Interstellar Technologies earlier this month signed a three-party business alliance with Toyota Motor Corporation and Woven by Toyota. The three parties will work together to establish a robust production system that enables frequent and cost optimized space transportation.

An alliance between Interstellar and the Toyota Group was initially announced in January of 2025 when Interstellar and Woven by Toyota entered into a two-party strategic capital and business alliance. Now, building on that foundation, Interstellar, Woven by Toyota, and Toyota Motor Corporation have signed a three-party business alliance agreement to advance vehicle development from one-off production to industrial-grade systems capable of supporting frequent launches.

Interstellar became the first startup to join “Toyota Woven City” as an Inventor, leveraging Toyota’s decades of manufacturing expertise and strengths.

Open Cosmos has signed the first work order contract as part of the In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) program funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe R&I Program.

Open Cosmos was selected as one of six European providers for this Frame Contract in January of 2025, as announced by the European Space Agency.

Marking a major milestone for European innovation, the European Commission and ESA established a pool of rideshare providers to accelerate access to space for groundbreaking technologies. Today, Open Cosmos is thrilled to move from selection to execution, officially starting its first rideshare service under this program.

Under this contract, Open Cosmos will deliver the first rideshare service to Luso Space, providing end-to-end support to the company on demonstrating and validating new on-orbit satellite technologies.

This contract recognizes Open Cosmos’s proven capability in designing, manufacturing, and operating space missions, with a 100% success rate in orbit. The company has demonstrated its readiness to offer comprehensive rideshare services, leveraging its flight-proven architecture compatible with a range of satellite form factors up to 500 kg microsats.

With six satellites currently on-orbit under Spanish ITU filing, and an additional four under design and manufacturing from Spain, alongside contributions to 22 more satellites contracted from other Open Cosmos subsidiaries, Open Cosmos is rapidly expanding its on-orbit infrastructure. This growth, coupled with its Open Constellation initiative, which aggregates heterogeneous space infrastructure for hosting additional payloads, highlights the company’s commitment to providing continuous and regular rideshare opportunities.

The implementation of the framework contract will be through individual Work Orders, with the first set of Work Orders already planned. Each Work Order will detail the specific tasks and deliverables, ensuring a streamlined and effective process for integrating IOD/IOV Experiments onto Open Cosmos’s spacecraft. Furthermore, Open Cosmos will establish Rideshare Service Agreements with each IOD/IOV Experiment Provider, ensuring a collaborative and successful mission for all parties involved.

Open Cosmos is committed to ensuring that all Rideshare Services rely on spacecraft and launch services based on EU solutions, reinforcing Europe’s self-reliance in space.

We are incredibly enthusiastic about this partnership with the EU and ESA supporting the fast validation of new European technologies, as part of our mission of making space more accessible”, said Rafael Jordá Siquier, CEO of Open Cosmos. “We have progressed at speed, signing the frame contract earlier this year and now kicking off the first work order for a launch next year.”

Zuzana Mazanova, Head of Unit at the European Commission, said, “This contract marks another step forward in realising the Horizon Europe vision — boosting technological sovereignty and innovation within the EU space sector. By supporting companies like Open Cosmos, we are enabling a new generation of European missions that advance science, commercial competitiveness, and sustainability in space.”

Patrice Kerhousse, IOD-IOV Programme Manager at European Space Agency (ESA), said, “The selection of Open Cosmos through this Frame Contract reflects our continued effort to strengthen the European rideshare ecosystem. We are committed to fostering a competitive market of service providers capable of supporting IOD/IOV missions with agility, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Open Cosmos has demonstrated that capability, and we are confident in their ability to deliver.”

INNOSPACE (KS: 462350) has been awarded the ISO 37301 certification for its compliance management system (CMS), the globally recognized standard established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The certification validates that INNOSPACE has implemented a robust internal governance structure designed to proactively comply with legal and ethical obligations. As the first private space launch vehicle company in South Korea to earn this certification, INNOSPACE demonstrates its ethical compliance systems meet global criteria, solidifying the company’s credibility with international customers, partners, and oversight organizations.

