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A partnership between TI (Texas Instruments) and SAC-ISRO helped enable the mission payloads for the NISAR satellite, which is currently orbiting Earth.

TI’s space-grade power management, mixed signal and analog technologies optimize system performance and allow the satellite to operate in the harsh environment of space over the mission’s lifetime. NISAR is the first satellite to use dual-band, synthetic aperture radar technology to monitor the Earth’s ecosystems, natural hazards and climate patterns.

Texas Instruments (TI) semiconductors are enabling the radar imaging and scientific exploration payloads for the NASA-Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) satellite, which was recently launched into orbit. The launch of the satellite culminates a decade-long partnership between TI and the ISRO to optimize the performance of the electronic systems responsible for this Earth-observation mission. NISAR is equipped with TI’s radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant products that enable designers to maximize power density, precision and performance in their satellite systems.

The ISRO describes NISAR as the first EO mission to use dual-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, enabling the system to capture precise, high-resolution images during the day, night and all weather conditions. TI’s technology is enabling the satellite’s next-generation capabilities through efficient power management, high-speed data transfer, and precise signal sampling and timing.

The NISAR satellite will image the entire planet every 12 days, offering scientists greater understanding of changes to Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea-level rise and groundwater levels. The agencies also expect the data to improve real-time monitoring of natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

Throughout the project life cycle, TI’s system expertise and space-grade semiconductors, which are designed to withstand the harshest space environments, helped enable the advanced S-band SAR capabilities of the NISAR mission. The company provided:

Radiation-hardened power management die for SAC-ISRO developed point-of-load hybrid power module, helping optimize size, weight and power for the mission payloads. Analog-to-digital converters with ultra-high sampling rates and high resolution, allowing the satellite payload to generate fine-grained, high resolution radar imagery. High-performance interface technology, which enables high-speed data transfer between different satellite subsystems to ensure reliable communication. A clocking solution that enables the precise time alignment and synchronous, coherent sampling required for high-precision SAR systems.

From selecting the correct products to ensuring consistent support across development cycles, TI’s technical expertise helped us navigate complex payload requirements,” said Shri Nilesh, Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO. “A deeply coupled partnership, specifically focused on high-impact mixed signal and analog semiconductors, enabled ISRO to meet the system-level requirements for a satellite in LEO. Together, we achieved the space-grade performance standards needed for this important mission.”

As the NISAR satellite is now in orbit, I reflect on the decade-long partnership that brought us here and how our teams are already looking to what’s next, developing new technologies that will enable future missions,” said Elizabeth Jansen, TI India’s sales and applications director. “Building on more than 60 years of expertise, TI’s radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant semiconductors are ready to meet the evolving demands of the space market. Our broad and reliable space-grade portfolio is ever-expanding and pushing the limits of what’s possible in the next frontier.”

Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) is boosting its U.S. investments to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity and provide supply chain security for space-grade solar cells and electro-optical sensors for national security space missions.

The Trump Administration will support these investments with a $23.9 million award through the Department of Commerce, part of the CHIPS and Science Act that ensures U.S. leadership in space-grade semiconductor technology.

In a strategic response to the increasing demand for a robust domestic supply chain of space-grade solar cells and electro-optical sensors for spacecrafts and satellites, Rocket Lab’s capital investments over the next five years are expected to strengthen the Company’s market position as a leading satellite manufacturer, components supplier, and end-to-end mission provider for commercial and national security space missions.

Rocket Lab is one of only two companies in the United States that specialize in the production of high efficiency, radiation hardened, space-grade compound semiconductors.

Rocket Lab’s investment builds upon the Company’s existing U.S. expansion plans for its space systems products alongside a $275 million acquisition of Geost, an electro-optical payload provider based in Tucson, Arizona and northern Virginia. Combined, these multi-hundred million-dollar investments will strengthen America’s semiconductor industrial base and invigorate industry innovation for U.S. commercial and national security satellite missions.

