Ultimate commercial payloads and launchers digest: April 2024
Precious Payload
Book your seat on a rocket, insure your satellite, and manage your mission’s progress all in one place
We are back! Precious Weekly is adopting a new format and becoming a monthly payload digest. As usual, our goal is to keep you up-to-date with commercial payloads and launchers globally. In April, 14 new commercial payloads were launched into orbit, and 6 new rockets are gearing up for their maiden launches in the next 6 months. Let's dive in!
This newsletter is supported by our preferred launch partners: in-space platform developer Arkisys, Canadian spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services, mission integrator Arrow Science and Technology, and Australian hybrid rocket company Gilmour Space. Check out their sponsored news in this issue.
Legend: ??– tagged links lead to bookable launches in our schedule. Become our partner to feature your launches and offering in our newsletter and booking platform.
SpaceX Bandwagon debut, Australia’s hybrid launch race, and rideshare to asteroid
Launched in April
On April 7, ???? SpaceX launched The Bandwagon-1 mission, its first rideshare for mid-inclination orbits, carrying six Hawkeye 360 satellites, ???? India’s first private sector-produced military satellite, TSAT 1A, built by Tata Advanced Systems Limited in collaboration with the ????/???? Satellogic, Capella Space’s Acadia-4 SAR satellite, TSUKUYOMI-II by ???? iQPS, the first bird of its 30-satellite EO constellation, and five military SAR satellites of ???? South Korea’s 425 Project. [NasaSpaceflight]?
On April 24, ???? Rocket Lab launched The ‘Beginning Of The Swarm’ mission from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand with an EO satellite for the ???? Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to 520km, and ???? NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) — the solar sail demonstration spacecraft—to 1,000km. It was critical to show the capability of Electron’s Kick Stage to perform multiple engine burns in space and deploy each payload to its unique orbit, and then perform a deorbit burn. [Satnews]
On April 15, ???? China Siwei Surveying and Mapping Technology launched a commercial EO satellite SuperView-3 aboard a Long March 2D rocket. It’s the first bird of a future 28-satellite constellation. The spacecraft has a 0.5-meter resolution and an ultra-large width of more than 130 km. [SpaceNews]
???? Roscosmos successfully performed the third orbital attempt of the Angara A5 heavy rocket, this time with an Orion stage, to LEO on April 11. It deployed a commercial ???? Avant Space’s 3U tech demo Gagarinets. It was the first launch of a heavy rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome. [Roscosmos]
On April 9, the final ???? United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket launched a classified payload for the ???? National Reconnaissance Office, NROL-70, marking the end of an era for this remarkable rocket. [L3Harris]
Launch Updates
???? HyImpulse’s SR75, a single-stage rocket powered by a hybrid engine, and its ground support equipment, after almost 2 months voyage from Europe to Australia in a marine container arrived safe and sound at ???? Southern Launch’s Koonibba test range and is readies for its inaugural flight — 'Light this Candle!' mission — on May 2, 2024. [Southern Launch]?
Ariane 6’s central core was placed vertically ahead of the maiden flight from the ELA-4 launch table in French Guiana in the summer of 2024. The rocket could carry up to 10 tons of cargo to LEO. This time it will fly 18 payloads, including 2 reentry spacecraft: 40kg Mission Bikini by ????/???? The Exploration Company and SpaceCase SC-X01 by the ???? ArianeGroup, cubesats and experiments by ???? RIDE!space, Poland’s ???? Orbital Matter, Slovakia’s ???? Spacemanic, Berlin-based ???? RapidCubes, ???? Libre Space, ???? OLEDCOMM, and more. The full list of payloads is here.
