This Week In Space Industry (9/03/2024)

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Welcome to Rocket Roundup, Your favorite space newsletter! This week's in-depth exploration takes us into the dynamic realm of space startups. Our spotlight feature is on SkyFi - Connecting the World, One Satellite at a Time & creating a satellite photography app, Read it here.

Let's embark on this cosmic journey together! In This Issue:

• Astra loses 99 percent of its value

• Blue Origin aims to launch first lunar lander in 2025

• Iridium Acquires Satelles for $115M

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Astra agrees to go private

Astra Space, a spacecraft propulsion and launch company, has agreed to go private. The company accepted a revised proposal from its founders, Chris Kemp and Adam London, to take the company private at $0.50 per share. The revised proposal was lower than the original offer made in November 2023, which was $1.50 per share. A special committee of Astra's board of directors unanimously recommended the revised proposal, citing the company's financial situation. If the deal falls through, Astra warned that its only alternative is to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, leading to the liquidation of the company. (Read More)

NASA graduates new astronaut class as it begins recruiting for more

NASA has graduated its 23rd class of astronauts, known as "The Flies," after they successfully completed two years of basic training. The 10-member class, consisting of four women and six men, received silver NASA astronaut pins, signifying their eligibility for spaceflight assignments. NASA also announced that it is accepting applications for its next astronaut class, looking for candidates for missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually, Mars. Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a master's degree in a STEM field, a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine degree, or be qualified as a test pilot, among other requirements. (Read More)

ISS schedule conflicts delay Starliner crewed test flight to May

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crewed test flight, known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT), has been delayed from late April to early May due to International Space Station (ISS) schedule conflicts. The mission is now scheduled for early May, with the slip attributed to "space station scheduling." Boeing's Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS for up to two weeks. The delay is linked to the traffic management of the ISS, involving other missions, including SpaceX's CRS-30 cargo mission and the movement of Crew-8 and Starliner spacecraft to different docking ports on the station. (Read More)

Blue Origin aims to launch first lunar lander in 2025

Blue Origin plans to launch the first version of its lunar lander, Blue Moon, in 2025. The initial version, known as Mark 1, is a cargo vehicle that serves as a technology demonstrator. Blue Origin aims to land Mark 1 on the moon between 12 to 16 months from the CBS News interview, with the team working towards that goal. The Mark 1 lander is a precursor to the Mark 2 version, which will be designed for crewed lunar missions. Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract in 2023 to develop the Mark 2 lander as part of NASA's Human Landing System (HLS) program for the Artemis missions. (Read More)

Iridium Acquires Satelles for $115M

Iridium Communications Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Satelles, Inc., a leader in highly secure satellite-based time and location services. The acquisition aligns with Iridium's strategy of investing in differentiating technologies that significantly outperform competing solutions. Satelles' Satellite Time and Location (STL) service complements and protects GPS and other GNSS-reliant systems. Iridium plans to reduce the size and cost barriers to adoption, making the solution more accessible for integration with autonomous systems, consumer devices, vehicles, and traditional markets like aviation, maritime, and land mobile. The acquisition is expected to generate over $100 million in service revenue per year by 2030. (Read More)

Kurs Orbital Raises $4M Seed

Kurs Orbital, a satellite servicing technology startup, has secured €3.7 million (approximately $4 million) in a seed funding round led by OTB Ventures. The startup, founded by Ukrainian space industry veterans, aims to commercialize its satellite servicing technology, offering capabilities such as satellite relocation and inspection, de-orbiting, and space debris removal. Kurs Orbital plans to become a leading supplier of rendezvous and docking technology with its "ARCap" module, which can be integrated into any spacecraft bus. The module allows servicing companies to enter the market faster and at a lower cost by providing off-the-shelf rendezvous and docking technology. The company intends to have its first ARCap module ready for space in Q4 2025. (Read More)

Sidus Raises $7.9M Public Offering

Sidus Space Inc (NASDAQ: SIDU) has announced plans to raise approximately $7.9 million through an underwritten public offering. The offering will consist of 1,321,000 shares of its Class A common stock priced at $6 per share. The proceeds from the offering will be utilized for working capital and general corporate purposes. ThinkEquity is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering, which is expected to close on March 5, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. Sidus Space is a multi-faceted satellite company specializing in mission-critical hardware manufacturing, engineering services, satellite design and production, launch planning, mission operations, and in-orbit support. (Read More)

Momentus Raises $4M Direct Offering

Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company offering satellite buses, transportation, and other in-space infrastructure services, has closed its previously announced registered direct offering. The offering included 4,624,280 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.865 per share, resulting in total gross proceeds of approximately $4.0 million. The company also issued warrants to the investor to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,624,280 shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $0.74 per share, exercisable immediately and expiring after five years. The offering was conducted with a single institutional investor. The proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners acted as the sole placement agent for the offering. (Read More)

• China to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026

• Iceye launches radar satellite service to monitor the high seas

• SpaceX launches tenth Transporter rideshare mission

• Slingshot Aerospace sets up UK base for global expansion

• Thaicom orders small GEO satellite from Astranis for a launch in 2025

• Final NASA 2024 spending bill defers decision on MSR funding

DISCLAIMER: (Rocket Roundup is an independent publication and is not affiliated with any government agency or space organization)