Precious Payload partners with Reaction Dynamics, ClearSpace secures $29M, and RFA signs with Spaceflight and Digantara

Precious Payload’s Weekly Smallsat News:

January 16–22, 2023

 

Everything you need to know about recent smallsat headlines around the universe. 

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Highlights

🇺🇸/ 🇦🇪/ 🇩🇪Precious Payload and 🇨🇦Reaction Dynamics join forces to provide eco-friendly commercial launches with the Aurora 1 rocket, using the former’s online service. [SpaceRef] [SatNews]

Launch Updates

🇺🇸Rocket Lab’s first US Electron launch to take place on January 23 from 🇺🇸Wallops Island, carrying three 🇺🇸HawkEye 360 satellites onboard. [Space.com] [Launch Schedule]

Headlines

🇩🇪Rocket Factory signed launch contracts with 🇮🇳Digantara to deploy its SSA constellation to LEO for launch

no earlier than 2024 [PayloadSpace], and with 🇺🇸Spaceflight to fly its Sherpa OTV for launch in mid-2024 [SpaceWatchGlobal].

 

🇨🇦Canada’s government announced it will establish commercial launch-licensing regulations. Over the next three years, authorities plan to review requests on a case-by-case basis. [SpaceNews] 

 

🇴🇲Oman to build the Etlaq Space Launch Complex—the Middle East’s first space rocket launch center—by 2024, enabling commercial launches from the Gulf state. 🇴🇲Nascom (National Aerospace Services Company) also plans to build the first Omani suborbital rocket to be launched from the complex. [SpaceWatchGlobal]

 

🇪🇸FOSSA to deploy the first satellite of its IoT constellation out of 🇺🇸Momentus’ Vigoride, aboard a Transporter 8 rideshare in June. [SmallsatNews]

 

🇺🇸USSF’s two MIT-built optical sensors to be integrated and hosted onboard 🇯🇵Japan’s GEO satellites, QZS-6 and QZS-7. Set for launch in 2023 and 2024, the pair will constitute the QZSS constellation. [SpaceNews] 

 

🇨🇦SpaceRyde becomes the official launch partner for QACE, the first in-space satellite racing game by 🇸🇬Qosmosys, with an inaugural race scheduled for the end of 2024. [SatelliteEvolution]

 

🇺🇸Terran Orbital drops its satellite factory manufacturing collaboration with 🇺🇸Space Florida; instead, it will focus on expanding existing facilities in 🇺🇸California. [SpaceNews]

Funding 

🇨🇭ClearSpace secured $29M to accelerate its space-debris removal program, ClearSpace-1, to 2026. [SpaceNews]

 

🇸🇪Clyde Space collaborates with 🇬🇧Space Forge on a contract worth €234,000 to develop a spacecraft for its ForgeStar-1 mission. Delivery is expected in Q2 2023. [SpaceRef]

 

🇬🇧Seraphim published its latest report on the space industry, highlighting emerging space companies and analyzing the breakdown of the sector over the years, and more. [Seraphim]

 

🇺🇸Space Capital’s Space Investment Quarterly report for Q4 2022 shows an investment drop of 58% from 2021 to 2022, which it claims will make the industry more resilient. [SpaceNews]

 

 

Check out Precious Payload’s Weekly Smallsat News: January 9–15, 2023