO space relay over commercial high throughput satellites in support of space mission resilience, real-time data dissemination, command and control (C2), as well as the rapid re-tasking of government space vehicles.

Viasat’s space relay solution is key to enabling these capabilities and will leverage the upcoming ViaSat-3 constellation, which includes three,, terabit-class GEO satellites, to provide continuous coverage for LEO spacecraft anywhere and at any time in their orbit.

Under the ARBALEST program, Viasat will provide AFRL with a Ka-band space relay payload for integration into a spacecraft for the future AFRL mission, as well as provide engineering analysis, integration and test support. Viasat will also support the on-orbit demonstration phase of the mission.

Viasat’s on-orbit connectivity solutions are designed to reduce data latency, provide real-time tasking of on-orbit assets, and enhance resilience through multi-path networking schemes. The space relay service will be a new offering to help commercial and government LEO operators share time-sensitive data more effectively and remain in constant contact with their spacecraft, allowing them to send commands and receive data at any time – all through the high-capacity, resilient ViaSat-3 constellation.

This future AFRL mission will be the first pathfinder demonstration of Viasat’s space relay service. The Viasat space relay service is expected to achieve initial operational capability in late 2025.

“Viasat is very excited to expand its partnership with AFRL and to accelerate the delivery of advanced commercial space-based communications for the DoD,” said . “This real-time space relay capability will offer an efficient method of moving LEO satellite data to the ground for operations. Most importantly, this technology will help increase resilience for future U.S. space missions and benefit warfighters with more direct, immediate access to information and data to improve the situational awareness and decisions supporting the safety of those on the front lines.”
— Craig Miller, President, Viasat Government Systems