Operating in one of the most complex and highly regulated industries, the space launch sector faces intricate demands such as cross-border export controls, security regulations, and aerospace quality certifications. INNOSPACE’s acquisition of ISO 37301 reinforces its capability to proactively manage compliance risks across the entire launch service lifecycle—from licensing and site operations to satellite transport and mission control—strengthening trust with clients and regulatory authorities around the world.

The certification marks another step in INNOSPACE’s phased rollout of global governance systems under its long-term ESG strategy. In January, the company achieved AS9100 certification for aerospace quality. Building on this momentum, INNOSPACE is preparing to sequentially implement additional international standards, including ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety), and ISO 27001 (Information Security), to reinforce its position as a reliable partner in the global space industry.

We view ethics and compliance not as a short-term task, but as a core value of sustainable management,” said Soojong Kim, Founder and CEO of INNOSPACE. “We will continue to actively implement this across the company, responding proactively to evolving global regulatory environments and building a transparent and accountable governance structure.”

York Space Systems (York) launched the company’s BARD mission on July 23rd from Vandenberg Space Force Base and York made contact with the satellite on the first attempt—all systems are healthy on-orbit.

The mission will flight-demonstrate the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT), an advanced communications payload designed to enable real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks.

BARD was procured as a commercial mission from York and developed in collaboration with NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The mission will flight-demonstrate PExT, an advanced communications payload designed to enable real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks—a first-of-its-kind capability supporting NASA’s shift toward a commercial communications architecture.

The successful BARD launch comes only one month following the successful deployment of York’s Dragoon mission. Moreover, BARD is the second of five distinct missions York is executing in 2025 alone. From spacecraft design and manufacturing to full mission integration, launch, and operations, York’s end-to-end capabilities are enabling customers across the defense and commercial sectors to deploy critical space assets faster, more affordably, and with greater mission flexibility.

The success of BARD reinforces York’s commitment to delivering impactful missions with speed, resilience, and performance,” said Melanie Preisser, GM and Executive VP of York. “From Dragoon to BARD, we’re delivering complete space missions that meet the most urgent operational needs of our customers. York continues to lead the way in redefining how space-based capabilities are developed, launched, and operated.York Space Systems launches BARD mission.”

 NearSpace Launch, Inc. (NSL), provider in small satellite innovation and mission success, achieved a major milestone: over 1000 systems and subsystems successfully deployed in orbit. Since its founding in 2014, NSL has grown from a visionary startup into a strong spaceflight provider, delivering flight-proven solutions that support commercial, government, and scientific missions worldwide. The company’s portfolio includes full spacecraft, communications systems, EyeStar radios, ThinSat buses, Black Box mission recorders, and rapid-turn TT&C solutions.
            

“NearSpace Launch is a strategic partner of SEOPS and a company that understands how to achieve mission success. With over 1,000 systems on orbit, NSL celebrates a decade of innovation proving that relentless iteration and being obsessed with mission requirements results in trusted space capabilities” said Chad Brinkley, of SEOPS Space. With a proven track record of mission success across over 30 launches, NSL’s technologies are helping shape the future of low-Earth orbit (LEO) operations, enabling real-time telemetry, robust situational awareness, and simplified satellite integration.          

NSL’s systems are now part of numerous constellations projects and government initiatives, and its EyeStar radios are supporting global connectivity with 24/7 Iridium-based communications. As the company looks to the future, NSL remains committed to innovation, reliability, and expanding space access for emerging missions and new entrants alike.       

“This milestone represents more than just numbers,” said Dr. Hank Voss, Co-Founder of NearSpace Launch. “It reflects the dedication of our team, the strength of our partnerships, and the success of our mission to make space more accessible and resilient.”           

NearSpace Launch provides reliable, rapidly deployable satellite solutions including EyeStar radios, Black Box systems, and custom CubeSats. NSL has supported NASA, DoD, commercial, and u niversity missions with a focus on mission assurance, space domain awareness, and innovative communications.       