Through these investments, Rocket Lab expects to:

• Double production capacity of compound semiconductors and space-grade solar cells, from 20,000 wafers to nearly 35,000 wafers per month

• Provide U.S. spacecraft manufacturers and the wider aerospace industry with access to domestically produced, advanced semiconductor and electro-optical technologies

• Expand its ability to rapidly deliver integrated spacecraft systems purpose-built for U.S. national security

• Drive economic growth in California, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Mississippi, Arizona and northern Virginia, as it expands its U.S. based headcount to more than 2,000 employees

Rocket Lab’s solar cells have powered industry-defining space missions including the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s Artemis lunar explorations, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, and the Mars Insight Lander, and more – underscoring the Company’s pivotal role in space industry innovation and U.S. supply chain security.

Rocket Lab Vice President of Space Systems, Brad Clevenger, said, “Our leadership in American-made semiconductor technologies is built upon more than 25 years of engineering and manufacturing excellence in New Mexico. These latest investments will expand that production capacity, strengthen supply chains, create new jobs, and develop economic opportunities across the states where we operate – and are additional examples of Rocket Lab’s commitment to delivering reliable and cost-effective solutions at scale to the space industry.”

This administration is taking historic actions to encourage companies like Rocket Lab to invest in American ingenuity and innovation,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. “Rocket Lab’s investment will help cement our dominance in space while expanding opportunities for workers across the country.”

Engineers from Gliwice, Poland, carried out an unusual experiment on board their Intuition-1 satellite—using the Leopard Data Processing Unit, they successfully launched the 1993 classic game Doom in space.

Meanwhile, the Polish satellite continued to deliver new hyperspectral images from various regions of the Earth, demonstrating full operational capability nearly two years after launch. Intuition-1 has been orbiting Earth since November 11, 2023, completing an average of 15 orbits per day. Over 647 days in orbit, it has already circled our planet nearly 9,807 times.

This constant presence makes it possible to provide regular observations from different climatic zones—from the tropics to temperate regions of Europe. In recent months, the satellite’s instruments have captured views from across the globe: coastal areas of Mula, Tamaulipas in Mexico, the urban sprawl of Beijing, the desert landscapes of Phoenix, Arizona, the vibrant shoreline of Miami, Florida, the tropical mangroves of Mein-ma-hla-kyun Wildlife Reserve in Myanmar, the diverse cerrado of Goiás State in Brazil, and the green scenery of Rarangi, New Zealand.

The satellite also turned its eye to Poland—one image shows snow-covered Lubawa, proving that hyperspectral data is collected all year round. At the heart of the mission is the Leopard Data Processing Unit (DPU), designed and built by KP Labs. Leopard enables data processing directly in orbit, allowing analysis of images before they are transmitted to Earth. This onboard processing capability significantly reduces the volume of data that needs to be downlinked, delivering faster and more practical information to end users.

On August 12, 2025, KP Labs engineers used Leopard for a unique demonstration: they ran Doom, originally released in 1993 by ID Software, in space—on board the satellite. To achieve this, they modified an open-source version of the game’s code, and before sending it to orbit, the entire solution was tested on a ground-based FlatSat setup.

Although the Doom experiment was primarily symbolic, its significance goes far beyond nostalgia as it demonstrated that Leopard can handle diverse computational tasks—from simple to complex—even in the harsh conditions of space. This confirmed the flexibility of the system and its ability to support a wide range of scenarios.

Since the beginning of its mission, Intuition-1 has repeatedly proven the value of Polish-developed space technology. In its first months, it downlinked hyperspectral images processed entirely on board, becoming one of the first satellites worldwide to achieve this. Later, its data was used to test algorithms for vegetation classification and environmental monitoring, showing that Intuition-1 can support applications such as precision agriculture, ecosystem monitoring, and resource management.

KP Labs also operates another DPU on-orbit—LeopardISS, installed on the International Space Station as part of the ESA-led IGNIS mission involving Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. The compact module, integrated in the Columbus laboratory via the ICE Cubes platform, has been running AI algorithms in microgravity. The first task was testing a 3D terrain mapping algorithm developed by Poznań University of Technology—a technology that could one day support autonomous lunar or Martian rovers.

A partnership between TI (Texas Instruments) and SAC-ISRO helped enable the mission payloads for the NISAR satellite, which is currently orbiting Earth.

TI’s space-grade power management, mixed signal and analog technologies optimize system performance and allow the satellite to operate in the harsh environment of space over the mission’s lifetime. NISAR is the first satellite to use dual-band, synthetic aperture radar technology to monitor the Earth’s ecosystems, natural hazards and climate patterns.

