🛰️ MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

🇺🇸 Ursa Major’s New Facility
Ursa Major, a rocket propulsion startup based in Colorado, opened a new additive manufacturing research center in Youngstown, Ohio, the company announced July 25.
Ursa Major’s expansion in Ohio builds upon its existing Advanced Manufacturing Lab, established in 2021 in partnership with America Makes. 
Ursa Major said its new facility represents a $14.5 million capital investment, including $4 million from a JobsOhio grant.
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🇺🇸 Mjölnir Engine Tested by Intercontinental Vehicle Startup
New Frontier Aerospace, a company pioneering high-speed point-to-point travel has started tests of the engine, Mjölnir, that will power their vehicle
Mjölnir is a full-flow staged combustion engine that offers higher efficiencies than other designs. It is the same architecture used by SpaceX’s Raptor engine as well as by Stoke Space, a startup developing a reusable launch vehicle. The engine uses liquid oxygen and methane propellants.
New Frontier plans to use the engine on a vehicle called the Intercontinental Rocketliner, a suborbital vehicle intended to carry 100 people on high-speed flights around the planet at hypersonic speeds.
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💰️ FINANCE, FUNDING AND M&A

🇺🇸 Astranis Closes Series D Funding
Astranis has raised $200 million to fully fund its Omega program up to the launch of the first next-generation broadband spacecraft in 2026, the geostationary satellite maker announced July 24.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz co-led the Series D funding round with investment firm BAM Elevate. Andreessen Horowitz’s growth fund first invested in Astranis in 2023 when it led a $200 million equity and debt funding round.
Investment management firms Blackrock, Fidelity and Baillie Gifford also participated in the Series D fundraise.
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🇺🇸 Space Solar Generation Startup Raises Seed Funding
Star Catcher Industries, a startup focused on beaming solar energy to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, raised $12.25 million in a seed round announced July 24.
Star Catcher plans to deliver broad solar spectrum energy on demand to each client spacecraft’s solar arrays. The Star Catcher space-based energy grid is designed to provide spacecraft with five-to-10 times the amount of power they generate on their own.
Initialized Capital and B Capital co-led Star Catcher’s seed round. Rogue VC also participated, With the funding, Star Catcher intends to roughly double its 11-person staff. In addition, the company plans to perform ground and space-based demonstrations of its technology
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🛰️ CORE SERVICES

🇱🇺 🇺🇸 SES Signs Communications Contract With U.S Army
SES Space & Defense, the U.S. arm of Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, announced July 24 it secured a $3.6 million contract to provide satellite communication services to the U.S. Army.
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🇺🇸 Orbital Insight Contracted To Track Illicit Maritime Activity
Orbital Insight, a geospatial data analytics firm recently acquired by space data company Privateer, has secured a $2 million contract from the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) for commercial geospatial data services, the agency announced July 23.
The contract, awarded under NGA’s new “Commercial Solutions Opening” program, marks the first deal of its kind focused on tracking illicit maritime activity in the Indo-Pacific region. The program was established to address growing military needs for rapid commercial analytics and unclassified intelligence products supporting maritime domain awareness.
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🇺🇸 Planet Labs’ Second July Government Contract
Planet Labs signed a seven-figure contract expansion with a U.S.-allied international government agency for SkySat satellite data. Planet announced the SkySat expansion with the unnamed allied nation on Monday. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. 
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🇯🇵 🇬🇧 Astroscale Secures Funding For In-Orbit Demonstration Mission
Astroscale secured $15 million to support the final phase of its End-of-Life by Astroscale-Multiple (ELSA-M) in-orbit demonstration. The contract is from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA)
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🛰️ PRODUCT, PARTNERSHIPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

🇺🇸 Stellar Blu Solutions Completes Multi-Orbit Antenna Qualification 
Stellar Blu Solutions has completed qualification on the multi-orbit Sidewinder terminal designed to deliver in-flight connectivity (IFC) for airlines. Both Stellar Blu and strategic partner BAE Systems have ramped up production on the terminal to meet more than 1,000 existing orders. 
The Ku-band terminal received DO-160 airborne equipment qualification in March and then completed flight testing in June and received its first supplemental type certification (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration. Stellar Blu was responsible for the qualification and STC process for the terminal. 
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🚀 LAUNCH CONTRACTS AND MISSIONS

🇺🇸 ABL Space Systems Suffers Setback
ABL Space Systems says the rocket it planned to use for the company’s first launch in 18 months suffered “irrecoverable” damage in a fire after a test firing, further delaying its return to flight.
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🇺🇸 Space X Contracted for NOAA’s JPSS-4 Mission
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch the JPSS-4 mission in 2027 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The contract announced Monday is a firm fixed-price contract valued at $112.7 million. 
The JPSS-4 mission is currently targeted to launch in 2027, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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🌎️ CUSTOMERS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY

🇬🇧 Avanti Communications Introduces Solutions For Mining Industry
Avanti introduces its “Mine Always On” solution, designed to ensure constant, undisrupted connectivity tailored to the unique demands of the mining industry. Underscoring the transformative potential of satellite technology, the solution brings about operational efficiencies and provides sustainable, reliable connectivity in remote mining locales.
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🇬🇧 Avanti Communications Completes Test for BankserAfrica
Avanti Communications has undertaken a satellite connectivity test with BankservAfrica, Africa’s largest automated clearing house with Capitec Bank, one of South Africa’s top retail banks.
The successful completion of this connectivity test heralds a movement towards greater transactional security. It underlines the transformative potential of satellite communications in strengthening digital banking systems, paving the way for more resilient financial operations, reflective of a digitally mature and inclusive banking future.
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📜 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT

🇺🇸 Chandra X-Ray Observatory - End Of An Era?
A NASA committee concluded there is no way to continue operating the Chandra X-ray Observatory at the reduced funding level proposed by NASA in its 2025 budget proposal.
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🇮🇷 🇷🇺 Iran To Launch Satellites From Russia
The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) is planning to launch two new satellites into a low Earth orbit, said Mehr News Agency, adding that the Hodhod and Kosar satellites were scheduled to be launched in October from a Russian spaceport.
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🇮🇳 India Doubles Down On Space Industry
India’s Finance Minister announced the proposal to set up a venture capital fund of Rs 1,000 crore dedicated to the space economy. This announcement, made during the Union Budget presentation for the fiscal year 2024-25 on Tuesday, highlights the government’s commitment to advance the Indian space sector.
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