???? SaxaVord Spaceport gets a range license from the ???? Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Seven operators are waiting for CAA’s permission to launch from the spaceport. ???? Skyrora and ???? Rocket Factory Augsburg could be the first to launch an orbital mission from Shetland as early as this summer 2024. [BBC]
The second ???? Space Force’s responsive space mission contract goes to ???? Rocket Lab ($32M) and ???? True Anomaly ($30M). Under the Victus Haze mission, Rocket Lab’s Pioneer satellite will be launched on an Electron launch vehicle and will conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with True Anomaly’s Jackal spacecraft. True Anomaly will partner with an undisclosed “trusted commercial launch provider”. The target for spacecraft delivery is fall 2025, after the delivery the companies should be ready to launch their satellites on short notice (like with Victus Nox it was 58 hours for integration and 24 hours to launch). [TechCrunch]
???? ispace-U.S. to launch two data Lunar relay satellites with Mission 3 in 2026. The satellites enable communications to and from the Earth, and the APEX 1.0 lunar lander. [SpaceWatch]
???? Blue Origin to launch ???? NASA’s Mars smallsat mission on the first New Glenn on September 29, 2024. The rocket will carry a pair of smallsats to study the planet’s magnetosphere. The mission is dubbed Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE). [SpaceNews]
Private China’s rocket company ???? Orienspace, which built and launched the solid rocket Gravity 1, is now developing a new reusable liquid rocket Gravity 2 preparing for its maiden flight in 2025. A standard model could carry up to 17.4 tons to LEO, and an enhanced one, with two solid boosters—up to 29 tons. [SpaceDaily]
One more of China’s rocket builders, ???? ExPace, is developing a new reusable rocket powered by liquid oxygen-methane engines. This company is a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC). The new engine has completed ignition and vertical takeoff and landing tests, and the new rocket is poised for its inaugural flight soon. [SpaceDaily]
On May 6, ???? NASA and ???? Boeing prepare for a Starliner Crew Flight Test to the ISS on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. [SpaceDaily]
After the historic third ???? SpaceX integrated flight test 3 IFT-3 launch in March, we can see the next Starship test—IFT-4—aiming for an in-space restart of a Raptor engine, a booster return to a “virtual tower” in the Gulf of Mexico. [Ars Technica][NASA Spaceflight]
Partners news
???? Gilmour Space’s Australian-made Eris launch vehicle is gearing up for its inaugural test flight, pending final approvals. With a fully integrated operation, Gilmour offers a controlled customer experience, featuring its launch vehicles, exclusive spaceport access, and satellite bus options. ??Secure your spot for mid-inclination launches in Q1 and Q2 of 2025 now.
???? Arkisys, a US-based developer of?long-duration robotic platforms in space called Ports, is validating the In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) operations in preparation for its maiden demo mission in Q4 this year called ??Cutter. Join future Arkisys missions if you have a robotic, interface, modular propulsion, or an in-space manufacturing payload.
???? Maritime Launch Services, the owner and operator of Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada's first commercial spaceport offering 45° to 98° inclination satellite launch services, has performed a fit check of a suborbital launch vehicle for the upcoming ??DART (Dedicated Altitude Research and Testing) launch later this year. Join the program to test and retrieve your hardware in a real flight scenario before your official space launch.
???? Arrow Science and Technology, a Texas-based space mission integrator is now accepting payloads for the ??SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-15 mission to SSO scheduled for Q4 2025. Whether it's crew-operated payloads, in-orbit demonstrations, hosted payloads, or constellation deployments, Arrow's team, with their extensive DoD and NASA experience, offers turnkey solutions for your space hardware needs.
Contracts
A ???? Satlantis-owned startup ???? SuperSharp—a University of Cambridge spinout developing EO telescopes—got $2.5M in projects to build thermal infrared satellite payloads for urban and agriculture applications. The company plans to put its first space telescope in orbit starting in 2026. [SuperSharp]
???? Open Cosmos got a $3.6M contract from the ???? Spanish state of Catalonia for launching a smallsat with three IoT and EO payloads in 2025. The microsatellite will be five times larger than its predecessor, a 6U cubesat Menut. [Open Cosmos]?
???? Muon Space EO satellite manufacturer got over $60M in new customer contracts for the release of the planned 10-satellite Halo constellation with launches in 2025 and 2026. [Via Satellite]?
Space situation awareness company ???? Vyoma GmbH got additional funding of $5.4M from the European Investment Fund (EIF) to keep developing its satellite constellation for space debris monitoring that will start launching in 2025. [Copernical]?
