Tag: Small Satellites
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DMU41 IMU Recovers From Proton Strikes and Withstands 30 kRad Radiation Test
Silicon Sensing said on September 23 that eight DMU41 inertial measurement units returned to normal operation after single-event effects testing with protons at energies from 50 to 200 MeV, while separate total ionizing dose trials exposed the units to as much as 30 kRad(Si). Post-test acceptance procedures found no significant performance drift, providing satellite developers…
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Space Inventor and Astroscale Japan Develop Architecture for In-Orbit Satellite Servicing and Repair
Danish satellite manufacturer Space Inventor and Astroscale Japan announced on September 16, 2026, that they are developing a joint spacecraft architecture intended to enable in-orbit satellite servicing, maintenance and repair. The system combines Space Inventor’s modular small-satellite platforms with Astroscale’s rendezvous, proximity-operations and docking technologies, aiming to address spacecraft failures and propellant depletion in low…
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Rocket Lab Launches 12th StriX Radar Satellite for Synspective (Video)
An Electron rocket launched a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for the Tokyo-based company Synspective from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Sept. 18, 2026 at 11:22 p.m. EDT (0322 GMT and 3:22 p.m. local time on Sept. 19). Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab launched Synspective’s 12th StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite on September 19,…
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NASA Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rideshare to Launch StarBurst Gamma-Ray Mission in 2028
NASA selected SpaceX on September 18 to launch StarBurst, a small astrophysics satellite designed to detect short gamma-ray bursts associated with neutron star mergers. The spacecraft will fly no earlier than 2028 as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 Bandwagon mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.…
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NASA Books SpaceX Rideshare Launch for Green Dual-Mode Propulsion Satellite
NASA has manifested its shoebox-sized Green Propulsion Dual Mode satellite, known as GPDM, for an upcoming SpaceX rideshare launch. The spacecraft will conduct a nine-month orbital demonstration of a low-toxicity, dual-mode propulsion system that could provide small satellites with a safer alternative to conventional hydrazine-based propulsion. The mission will move technology studied at NASA’s Marshall…
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Isar Aerospace Makes History With First Orbital Launch From Western Europe
Isar Aerospace became the first company to launch a rocket into orbit from Western European soil on September 5, 2026, when its Spectrum vehicle lifted off from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway and successfully deployed five CubeSats. The milestone came on only the German company’s second flight, following a failed debut in March 2025 and…
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HyImpulse Raises More Than €50 Million Ahead of Second SR75 Launch
German launch vehicle developer HyImpulse announced September 2, 2026, that it had raised more than €50 million, approximately $58 million, in a Series A extension to advance its suborbital SR75 and orbital SL1 rockets. The financing comes as the company prepares for a second SR75 flight from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland before the end of…
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Rocket Lab Deploys Synspective Radar Satellite on 85th Electron Mission (Video)
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched a Strix satellite for Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company on Sept. 2, 2026 from New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab launched another synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective on September 2, extending a dedicated launch campaign supporting the expansion of the Strix constellation. The Electron…
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Rocket Lab Targets Sept. 2 Launch for Synspective’s 11th StriX Radar Satellite
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch another synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth observation company Synspective, extending one of the small-launch sector’s largest dedicated constellation deployment campaigns. The Electron rocket is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula during a window opening at 11:00 UTC on…
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CAS Space Moves Toward First Sea Launch of Kinetica-1 After Full Mission Rehearsal
Chinese commercial space company CAS Space has completed a full mission rehearsal for the first sea launch of its Kinetica-1 solid-fuel rocket, bringing the maiden maritime launch closer to execution and validating the ground support architecture required to operate the vehicle from a moving offshore platform. The Aug. 25 rehearsal simulated the launch-day sequence from…