Of Note
Breaking down the facts: How a viral Сoldplay moment threw space tech unicorn Astronomer into chaos
The Coldplay scandal has cast doubt over everything. A routine kiss cam at a sold-out Coldplay concert in Boston last spring sent shockwaves through the enterprise tech world. When the jumbotron focused on their suite, revealing the CEO of Astronomer, Andy Byron, and the HR chief, Kristin Cabot, the crowd immediately sensed that something was off.
Innovation
Venturi Space Unveils its All-European Rover
The rover will share many components designed for US-based Venturi Astrolab’s FLIP and FLEX rovers—including hyper-deformable wheels, electrical systems, and high-performance batteries. One key difference? This project will be 100% European made.
Intuitve Machines $12M expansion underway at Houston Spaceport
ouston will get one step closer to the moon, as the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport (EFD) has announced an expansion of the lease for Intuitive Machines, the Houston space tech leader dedicated to furthering lunar exploration.
On July 15, the City of Houston announced passage of Amendment 1, which would add three acres of commercial space for Intuitive Machines at the spaceport and a $12 million infrastructure expansion. Approved by the city council and Mayor John Whitmire, the expansion will include new production, testing and support facilities. The amendment extends the current lease for Intuitive Machines from 20 years to 25 years.
The exciting future of space exploration, Tim Peake, astronaut
This week’s podcast guest is acclaimed British astronaut Tim Peake, who discusses his experience on his mission on the International Space Station and how modern space exploration is changing with the advent of private companies like SpaceX.
A British European Space Agency astronaut, Peake flew to the International Space Station in 2015 and has spent almost 200 days in space.
Peake discusses the political nature of space travel, the exciting future of the burgeoning space tech industry and why humanity is only scratching the surface of the scientific value that can come from in-orbit experimentation.
Why we need to address cyber risks to secure space tech
The global space economy is evolving rapidly. It's projected to grow from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.8 trillion by 2035. Weekly breakthroughs – human spaceflights, new rocket systems and complex robotic missions to the Moon – mark a new era of exploration and connectivity. Technology plays a key role in accelerating space developments, but it also increasingly exposes ground stations, satellites and user terminals to emerging cyber risks.
Technology
CCC signs MoU to bring Canadian space tech and expertise to Cyprus
This MoU marks a strategic bilateral partnership that will promote collaboration between Canada and Cyprus in the growing space technology and Earth observation sectors.
Viasat to demonstrate communications tech for DIU's Hybrid Space Architecture initiative
Viasat was selected by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype and demonstrate communications technologies for the Hybrid Space Architecture (HSA) initiative, the company announced in a statement.
Investing in Space: The market’s taking off
It’s that time of the year again, when CEOs take a deep breath, analysts ready their calculators, investors obsessively refresh stock tickers and every market open’s a potential rollercoaster: quarterly earnings.
It’s a quieter affair in the space sector, where some big names — like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin — have so far steered clear of going public. There’s still a sound swathe of listed heavy hitters that (also) dabble in space activities and are likely to draw the eye, from Boeing and Lockheed Martin to Virgin Galactic. Voyager Technologies only just entered the public arena last month, with shares soaring more than 80% in company’s debut trading day after upsizing its initial public offering.
VC
British SpaceTech innovator ALL.SPACE awarded €3.2 million to advance 5G integration
Reading-based ALL.SPACE, a provider of multi-orbit, multi-link SATCOM platforms, today announces a €3.42 million funding award to accelerate the development of the integration of 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) into their terminals.
Indian spacetech startup Omspace Rocket raises $3 million
The company plans to use the fresh capital to finalise and begin test launches of the Infinity One prototype, expand its R&D team, and boost its manufacturing infrastructure and ground systems.
Europe
Open Cosmos acquires space-tech IoT start up
Satellite company Open Cosmos struck a deal to acquire Portuguese IoT startup Connected, a deal which the companies stated marks one of the fastest exits in European space-tech history.
Space technology: Lithuania's promising space start-ups
I'm led through a series of concrete corridors at Vilnius Tech University, Lithuania; the murals give a Soviet-era vibe, and it seems an unlikely location for a high-tech lab working on a laser communication system.
But that's where you'll find the headquarters of Astrolight, a six-year-old Lithuanian space-tech start-up that has just raised €2.8m ($3.3m; £2.4m) to build what it calls an "optical data highway".
You could think of the tech as invisible internet cables, designed to link up satellites with Earth.