Texas Instruments (TI) semiconductors are enabling the radar imaging and scientific exploration payloads for the NASA-Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) satellite, which was recently launched into orbit. The launch of the satellite culminates a decade-long partnership between TI and the ISRO to optimize the performance of the electronic systems responsible for this Earth-observation mission. NISAR is equipped with TI’s radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant products that enable designers to maximize power density, precision and performance in their satellite systems.

The ISRO describes NISAR as the first EO mission to use dual-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, enabling the system to capture precise, high-resolution images during the day, night and all weather conditions. TI’s technology is enabling the satellite’s next-generation capabilities through efficient power management, high-speed data transfer, and precise signal sampling and timing.

The NISAR satellite will image the entire planet every 12 days, offering scientists greater understanding of changes to Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea-level rise and groundwater levels. The agencies also expect the data to improve real-time monitoring of natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

Throughout the project life cycle, TI’s system expertise and space-grade semiconductors, which are designed to withstand the harshest space environments, helped enable the advanced S-band SAR capabilities of the NISAR mission. The company provided:

Radiation-hardened power management die for SAC-ISRO developed point-of-load hybrid power module, helping optimize size, weight and power for the mission payloads. Analog-to-digital converters with ultra-high sampling rates and high resolution, allowing the satellite payload to generate fine-grained, high resolution radar imagery. High-performance interface technology, which enables high-speed data transfer between different satellite subsystems to ensure reliable communication. A clocking solution that enables the precise time alignment and synchronous, coherent sampling required for high-precision SAR systems.

From selecting the correct products to ensuring consistent support across development cycles, TI’s technical expertise helped us navigate complex payload requirements,” said Shri Nilesh, Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO. “A deeply coupled partnership, specifically focused on high-impact mixed signal and analog semiconductors, enabled ISRO to meet the system-level requirements for a satellite in LEO. Together, we achieved the space-grade performance standards needed for this important mission.”

As the NISAR satellite is now in orbit, I reflect on the decade-long partnership that brought us here and how our teams are already looking to what’s next, developing new technologies that will enable future missions,” said Elizabeth Jansen, TI India’s sales and applications director. “Building on more than 60 years of expertise, TI’s radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant semiconductors are ready to meet the evolving demands of the space market. Our broad and reliable space-grade portfolio is ever-expanding and pushing the limits of what’s possible in the next frontier.”

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has signed a seven-figure, Gen-2, space domain awareness (SDA) expansion contract with HEO to provide fully-automated low-latency non-Earth imaging (NEI) services for defense, intelligence and commercial use—the imagery data services deal is now moving into its fourth phase after completing the automation of the entire tasking-to-delivery process.

As part of the contract, HEO’s software platform will autonomously identify imaging opportunities and task BlackSky’s high-resolution Gen-2 satellites to detect, track, characterize, and classify objects in orbit, as well as assess potential threats and predict their effects.

BlackSky’s high-cadence imaging satellites fly in mid-inclination orbit and are expected to increase the feasibility of capturing NEI data over the middle latitudes of Earth, at certain times and places. The rapid tasking and delivery of NEI are expected to support critical space domain awareness applications, including constellation monitoring and anomaly detection.

HEO added BlackSky’s constellation into its current NEI sensor network in 2024. Customers can now request NEI products through HEO’s automated tasking and delivery platform, HEO Inspect. Once collected, BlackSky Gen-2 NEI and metadata are transferred into HEO Inspect where object detection and identification algorithms generate advanced analytics reports that include information such as a satellite’s attitude and location, subsystems identification and pattern-of-life analyses.

BlackSky’s high-resolution Gen-2 high-cadence monitoring constellation continues to contribute valuable insight for space domain awareness,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “As on-orbit activities continue to increase, global mognitoring efforts are expanding beyond terrestrial intelligence to include space intelligence. Automatically tasking and receiving NEI products reflects yet another pioneering innovation that gives customers reliable and actionable insight about spacecraft or on-orbit objects of interest at mission speed.

“With satellites passing over the ocean or satellites in eclipse, traveling across the dark side of Earth. Customers can now use that excess capacity, with a high-quality user experience, to monitor objects in space with no humans in the loop,” said O’Toole.

