🛰️ MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

🇫🇷 French rocket builder HyPrSpace has completed the first successful hot fire test of its Terminator stage demonstrator.
HyPrSpace is developing a small rocket called the Orbital Baguette One (OB-1), which will be powered by hybrid rocket engines. While the company has recently removed all specifics about its rocket from its website for a “redesign phase,” the most recently released information stated that OB-1 would be capable of delivering payloads of up to 250 kilograms to low Earth orbit.
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🇺🇸 Intuitive Machines has qualified the VR900 engine for its IM-2 lunar mission, which also advances the development of the Company’s VR3500 engine for larger cargo class landers.
Designed, 3D-printed, and tested in-house, the IM-2 VR900 engine completed a full-duration hot-fire test that confirmed increased engine performance utilizing efficient design modifications
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🇺🇸 The U.S. Space Force delivered two laser retroflector arrays built by NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to Lockheed Martin for upcoming GPS satellites. 
Space Force announced last week that the laser retroflector arrays (LRAs) were delivered in May under a directed program to rapidly integrate hosted payloads on GPS satellites ahead of launch call up. Lockheed Martin will now integrate the flight hardware onto two GPS III vehicles, SV9 and SV10, in preparation for a 2025 launch. 
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💰️ FINANCE, FUNDING AND M&A

🇺🇸U.S. defense contractor KBR has agreed to acquire LinQuest Corp., a specialist in national security space systems, for $737 million. The deal, announced July 16, would allow KBR to bolster its footprint in the national security space sector.
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🛰️ CORE SERVICES

🇸🇪🇫🇷GomSpace Secures Order to Supply Next Generation Payload Components for Unseenlabs, France, a long-term customer and partner
GomSpace announced a new product order of 10 MSEK from Unseenlabs for advanced products and subsystems. These components will play a crucial role in the development of Unseenlabs' next generation payloads, aimed at enhancing situational and marine awareness.
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🛰️ PRODUCT, PARTNERSHIPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

🇫🇷 Thales Alenia Space and Exotrail will develop a surveillance, command and control (SCC) ground segment solution designed for constellations of small satellites. The two companies have signed an MoU in order to work together and develop this solution, announcing the MoU on July 12.
This collaboration intends to integrate Exotrail’s spacetower flight dynamics system (FDS) software with Thales Alenia Space’s Open SCC satellite control solution. The companies say this will cover the full spectrum of engineers’ and operators’ flight dynamics and satellite operations requirements.
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🚀 LAUNCH CONTRACTS AND MISSIONS

🇦🇺🇰🇷Southern Launch will welcome South Korean rocket manufacturer UNASTELLA Corporation to launch from Australia after signing an agreement in Seoul last week.
Unastella is aiming to develop a small lift rocket based off proven South Korean technologies. The company is taking an iterative approach to the development of their orbit capable rocket and the missions from Australia will provide valuable flight heritage, and a site for regular satellite launches.
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🌎️ CUSTOMERS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY

🇺🇸 🇵🇭 EarthDaily Analytics Partners with Integrated Geosys Development to Enhance Geospatial Solutions in the Philippines
iGeosys specializes in drone-based LiDAR mapping, topographic and orthophoto map production, and geographic information systems (GIS) solutions, providing critical insights to sectors lile power infrastructure, foresty, defense intelligence and beyond. This partnership strengthens and expands the already-extensive range of services by incorporating EDA’s advanced Earth observation data and analytics.
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📜 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT

🇺🇸 Planet Labs has signed a new seven-figure pilot program with an international ministry of defense (MoD) customer for PlanetScope data enhanced with SynMax artificial intelligence. Planet announced the deal with the unnamed customer on July 15. 
Planet and SynMax are providing a maritime domain awareness solution for vessel detection and monitoring. The customer also expanded its SkySat contact with Planet for high resolution satellite data.
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