🛰️ MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

🇺🇸 Sierra Nevada Corporation to expand RF satellite fleet to 20
Aerospace and defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is set to expand its radio frequency (RF) satellite constellation, aiming to capture a larger share of the market for electronic emissions data. 
The company launched its first four RF sensing cubesats last year, built by Spire, marking its entry into this increasingly competitive field. SNC is now gearing up for a significant expansion, with plans to deploy a network of 20 satellites over the next five years.
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🇺🇸 Northrop Grumman to lay off 550 personnel
U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman plans to lay off 550 full-time employees at its space business facilities in Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, California, marking another round of job cuts in the sector.
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💰️ FINANCE, FUNDING AND M&A

🇺🇸 Lockheed Martin to acquire Terran Orbital
Lockheed Martin is buying smallsat manufacturer Terran Orbital, months after the company dropped earlier plans for an acquisition.
Lockheed said Aug. 15 it would buy Terran Orbital for $0.25 per share in cash and retire the company’s existing debt. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, has an enterprise value of $450 million. Shares in Terran Orbital closed Aug. 14 at $0.40.
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🇺🇸 Redwire Corporation acquires Hera Systems
Redwire Space announced Aug. 14 it plans to acquire Hera Systems, a manufacturer of small satellites focused on national security space missions.
The acquisition aligns with Redwire’s efforts to strengthen its foothold in the defense market and support specialized national security space missions in geostationary orbit, the company said in a statement.
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🇺🇸 X-Bow Systems completes PDR
X-Bow Systems Inc. has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Large Solid Rocket Motor (LSRM) program on schedule
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🛰️ CORE SERVICES

🇺🇸 SDA awards contracts to Terran Orbital and York Space Systems
The Space Development Agency awarded contracts to Terran Orbital and York Space Systems to build and operate 10 satellites each for the military’s low Earth orbit communications network, the agency announced Aug. 16.
The contracts, valued at $254 million for Terran Orbital and $170 million for York Space, are for the final 20 satellites of SDA’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer Gamma program. Delivery is expected in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027.
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🇺🇸Alba Orbital signs rideshare agreement with Interstellar Communications
Interstellar Communication Holdings Inc. has signed a rideshare agreement with Alba Orbital to launch its first icMercury PocketQube satellite via SpaceX in Q1 2025.
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🛰️ PRODUCT, PARTNERSHIPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

🇺🇸 Apex announces GEO satellite bus product
Satellite manufacturing startup Apex has developed a version of its Aries bus intended for geostationary orbit missions.
The Los Angeles-based company announced Aug. 15 it is now selling GEO Aries, a version of its Aries small satellite bus first flown earlier this year to low Earth orbit adapted for GEO applications.
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🇦🇺 🇨🇦 Esper Satellite Imagey and Wyvern signs MoU
Esper Satellite Imagery and Wyvern have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities that will enhance and expand hyperspectral data capabilities for commercial applications.
The MoU outlines plans to integrate Wyvern VNIR data into Esper environmental intelligence products and enable reciprocal data reselling, expanding market reach and broadening solutions for both customer bases. 
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🚀 LAUNCH CONTRACTS AND MISSIONS

🇺🇸 SpaceX launches Transporter-11 rideshare mission
SpaceX launched the latest in its series of dedicated rideshare missions Aug. 16, putting more than 100 satellites for commercial and government customers into orbit.
Transporter-11 carried 116 payloads for a wide range of government and commercial customers, primarily manifested by aggregators such as Exolaunch, ISISpace, Maverick Space Systems and SEOPS. Those payloads were deployed starting about 54 minutes after liftoff, continuing for more than 90 minutes.

🇨🇳China’s long March 4B launches the first of a new group of Yaogan satellites
China successfully launched the first of a new group of Yaogan satellites Friday to test technologies for a low Earth orbit constellation.
Few details were initially revealed about the Yaogan-43 (01) mission. The number of satellites were not initially disclosed.
10 objects were cataloged associated with the launch. Nine payloads were tracked by U.S. Space Force in 500-kilometer altitude orbits inclined by 35 degrees. The rocket upper stage was cataloged in a 327 by 499-km orbit following passivation.
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🇺🇸 SpaceX launches Maxar’s Worldview Legion satellites
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a pair of Maxar Intelligence imaging satellites Aug. 15 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The mission named Maxar-2 lifted off at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. It is the second of three launches needed to deliver the company’s constellation of six WorldView Legion high-resolution imaging satellites
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🌎️ CUSTOMERS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY

🇫🇷 🇰🇪 Eutelsat signs up with Bayobab for LEO capacity
Eutelsat Group and Bayobab, a subsidiary of MTN Group, have engaged in a multi-year agreement for LEO capacity on Eutelsat’s OneWeb constellation, with this collaboration aiming to address the connectivity needs for enterprises and cellular backhaul
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🇺🇸 Lunar Outpost and Castrol collaborate on first mission
Lunar Outpost named Castrol the lead Mission Control Center collaborator for its Lunar Voyage 1 mission. The Mission Control Center will be the primary center of operations and decision-making during Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Voyage 1 (LV1), slated to launch in late 2024. 
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📜 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT

🇺🇸 Planet Labs signs imagery deal with NATO
Planet announced Aug. 19 it has inked a deal with NATO to supply satellite imagery. The contract, signed with NATO’s Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), is set to provide the alliance with high-resolution data from Planet’s SkySat fleet as part of the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) program.
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