Achieving true space awareness is going to require levels of inspection platforms across orbits, ready to capture imagery at a moment’s notice and HEO is building exactly that,” said Dr. Will Crowe, Co-Founder and CEO of HEO. “BlackSky’s high-resolution satellites and automated capacity give us eyes in mid-inclination orbit, turning downtime into an intelligence goldmine for operators who need to know what’s happening around their assets, when it happens.”

Exolaunch is set to deploy satellites for its customers Capella Space, Pixxel and an undisclosed U.S. commercial customer on the upcoming NAOS mission with SpaceX, which is scheduled for launch no earlier than August 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

This mission builds on the longstanding collaborations of Exolaunch with multiple leading Earth Observation (EO) companies:

Capella Space – This is Exolaunch’s second launch for Capella, following the successful deployment of its Acadia-5 satellite aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-11 mission in mid-2024.

Pixxel – Exolaunch will deploy three new Firefly satellites for Pixxel. Exolaunch has already deployed four Pixxel satellites on previous Transporter missions, supporting the rapid growth of Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging constellation.

Undisclosed – On this mission, Exolaunch will deploy two satellites for an undisclosed U.S. commercial customer via its CarboNIX separation systems under a dedicated hardware and integration services contract in continuation of the companies’ long-term collaboration.

In May of 2025, Exolaunch announced new multi-year contracts to continue leveraging SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions through 2028. These agreements cover all Transporter missions to date, positioning Exolaunch as the only integrator to manifest satellites on every Transporter mission so far. Exolaunch kicked off the year with delivery of 34 satellites on Transporter‑12, followed by Transporter-13 with 27 deployed satellites and a record-breaking 45 satellite deployment on Transporter‑14 in Jun —its largest flight ever.

The company is gearing up for new record-breaking rideshare missions later this year, reinforcing its reputation as a trusted launch integrator globally.

With this new mission, we’re not only contributing to the growth of the world’s most advanced satellite constellations for our customers, but thanks to SpaceX we’re also expanding valuable new launch capacity beyond traditional Transporter missions,” said Jeanne Allarie, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of Exolaunch. “We’re proud to continue enabling fast, reliable access to space for industry leaders like Capella Space, Pixxel and more — and we are grateful to SpaceX for making additional missions available to our long-standing customers.”

EUMETSAT’s Mission Control Centre has officially taken the reins of the Metop Second Generation A1 (Metop-SGA1) satellite, following the successful completion of the spacecraft’s launch and early operations phase (LEOP).

Over three intense days, experts worked together to perform a series of complex steps and manoeuvres to guide the satellite into LEO—just over 800 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, an endeavor made possible through the dedicated collaboration of EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency (ESA), Telespazio Italy, Airbus Defence and Space, and other partners.

The successful completion of Metop-SGA1’s LEOP marks a major milestone in the deployment of the EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG), Europe’s next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite program. EPS-SG will provide critical data for improving life-saving weather forecasts and a wide range of other critical services that benefit lives and livelihoods across EUMETSAT member states and beyond. It is expected to deliver a return on investment of at least 20:1 to the EU-27 economy.

Metop-SGA1 lifted off at 02:37 CEST on August 13, 202,5 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on board an Ariane-62 rocket. It is the first satellite in the EPS-SG program to be launched and carries a suite of cutting-edge instruments, including the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission.

The LEOP began when Metop-SGA1 separated from its launch vehicle, initiating a carefully planned and executed sequence of activities, including solar panel deployment, propulsion system activation, attitude stabilization, and a series of orbital maneuvers. The satellite is now drifting in tandem with its predecessor, Metop-C—a strategy designed to improve the accuracy, stability and continuity of Earth observation data provided by Metop series satellites.

While the LEOP lasted just three intense days, successfully positioning Metop-SGA1 in orbit in the correct configuration on board is an achievement that reflects years of outstanding teamwork and dedication from engineers and managers at EUMETSAT, ESA, Airbus, and Telespazio,” said Valeria Bozzi, Metop LEOP Service Manager at EUMETSAT. “Now that EUMETSAT has taken control of Metop-SGA1, we move into the satellite’s commissioning phase – preparing it for full operations, where it will become one of the most important sources of data for numerical weather prediction. This will help improve life-saving forecasts and strengthen climate monitoring in Europe and around the world.”