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August 27 2024 Space Industry Round-up

ABL mishap and Empty Starliner

Newsletter #37

Welcome to Wormhole, a daily newsletter curating space industry news from all over the world.

You will find the news classified into 8 specific categories of space industry ‘contracts’:
manufacturing, operations & sub-contracts
financial events
core services
product partnerships & announcements
“customers of the space industry”
launch missions & contracts
government & regulatory contracts

write to us at [email protected]

 🛰️ MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

🇺🇸 ABL releases details of static fire accident that led to loss of rocket
ABL Space Systems said it lost its second RS1 rocket after a static-fire test when a fire broke out under the vehicle fed by leaking fuel that could not be extinguished by pad systems.
The company released Aug. 26 details about the July 19 incident that led to the loss of the vehicle during one of the final tests before the vehicle’s second launch at Pacific Space Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island.
Article

🇺🇸 Starliner to return to earth next month without Butch and Suni
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner will return from the International Space Station in September without the two astronauts on board who launched on it in June after NASA concluded thruster problems posed too much risk.
Article

🇫🇮 ReOrbit completes PDF for ESA’s InCubed program
Finnish space company ReOrbit has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase of the UKKO Mission for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) InCubed program, the company announced Monday.
Article

💰️ FINANCE, FUNDING AND M&A

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Space Intelligence raises series A funding round
Scottish satellite data startup Space Intelligence completed a Series A funding round led by new investors AzurX Space Ventures (ASV) with participation from Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
Space Intelligence said the funding will be used to expand the company’s catalog of global forest mapping data to support carbon offset projects and nature impact monitoring across corporate supply chains.
Article

🇦🇺 🇸🇦 Australian spacesuit company Metakosmos raises pre-seed round
Sydney-based startup Metakosmos has reportedly secured $2 million in a pre-Seed funding round led by Saudi Arabian technology group Alzadhar Al-Sanai. The company, known for its innovative “Kosmosuit,” plans to use the funds to accelerate its development pipeline, enhance spacesuit technology, and explore new market applications.
Article

🛰️ CORE SERVICES

🇺🇸 UP42 and Planet Labs announces partnership
UP42 announced a partnership with Planet Labs PBC, a global provider of daily satellite imagery and solutions. This collaboration significantly expands UP42’s optical data portfolio with the integration of Planet SkySat, the world’s largest constellation of high-resolution Earth observation satellites.
Article

🛰️ PRODUCT, PARTNERSHIPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

🇬🇧 Spaceport Cornwall partners with Drone Hub, Wholeship
Spaceport Cornwall signed a new MoU with the intention of positioning the UK as a world leading location for both crewed and uncrewed flight technology. Alongside Cornwall Airport Newquay, it has signed an MoU with Wholeship aiming to create a unique operational environment for the future of flight in Cornwall. Wholeship operates the National Drone Hub at Predannack, near Helston. The collaboration was announced Tuesday.
Article

🇺🇸 🇦🇪 Loft Orbital and Marlan Space establish a joint venture - OrbitWorks
Loft Orbital and Abu Dhabi-based Marlan Space established a joint-venture space infrastructure company called Orbitworks in the Middle East. The new firm will be based in the UAE and serve as the first private space infrastructure company in the region.
Loft Orbital and Marlan Space, an affiliate of the International Holding Company (IHC), pledged an initial investment of more than $100 million into Orbitworks, which will produce up to 50 to 500 kilogram satellites every year for commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations.
Article

🚀 LAUNCH CONTRACTS AND MISSIONS

no launches today!

🌎️ CUSTOMERS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY

🇧🇷 🇺🇸 Brazil airline Azul contracts Viasat for in-flight connectivity
Brazil’s largest airline Azul awarded Viasat a deal to connect seven aircraft in its new Airbus A330-900neo fleet with in-flight connectivity (IFC).
Under the deal announced Tuesday, Viasat will equip the aircraft with its Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The first aircraft scheduled to enter service next year. Azul is also adding ad-supported streaming sessions using the Viasat Advertising platform.
Article

📜 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT

🇺🇸 NASA seeks feedback on LEO microgravity strategy
NASA has announced the agency is seeking U.S. industry, academia, international partners, and other stakeholders’ feedback on newly developed goals and objectives that will help guide the next generation of human presence in LEO.
Article

🇬🇧UK Space Agency Awards £2.5 Million to Boost Satellite Data Pilot Projects
The UK Space Agency has granted £2.5 million to ten satellite data projects as part of its Unlocking Space for Business programme.
Each project has received up to £400,000 to develop innovative solutions that combine satellite data with advanced technologies like AI, quantum computing, and machine learning.
Article

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