Author: starpathwp-production
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Swedish Armed Forces Sign Sovereign Satellite Deals with Planet and Iceye
The Swedish Armed Forces has signed sovereign satellite deals with both Planet Labs and Iceye, with both agreements giving the government access to dedicated satellites. Planet Labs characterized the agreement as a “multi-year, low 9-figure” deal. It will allow Sweden to “own a suite of Planet’s cutting-edge satellites, and have access to Planet’s high-resolution data,…
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NASA Prepares Artemis 2 for February Lunar Mission After Schedule Acceleration
NASA is entering the final phase of preparations for its Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed flight toward the Moon in more than 50 years, as the agency moves up its launch timeline to February 2026. The U.S. space agency had previously targeted April 2026 for the mission, which will send four astronauts on a…
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Eric Schmidt-Backed Group Plans New Telescope Network Spanning Space and Earth
Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt is moving into space science, announcing plans to fund and build a new global network of telescopes designed to operate faster and at lower cost than traditional government-led observatories. Schmidt said on Wednesday that Schmidt Sciences, one of his philanthropic organisations, will develop the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Observatory…
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Canada’s Space Industry Urges Faster Defence Procurement in New Policy Paper
Canada’s space industry is urging the federal government to accelerate defence procurement and modernise how it acquires space-based capabilities, as global competition and security demands intensify. Space Canada, an industry advocacy group, released a 17-page position paper on Wednesday outlining recommendations aimed at speeding up procurement and aligning Canada’s approach with international defence trends. The…
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Airbus Defence and Space Wins Eutelsat Order for 340 More OneWeb Satellites
Eutelsat is tapping Airbus Defence and Space to build another 340 OneWeb satellites in a major new deal as it looks to boost the capabilities of its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network. Together with the previous batch of 100 satellites procured just over 12 months ago, the total number of satellites ordered is up to…
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TransDigm to Acquire Stellant Systems for $960 Million in Cash
U.S. aerospace components maker TransDigm Group said it has agreed to acquire Stellant Systems, a manufacturer of radio frequency and microwave amplification products, in an all-cash transaction valued at $960 million, expanding its exposure to space and defence electronics. TransDigm announced the definitive agreement on Dec. 31, saying the acquisition remains subject to customary regulatory…
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NASA topples towers used to test Saturn rockets, space shuttle
Two historic NASA test facilities used in the development of the Saturn V and space shuttle launch vehicles have been demolished after towering over the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama since the start of the Space Age. The Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, which was erected in 1957—the same year the first artificial satellite…
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Portugal Orders Two Earth-Observation Satellites From Satellogic for Atlantic Constellation
Portugal has commissioned two new Earth-observation satellites from Argentine company Satellogic, strengthening its space-based monitoring capabilities and contributing to a joint Iberian initiative aimed at expanding European-owned orbital infrastructure. Satellogic said on Monday it had signed an $18 million contract with Portugal’s Centre of Engineering and Product Development (CEiiA) to build and deploy two NewSat…
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The Commercial-Defense Convergence: 2026 Trends to Watch
There’s a growing understanding that space-based capabilities are critical for national defense strategies, and defense demand for commercial space systems has been a key trend in 2025 influencing both satellite communications, manufacturing, and imagery and sensing. 2025 brought the announcement of the Golden Dome planned missile defense architecture, and a steep ramp-up in space investment…
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Alén Space Completes First VDES Technology Demonstration Aboard SATMAR Satellite
Alen Space confirms the completion of the first demonstrator pilot campaign of VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) technology aboard its SATMAR satellite. Over the past week, several use cases were tested in a real maritime environment in cooperation with Egatel and with the support of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA). The…