News

The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have signed a collaborative agreement to launch satellites jointly from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, starting in 2025. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 micro launcher will consequently be the first-ever orbital rocket to launch from Esrange.

Xona, a company developing a network of small satellites to provide high-precision navigation services, has announced an oversubscribed $19 million Series A funding round. Future Ventures and Seraphim Space led the round, with participation from new investors, including NGP Capital, Industrious Ventures, Murata Electronics, Space Capital, and Aloniq.

NASA has announced the postponement of Boeing's first crewed space flight, following a data review which saw United Launch Alliance (ULA) decide to replace a pressure regulation valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. The Flight Test will now aim to launch no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT Friday, May 17, to the International Space Station. Boeing is aiming to become the second private firm to provide crew transport to and from the ISS after SpaceX became the first in 2020. 

The 20th USGIF GEOINT Symposium 2024 is history. While the show ended, the teams for booth removal were gathering, Torsten Kriening gave a first review of the show. He highlighted the role of AI in the sector, the desire for cooperation and partnership and the workforce development as key. More summary you can expect the next days.

This year Italy is hosting two of the most important events for the Space domain, alongside chairing the G7. But what could be the perfect opportunity to consolidate Italy’s position in the Space sector falls short in the hands of a political class without a clear strategic vision, confining Italy to be characterized by a historical lack of planning capacity and low technical ambitions, in contrast with the several industrial and academic excellences that it expresses at worldwide level in the aerospace sector.

China has successfully launched four satellites, including Neptune 01, into orbit aboard its Long March 6C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. This mission is the first flight of the Long March 6C launch vehicle, marking the addition of a new member to the Long March rocket family. It improves the model spectrum of China's new generation Long March series of launch vehicles and promotes the accelerated upgrading of China's active launch vehicles. 

Privateer CEO Alex Fielding has announced the Company's successful $56.5 million series A raise and consequent acquisition of analytics firm Orbital Insight. This merger will, therefore, include mapping and intelligence services as part of Privateer's space data offerings as it adds Orbital Insight as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Aero X Ventures led the round, with participation from other investors, including Lux Capital, BOKA Group, Starburst Ventures, and the Winklevoss twins.

ICEYE has announced the launch of two new application programming interfaces (APIs) that will give customers faster access to imagery from its SAR satellite constellation through a self-driven, automated process. The first API automates the satellite tasking process, enabling machine-to-machine interactions for this critical step.

At the GEOINT 2024, Torsten Kriening spoke with Tsuri Shemer, Marketing and Business Development Space at IAI about their presence at GEOINT, their new OptSAR-550 satellites and the Mini Communication Satellites. IAI leads space programs for national security, scientific research, and commercial applications for Israel's MOD, foreign governments and private entities. 

During the GEOINT Symposium, Torsten Kriening had a chance to talk with Gary Dunow, Vice President for Strategic Development about the conference program in the exhibition hall, the USGIF Working Groups and the international expansion of the organization. Mr. Dunow joined USGIF in 2023 after he served over 37 years in the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense.