🛰️ MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

mPower Technology signs largest space module contracts in the space industry
New Mexico startup mPower Technology announced a contract Oct. 3 with Airbus Netherlands B.V. to provide solar power modules for more than 200 satellites.
The value of the contract was not disclosed. Under the agreement, mPower will supply DragonSCALES solar modules to Airbus for MDA Aurora, the software-defined satellites being built for communications constellations including Canadian satellite operator Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation.
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Apex to provide satellite buses to Anduril Industries for its military space business operations
Defense technology firm Anduril Industries selected Apex, a Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturing startup, to provide small satellite buses for its planned military space missions, the company announced Oct. 1.
The collaboration is part of Anduril’s broader strategy to expand into the military space business. The defense contractor recently announced plans to develop spacecraft for applications such as space domain awareness, on-orbit sensor data processing, and satellite defense.
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SpaceX suspends launches of Falcon 9 again
SpaceX is suspending launches of its Falcon 9 rocket after a problem with the deorbit burn of the upper stage on a crewed launch Sept. 28, the second upper stage anomaly in less than three months for the rocket.
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💰️ FINANCE, FUNDING AND M&A

All.Space announces Series C funding
All.Space announced $44 million in funding from venture capitalists Oct. 3 to kickstart the delayed commercial launch of its first multi-orbit flat panel antenna.
Defense-focused investment firm Boka Group led the Series C funding round for All.Space, which has raised about $160 million in total since
Existing All.Space investors AE Industrial Partners, Seraphim Space and Promus Ventures also participated in the company’s Series C funding round.
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Impulse Space raises Series B funding round
Impulse Space has raised $150 million to advance develop of two lines of high-energy orbital transfer vehicles focused on “disrupting space transportation.”
Impulse Space announced Oct. 1 that it raised the Series B round, led by Founders Fund. Previous investors Lux Capital and Spring Tide also participated in the round along with new investors, such as venture fund DCVC.
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🛰️ CORE SERVICES

Impulse Space awarded dual mission contracts by the Department of Defense
Impulse Space has secured a $34.5 million contract to support two U.S. military space missions set for 2026, the Defense Department announced Oct. 3. 
The deal, awarded under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 3 agreement, is funded by the U.S. Space Force and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Under the contract, Impulse Space will deploy two orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) that will carry space surveillance payloads for missions low Earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
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Sierra Space’s Ghost spacecraft gets contract from U.S Air Force Research Lab
Sierra Space announced Oct. 3 it has secured backing from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to advance its “Ghost” spacecraft, a system designed to deliver cargo from space to any location on Earth in under 90 minutes.
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Anduril Industries lands contract from United States Space Force
The U.S. Space Force awarded a $25.3 million contract to defense tech startup Anduril Industries. Under the agreement announced Sept. 27, Anduril will enhance the data integration and communication systems of the Space Surveillance Network.
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Starfish Space awarded debris inspection contract by NASA
NASA awarded a $15 million contract to Starfish Space to fund development of a debris inspection mission as the agency examines the future of a bigger satellite servicing project.
NASA announced Sept. 25 that it awarded a Phase 3 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Seattle-based Starfish Space to complete development of a mission called Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability, or SSPICY, scheduled for launch in late 2026.
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Redwire to provide onboard computer systems for ESA’s Hera mission
Redwire Corporation is providing a critical onboard computer system for the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, Europe’s inaugural flagship planetary defense mission.
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🛰️ PRODUCT, PARTNERSHIPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Yahsat completes merger and rebrands
Emirati satellite operator Yahsat and geospatial artificial intelligence provider Bayanat completed their merger Oct. 1, forming a company called Space42 valued at about $3 billion on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
Shares in the space technology group ended their first trading session on the stock exchange flat at 2.38 dirhams after rising earlier in the day.
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Iceye announces new capability
Iceye now has the capability to offer 25 cm resolution for its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. The new feature announced Wednesday is called “Dwell Precise” and it is based on the 1200 MHz radar bandwidth,which is the maximum that commercial satellites are allowed to use.
The company said this capability combines high quality data and high resolution, which will make a difference to identify smaller objects or targets. Iceye said this level of resolution could enable military forces to identify types of vehicles and military equipment without additional intelligence.
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CesiumAstro rolls out new satellite design
CesiumAstro is rolling out a satellite design based on its phased array technology. The company announced Element, a reconfigurable satellite, on Sept. 30. It is CesiumAstro’s first fully integrated satellite platform and brings together the company’s Nightingale and Vireo antenna products into one Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite platform. 
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Planet labs launches Project Centinela
Planet Labs has launched Project Centinela , a new program aiming to equip the world’s leading biodiversity scientists and conservation advocates with an unprecedented array of high-resolution, high-frequency satellite imagery, analytics, and Planetary Variables.
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SpaceForest developing single stage sounding rocket
SpaceForest is developing a new, commercial, single-stage European sounding rocket offering almost four minutes of microgravity experimentation time — the 11.5 meter tall rocket will be able to launch 50 kg up to 150 km in altitude, while also stabilizing the payload for high-quality microgravity periods of flight.
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🚀 LAUNCH CONTRACTS AND MISSIONS