???? Kuva Space won a €1.92M contract with ESA to develop onboard hyperspectral data processing, Sat-to-Sat, and Sat-to-IoT mobile communication for actionable near real-time information during emergencies from space. The company is launching its first Hyperfield-1 satellite in July 2024. [Kuva Space]
???? The UK Space Agency allocated about $17.1M for international space projects, including backing the Faraday Dragon Rideshare Mission by ????In-Space Missions Ltd, and several satellite and payload development projects. Read more on gov.uk.
An Irish space-tech company ???? MBRYONICS secured $18.9M from the European Innovation Council to advance optical communications technologies at its new facility in Ireland, focusing on satellite communications, 5G, and a space-based quantum internet project. [Enterprise Ireland]
???? The Australian Space Agency awarded three space projects under the International Space Investment India Project program:
?? Want to get featured in Precious Payload Digest? Elevate your brand by sponsoring our upcoming May 2024 newsletter or become our preferred launch partner???
领英推荐
Early stage funding
A fusion propulsion startup ???? Helicity Space received a new investment (the sum is undisclosed) from Lockheed Martin Ventures to continue propulsion system development and scaling it for deep space missions. This backing follows the December 2023 $5M seed round. [Helicity Space]
???? Satellite manufacturer Dhruva Space raised $15M in Series A funding from Indian Angel Network Alpha Fund and Blue Ashva Capital. [Dhruva Space]
???? Seraphim Space launches a new $100M space venture fund to invest in early-stage AI, edge computing, and microgravity projects. There are ???? Eutelsat, ???? NEC, ???? SKY Perfect JSAT among backers. Investments include ???? “Starlink for IOT devices” Hubble, ???? Delos Insurance Solutions, ???? ATMOS Space Cargo building return capsules, and an extravagant electromagnetic launch company ???? Auriga. [Seraphim] [Payload]
???? Blue Skies Space raises over $2.5M from SFC Capital and Japan’s SPARX to launch Mauve, its first spacecraft of a science satellites constellation in early 2025. The satellites will monitor the activity of nearby stars, helping scientists understand the impact of powerful stellar flares on exoplanets. The company will provide data access via affordable annual memberships. [BSS]
???? Dark closed a $6M extension to a $5M funding round they made in 2021. The startup is developing Interceptor, an air-launched rocket-powered spacecraft. It has a “boxing glove”—cushioned effector, that could push space junk, rocket stage, or any other object, out of orbit. They aim for the first tech demo in 2026, and the second—in 2027. [TechCrunch]
???? Nominal, a firm providing aerospace, defense, and industrial engineering teams with end-to-end data analysis solutions, raised $27M in Seed and Series A rounds led by Lux Capital and General Catalyst. U.S. Air Force, Varda Space, and Muon Space are among their clients. [StartupRise]
Lithuania’s ???? Blackswan Space secured $825K in pre-seed funding led by ScaleWolf to advance its software solutions for autonomous control of space and defense missions. [Via Satellite]
Growth funding
SAR constellation operator ???? ICEYE raised $93M in growth capital, led by the Finnish sovereign wealth fund Solidium Oy. [SpaceNews]
???? Telesat received a $1.6B loan from the Canadian government to fund its Lightspeed LEO constellation of 198 spacecraft, which will provide global high-speed broadband connectivity. The deployment is to start in 2026, via SpaceX. [SpaceNews]
???? Varda Space closed $90M Series B funding led by Caffeinated Capital to scale up production of systems for manufacturing pharmaceuticals in orbit and returning them to Earth. [Reuters]
???? HawkEye 360 received $40M in debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to continue the buildout of its satellite constellation and enhance its technological infrastructure. [HawkEye 360]
???? ispace secures $53.5M in a stock sale to back the developments of its third lunar lander. [SpaceNews]
???? Satellogic raised $30M from a crypto fund Tether. Backing should provide operating liquidity and financial flexibility for the firm relocating to the US. [Satellogic]
???? PLD Space raised $85M in new capital, investors are undisclosed. The company announced they have $128M raised to date. They aim to launch its orbital Miura 5 rocket by the end of 2025. [Via Satellite]
