Skyroot, Outpost, and OQ Technology raise millions, SLS and New Shepard launches are scrubbed
Precious Payload Weekly Smallsat News: August 29 — September 5
Here’s what you need to know about the recent smallsat headlines.
Launch Updates
🇺🇸Artemis-1 launch was scrubbed again. [SpaceNews]
🇺🇸Blue Origin scrubbed its NS-23 mission launch because of weather. The company has not specified when the next window opens. The mission’s supposed to fly 36 international students’ payloads. [Space.com]
🇺🇸Firefly Aerospace hires a new CEO, Bill Weber (ex-CEO of geospatial intelligence company 🇺🇸KeyW Corporation), right before its second orbital launch attempt, mission ‘To The Black’, scheduled for September 11. [TalkSatellite]
🇪🇸IENAI Space’s demonstration for its ATHENA electrospray thruster will fly aboard Firefly’s Alpha Flight 2 later this week. Tech demos will be carried by two GENESIS pico-satellites, integrated by AMSAT Spain, with masses of just 400g each. See the full list of the payloads for FireFly’s ‘To The Black’ mission here>>> [Launch Schedule]
Funding
🇺🇸Outpost raises $7.1M to develop reusable satellites for its Earth return service. [TalkSatellite]
🇱🇺Luxembourg startup OQ Technology raises $13M to launch its IoT satellite constellation. The Series A round was co-led by 🇸🇦Saudi oil and gas company Aramco’s venture capital arm and a fund managed by 🇬🇷Greek early-stage investor 5G Ventures. [SpaceNews]
Investment firm Accenture invests in 🇮🇳Pixxel. The investment amount is not disclosed. [TalkSatellite]
🇮🇳 Skyroot Aerospace raises $51M from 🇸🇬Singapore investment company GIC to fund infrastructure and initial developmental launches, enabling commercial operations next year. [LinkedIn]
Headlines
🇺🇸Orbit Fab will offer refueling GEO satellites with hydrazine starting in 2025 at a price of $20M. The spacecraft could use a “self-service” refueling depot and “fuel shuttle” spacecraft. [SpaceNews]
🇹🇭mu Space is going to advance its business to build a space supply chain in Southeast Asia, from procuring satellite production materials and aerospace components, all the way to producing and assembling the product. [TalkSatellite]
🇺🇸Astra will sell electric thrusters to 🇺🇸Airbus OneWeb Satellites. [SpaceNews]
🇫🇷ThrustMe will provide seven I2T5 iodine cold gas propulsion systems for 🇺🇸Spire three-unit cubesats scheduled to launch later this year on a 🇺🇸SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission. [Press Release]
🇺🇸Scout Space partners with 🇺🇸Privateer to collaborate on space-tracking technologies. Scout plans to launch OVER-Sat, its new space-sensing cubesat, before the end of 2023. [SpaceNews]
🇨🇳A Chinese nuclear reactor (developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences) for providing power and propulsion in outer space has passed a comprehensive performance evaluation. It can generate one megawatt of electricity. [SpaceNews]
A nonprofit organization 🇺🇸KSF Space will be announcing the first test launch of its suborbital rocket JUPITER 1 (developing in partnership with 🇺🇸Kansas State University) in October. [LinkedIn]
Check out Precious Payload Weekly Smallsat News: August 22 — 28
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