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan competes certification flight
United Launch Alliance’s second Vulcan Centaur lifted off Oct. 4 on a test flight needed to certify the vehicle for carrying national security payloads, but may have suffered a problem with one of its solid rocket boosters.
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China’s Long March 2D launches Shijian-19 and payloads for five countries
China launched the retrievable and reusable Shijian-19 satellite Friday to carry out a range of experiments in low Earth orbit. 
The Shijian-19 mission also includes in-orbit flight test verification tests for domestic components and raw materials and the development and application of new space technologies. The reusable spacecraft is intended to be utilized for this and other microgravity science and space life science experiments.
The mission also carries payloads from five countries, including Thailand and Pakistan, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
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🌎️ CUSTOMERS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY

Brazilian rail car company signs up for satellite connectivity with Iridium
Rail cars in Brazil for freight train company MRS Logística are now equipped with Iridium satellite connectivity as part of a new collaboration announced October 1.
MRS is a freight train company in Brazil and its train network transports nearly 20% of all Brazilian exports and a third of the country’s railway cargo. Iridium partner Satcom Direct Brasil implemented Iridium Certus 700 satellite connectivity on MRS Logística’s locomotives by installing Thales MissionLINK 700 equipment. 
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GomSpace signs contract with three universities
The universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton, UK, three of the European leading Space Universities, have selected GomSpace to supply a 3.6 MSEK platform kit for an upcoming express mission. 
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Hydrosat announces contracts with strategic Latin American companies
Hydrosat has announced four new commercial agreements with key partners in Latin America: EE Print Pack, Rex Irrigación Huasteca and Grupo INDERS — these strategic customers signify a major expansion of Hydrosat’s presence in the region, providing growers across Mexico and Guatemala with innovative data-driven tools to improve water use efficiency, increase crop yields, and promote sustainable agriculture.
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📜 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT

In Orbit Aerospace wins AFWERX contract
In Orbit Aerospace won a $1.8 million AFWERX contract to employ artificial intelligence to detect and manage anomalies in hypersonic flight.
Since return trips through Earth’s atmosphere will be conducted at hypersonic speeds, In Orbit engineers are eager to use artificial intelligence to make vehicles more reliable.
During Phase 1 of the AFWERX Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, In orbit worked with the University of Colorado, Boulder, Center for National Security Initiatives (NSI) to create machine-learning algorithms to detect hypersonic vehicle anomalies as they were happening.
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China unveils astronaut spacesuit for future lunar missions
China’s human spaceflight agency has revealed the exterior design of the spacesuit for the country’s future crewed lunar landing missions.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled the extravehicular lunar suit Sept. 28 in Chongqing, southwest China. CMSA is also soliciting suggestions for a name for the suit.
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CNES selects MaiaSpace to operate launchpad in French Guiana
The French space agency CNES has selected MaiaSpace, a startup backed by ArianeGroup developing a reusable small launch vehicle, to take over a launch pad in French Guiana originally built for the Soyuz rocket.
MaiaSpace said Sept. 26 that CNES awarded it access to the pad, known as ELS, for use by its small launch vehicle. The pad at the Guiana Space Center had been idle since Russia halted Soyuz launches from there in 2022, a response to European sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
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European Space Agency partners with Honeywell to develop quantum satellite technology
ESA has partnered with Honeywell UK to develop quantum satellite technology that could revolutionize data protection for citizens, businesses and governments across Europe and beyond.
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