Precious Payload acquires HOSTmi, a full house for Transpoter 9 ports, and Astra plans to launch from UK
Precious Payload Weekly Smallsat News: May 9 – 15
Precious Payload collects all the latest news and developments, so you don’t have to spend hours searching through dozens of websites to find your next client, contractor, or payload idea.
Insights
Brokers expect a full house for 🇺🇸 SpaceX Transporter 9 smallsat rideshare in Q4 2023. Almost all the ports are already gone because of a lack of capacity due to the 1) 🇷🇺 Russia stepping out of international launch services; 2) 🇺🇸 Amazon buying out half of the existing launch market to kick off its Project Kuiper constellation.
Launch Updates
🇺🇸Astra wants to launch from the 🇬🇧UK’s SaxaVord Spaceport from 2023. The company has also revealed its new rocket details, Rocket 4.0, which will be able to place up to 300kg into LEO.
🇨🇳iSpace failed to place its Earth-observing payload into orbit due to another unsuccessful Hyperbola-1 rocket orbital launch.
🇬🇧Orbex revealed a full-scale prototype of a vertical micro launcher rocket Prime to be launched from the UK from Space Hub Sutherland later this year. [Source]
🇺🇸Virgin Orbit plans to obtain an additional Boeing 747-400 aircraft for its smallsat launch service.
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Acquisitions
Precious Payload acquires HOSTmi GmbH, a German space tech company, to fast-forward the commercialization of the European space industry. This strategic partnership will leverage Precious Payload’s developer tools and other smart solutions to lead joint projects, and strengthen existing HOSTmi services. [Source]
Headlines
🇨🇳China launched eight additional microsats for its EO constellation, Jilin 1, aboard a Long March 2D rocket. [Source]
🇺🇸Terran Orbital shipped the 12U satellite to New Zealand for launch on an Electron rocket for NASA’s CAPSTONE mission. [Source] It has also shipped CENTAURI-5 satellite for Fleet Space’s constellation to Cape Canaveral for the SpaceX Transporter-5 launch. [Source]
🇺🇸GeoOptics gets two satellites of its CICERO-2 EO constellation shipped by 🇺🇸Terran Orbital to Cape Canaveral for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-5 mission. [Source]
🇺🇸CACI International plans to launch a demonstration satellite partnering with 🇺🇸York Space with two payloads for military use by January 2023 aboard SpaceX Transporter 7 rideshare. [Source]
🇨🇦Space Flight Laboratory and 🇨🇦GHGSat Inc. successfully tested its methane-monitoring microsatellites for launch in spring/summer 2022. [Source]
🇺🇸Spire Global Inc. signed a contract with 🇨🇦Kepler Communications to install Ku-band antennas of Kepler on three of its satellites starting early 2023. [Source]
🇺🇸Blue Canyon Technologies selects 🇳🇿Dawn Aerospace to provide chemical propulsion systems for the X-SAT Saturn microsatellite bus. [Source]
🇺🇸Xona Space Systems delivered their demonstration satellite, Huginn, for its Pulsar constellation to 🇺🇸Spaceflight for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 in May. [Source]
🇺🇸The USSF aims to choose a smallsat launcher for its TacRS-3 mission that can launch payloads to LEO within 24 hrs during an emergency. [Source]
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