???? Orbex raised $20.8M as an extension to its Series C round closed in 2022 with $50M to speed up the development of its Prime small rocket. Scottish National Investment Bank led the funding. The company didn’t disclose a projected date for the maiden flight. [SpaceNews]
Subscribe to get more updates directly to your inbox:
Headlines
???? ESA appointed ???? OHB SE to lead the ClearSpace-1 mission instead of a Swiss startup ???? Clearspace. It also changed the mission's target to PROBA-1, an old ESA spacecraft, aiming for a more expedited and cost-effective approach after an unpredicted collision of random space junk with the former target—a 100kg Vega payload adaptor—increased mission risk. [EuropeanSpaceflight]
???? D-Orbit to launch eight ???? Turkeye’s Plan-S IoT and EO 6U satellites, across two missions scheduled for late 2024 and early 2025, utilizing D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier for efficient constellation placement. [D-Orbit]
???? Unseenlabs, currently operating thirteen RF 10kg BRO-series nanosatellites, monitoring marine activities, will launch a new fleet of 150kg satellites by 2026 to expand surveillance capabilities to terrestrial, and space domains. The company will launch four more BROs by December 2024. [LeMarin]
???? Apogeo Space partnered with ???? Innospace for three LEO launches in 2025-2027. Picosatellite developer is deploying Italy’s first private IoT constellation, which will start operations later this year. The launch of the first nine test satellites occurred in November of 2023 via ???? D-Orbit’s OTV and Falcon 9 launcher. The next launch is scheduled for July 2024. [Apogeo Space]
???? PROMéTHéE Earth Intelligence, building an EO constellation, reserved launches with ???? Latitude aboard their Zephyr rocket. Congrats on the first commercial customer! [Latitude]?
???? Blue Origin is one of the commercial launch providers that bid for Apophis asteroid missions. They proposed using their Blue Ring spacecraft to send payloads to Apophis, with a mission launching in October 2027 with… SpaceX Falcon 9 and arrive at the asteroid in January 2029. Another private company, ???? ExLabs (Exploration Labs) is planning to launch a mission in 2028 to rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis in 2029 with their future spacecraft called the Space Exploration and Resource Vehicle (SERV) that can host payloads up to 30 metric tons. [SpaceNews]
???? Astroscale's ADRAS-J space debris removal demonstration mission, which launched in February, has successfully executed its target rendezvous maneuver. It has found and “seen” a second-stage H-2A rocket floating in orbit since 2009 and is now gearing up for a proximity approach. [Payload]
A Czech-based startup ???? TRL Space aims to build a satellite constellation to ensure comprehensive imaging coverage of the entire African continent, with a specific focus on acquiring data for agriculture-related applications. The company plans to invest $2 million in setting up satellite manufacturing facilities in ???? Rwanda. [African News]
???? ReOrbit will launch its first satellite in Q2 2025. The launch provider is undisclosed. It will be a tech demo of secure space-to-space and space-to-ground data transfer for EO, under the ESA InCubed Programme. The company will integrate a commercial EO customer's optical payload and equip the IOD bus with optical terminal and autonomy features to enable secure, seamless data transfer. [ReOrbit]
???? Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with Supernova satellites with solar thermal propulsion. The company has been backed with $3M by the Defense Department and the U.S. Space Force to support the development of its satellite bus. [GeekWire]
???? Inversion Space will test its pathfinder vehicle for rapid cargo transportation (Earth-Space-Earth), Ray, in October aboard ???? SpaceX's Transporter-12. Ray is a precursor to a larger platform that will be able to deliver cargo globally within minutes and will debut in 2026. [TechCrunch]
Accelerators?
???? NewSpace Catalonia Accelerator by Starburst Aerospace and backed by the Government of Catalonia and the IEEC, announced their first cohort:
???? SPACE-H, a new accelerator launched by Starburst Aerospace with support from NASA and Microsoft, offers entrepreneurs the chance to tackle space health problems, crucial for enabling human activity in space and unlocking revenue opportunities in terrestrial markets for investors in commercial LEO destinations, space tourism ventures, and the cis-lunar economy. The deadline for application closes at the end of May, and the training of the first batch starts in September. [Space-H]
?? Enjoyed this newsletter? Give it a like and share it with others!