Author: starpathwp-production
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MDA Space Wins Contract for Japan’s Next-Generation Defense Communications Satellite
MDA Space has secured a contract from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation to provide key technologies for Japan’s next-generation defense communications satellite, which will replace the country’s Kirameki-2 military communications satellite. Under the agreement, the Canadian space technology company will supply the satellite’s digital payload, antennas and a range of subsystems. Financial terms of the contract were…
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Rocket Lab Wins NASA Contract for Three Electron Science Missions
Rocket Lab has secured a new launch contract from NASA to carry out three scientific missions using its Electron rocket, further expanding its government launch portfolio. The launches will support NASA’s Polarised Submillimetre Ice-cloud Radiometer (PolSIR) and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) missions, with liftoffs scheduled to begin in 2027 from Rocket Lab’s…
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Botswana to Join Artemis Accords as 68th Signatory
Botswana is set to become the 68th country to sign the Artemis Accords, joining the U.S.-led international framework that promotes peaceful and responsible civil space exploration. The signing ceremony will take place at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation, David Tshere, joining NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson and U.S.…
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Capella Space Validates First Optical Communications Terminal on Acadia-10 Satellite
Capella Space has successfully validated its first optical communications terminal (OCT) aboard the Acadia-10 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, marking the company’s first deployment of laser communications technology in orbit. The milestone follows the launch of Acadia-10 in March and coincides with the release of the satellite’s first SAR imagery. Faster Data Transmission Capella said…
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ReOrbit Secures Finnish Funding for ‘OrbitCloud’ R&D Program
ReOrbit is launching a new OrbitCloud R&D program to create a space-based edge computing network, with initial funding from Business Finland of 4.6 million euro ($5.3 million). The company describes OrbitCloud as “a private satellite network providing direct-to-device connectivity for drones and mobile devices, uniquely combined with orbital AI inference for fast intelligence.” The total…
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NASA backs dozens of projects on the space frontier, including some with Northwest connections
An artist’s conception shows the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander on the lunar surface. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA has selected proposals from 37 companies, including several with Seattle-area connections, to further its plans to establish a long-term presence on the moon and enable human exploration of Mars. The companies applied to partner with NASA under…
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NASA Selects PlanetiQ to Expand Commercial Polarimetric GNSS-RO Data Access
PlanetiQ announced that NASA has awarded the company an expanded contract through NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program, broadening access to commercial satellite data for the scientific community. This contract expands PlanetiQ’s CSDA portfolio to add high-SNR GNSS polarimetric radio-occultation data to PlanetiQ’s existing NASA CSDA offerings of ionospheric scintillation, ionospheric total electron content,…
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Japan Nears Decision on $2 Billion Domestic Direct-to-Device Satellite Network
Japan is expected to select a proposal this month for its planned J-LEO direct-to-device (D2D) satellite network, a government-backed initiative aimed at establishing a domestically owned and operated low Earth orbit (LEO) communications system. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has allocated approximately $1 billion in subsidies for the project, covering up to…
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Pegasus Rocket to Launch Mission to Extend NASA Swift Observatory’s Orbit
A Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to launch a robotic servicing spacecraft this weekend on a mission to extend the operational life of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory by boosting it into a higher orbit. The mission will carry Katalyst Space’s LINK servicing spacecraft, which is designed to rendezvous with the Swift Observatory…
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Musk Confirms Starmind as Name for SpaceX AI Satellite Constellation
The confirmation followed a trademark filing by xAI that surfaced earlier this week. Starmind and Starlink are built on the same orbital infrastructure concept but serve different purposes. Starlink functions as a connectivity network, with satellites receiving and relaying data between points on Earth and operating as a high-speed internet backbone in space. Those satellites…