As it celebrates its “1000th” benchmark, NSL will be at the upcoming SmallSat conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 10-13.

HawkEye 360 Inc. has enhanced the firm’s GNSS Interference (GNSS-I) Detection product suite—these upgrades—designed with defense, intelligence, and national security operations in mind—offer unprecedented accuracy, coverage, and insight into global GPS jamming and spoofing threats.

The update includes a new wider frequency algorithm that better distinguishes individual emitters, incorporates GPS spoofing detection, and is terrain adjusted for better geolocation accuracy, delivering greater situational awareness and more precise geolocation of interference sources worldwide.

Many high-stakes operations rely heavily on accurate and uninterrupted GPS signals. Disruptions to these signals, whether through intentional interference or incidental factors, can introduce uncertainty and compromise the effectiveness of critical activities. HawkEye 360’s enhanced GNSS Interference Detection product suite supports strategic decision-making by providing timely, precise insight into potential signal disruptions, enabling stakeholders to better assess risk, respond confidently, and maintain operational continuity in dynamic environments.

With this release, HawkEye 360’s GNSS-I Detection product suite now provides…

• 15x Increase in geolocation density
• Spoofing Detection and differentiation
• Terrain Adjusted for increased accuracy
• Consistent Monitoring across wide areas of interest

Enabling Action in Contested Environments
These enhancements further solidify HawkEye 360’s commitment to equipping national security and defense partners with tools to operate confidently in GPS-denied or disrupted environments.

HawkEye 360’s new spoofing detection capability identifies potentially malicious transmitters that imitate legitimate GPS Course/Acquisition (PRN) codes—a tactic increasingly used to deceive aircraft and mislead navigation systems. The capability supports threat mitigation and trend analysis by detecting and geolocating these spoofers down to a kilometer-level precision.

In contested environments, timely RF intelligence is the key to mission success,” said Alex Fox, President, International Business Unit. “Traditional land, sea, and air systems struggle in Anti-Access/Area Denial environments, while our satellites provide global GNSS-I detection and geolocation coverage. These enhanced capabilities give defense and intelligence teams the ability to identify and neutralize threats before they disrupt operations, enabling faster decisions and sharper visibility into adversary behavior.”

We deliver high-confidence RF intelligence that helps defense and intelligence professionals protect assets, outmaneuver threats, and gain the upper hand in the spectrum,” said Todd Probert, President, U.S. Government Business Unit. “By adding terrain-aware modeling, we give our partners a decisive advantage in detecting and responding to GPS interference—whether they’re operating in rugged mountains or dense urban environments. They can act with confidence, knowing the data is both precise and actionable.”

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has won the next phase of a competitive U.S. Navy research contract to further develop optical inter-satellite link (OISL) terminal apps for its Gen-3 constellation.

The OISL terminals are expected to increase the speed at which very high-resolution imagery and other high-volume space-based data travel directly between satellites before downlinking to ground stations.

Under the development agreement, BlackSky will explore hardware and software design adaptations, novel operating concepts for commercial transport network nodes and establish new protocols for data movement. Future Gen-3 satellites will be equipped with optical inter-satellite link terminals compatible with both the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer and commercial transport networks.

Laser-based OISLs create high-bandwidth, direct communication lines between satellites, reducing the time it takes to transmit and process data. In addition to reduced latency and decision making, OISLs can provide a more secure and resilient data transmission path, making them less susceptible to interference and jamming.

This important award directly supports BlackSky’s ability to deliver timely, high-impact intelligence that drive decisions all the way to the tactical edges of the frontline,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “High-speed inter-satellite communication links are a critical innovation that makes BlackSky’s commercial remote sensing services a robust and viable option for fleet-wide tactical ISR operations. Extending our Gen-3 capabilities with optical intersatellite link terminals will give customers reliable access to real-time earth imaging capabilities across the full range of warfighting scenarios. Enhanced Gen-3 satellites are expected to deliver data to end users 10 times faster than current systems, with data volumes five times greater than existing capabilities.”