The Pulse
Space Insider
Making Space accessible through data, industry insights & market intelligence
Happy Friday Space Enthusiasts!
Please read below -- and check out Space Impulse as well -- to review the most interesting space industry and science news that showcase how scientists and engineers are leveraging the power and resources of space to solve problems on Earth.
From agriculture, the insurance sector, through maritime and infrastructure, Earth observation satellites even help mitigate problems arising from climate change on our planet. Space-based research in microgravity environments improve healthcare, while numerous scientific experiments and technical demonstrations give us deeper understanding of the world surrounding us as well as making everyday life easier for us.
Ursa Major is proud to introduce Lynx, a new approach to designing and manufacturing solid rocket motors (SRM). Ursa Major offers a revolutionary solution to America’s SRM shortage with a faster, more affordable process, leveraging 3D printing to manufacture multiple motors that promise to outperform legacy systems. According to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, depleted inventories of munitions like Javelins, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), and Stingers that rely on SRMs will take between five and 18 years to replace if the country continues to rely on slow, outdated production techniques.
World View and Leo Holdings Corp. II intend to mutually agree to terminate their previously announced business combination agreement. In view of the expected termination of the Business Combination Agreement, Leo determined that it will not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the time period required by its amended and restated memorandum. Leo intends to dissolve and liquidate in accordance with the provisions of the Articles and will redeem all of the outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Public Shares”), on or about December 4, 2023.
MDA has revealed plans to more than double its UK workforce and operational footprint over the next 12 months. The company is now actively recruiting for entry level to senior positions in critical engineering disciplines including systems, payload, antenna, software, electronics and assembly, integration and test. In October, MDA completed the acquisition of the UK-based digital payload division of SatixFy Communications Ltd., accelerating MDA’s market expansion in the UK and adding strategic in-country capability to produce satellite payloads.
Backed by the UK Space Agency, Open Cosmos will build a new pathfinder satellite in the UK to aid environmental management with powerful onboard artificial intelligence. With the satellite, UK is aiming to join the Atlantic Constellation, alongside founding members Portugal and Spain. Three-day UK Space Conference opens in Belfast with the theme ‘Space for our future’, and further commitments on technology development and rocketry science skills to support the growing UK space sector.
Venturi Astrolab has reached an agreement with eight enterprise customers to use its Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover to deploy the customers’ payloads on Astrolab’s upcoming mission to the moon. Five of the customers are: Argo Space, Astroport, Avalon Space, Interstellar Lab, and LifeShip. Collectively, these eight contracts are valued at more than US $160 million.
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Spaceflux has won lucrative contracts with UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency. Spaceflux will provide tracking data about satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) and to build a new, national, ground-based SDA sensor in Cyprus. In addition to awarding these contracts, UK Space Command and the UKSA will launch the National Space Operations Centre (NSPOC) next year.
The Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) has awarded more than ￡47 million (~US $59 million) for 12 projects which will be doubled by match funding from the sector. The funding will enhance the UK’s offering of space capabilities and services to international investors and major space players. The UK Space Agency’s funding for national projects, including SCIF, is in addition to ￡1.84 billion (~US $2.31 billion) invested through the European Space Agency in November, ensuring the UK’s space and commercial satellite sector will play a leading role in future international missions and innovative commercial programmes.
UKspace, CONFERS and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), have signed a statement detailing plans to work together in pursuit of common goals relating to the opportunities presented by In-Orbit Service Manufacturing (IOSM) and In-space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM). Members will benefit from international synergy across IOSM and ISAM capabilities, and the collaboration will also advance space ecosystems aligned with national interests of the UK, US and their Allies. This collaboration statement follows several recent announcements of other space-related collaborations between the UK and United States.
In a breathtaking mix of success and setback, SpaceX’s pioneering Starship underwent its second test flight on Saturday. The Godzilla-sized spacecraft (121 m tall) achieved its first space flight in this venture, though the win was temporary. Not long after first-stage separation, the Super Heavy booster and the reusable Starship upper-stage vehicle detonated in quick succession in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
Mohsen Al Awadhi never dreamt of working in the space industry. Quite serendipitously, his journey into this new realm began when the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) young space agency started looking for promising talent in 2014. Today, Al Awadhi serves as a prominent figure within the country’s respected UAE Space Agency.
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