This Week In Space Industry(21/10/2023)

Greetings Detectives

Welcome to Rocket Roundup, Your favorite Saturday space newsletter! We're here to share exciting space news and discoveries with you.

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

• Canada Announces $739M for EO

• Berkeley New Space Center

• Urban Sky, AnySignal & K2 Space Raises Funding

• New job opportunities around space

Canada Announces $739M for EO

The Canadian government has allocated CAD $1.01 billion (approximately $739 million) over the next 15 years to develop its Earth observation (EO) systems. This funding will support the Radarsat+ program, which aims to enhance Canada's EO capabilities.

The focus? Developing new satellites to replace the existing Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) and taking coastline and environmental monitoring to the next level. These upgraded EO systems will help with various applications, including wildfire tracking and climate mitigation efforts. The Canadian government seeks to provide access to this EO data to organizations working on climate-related initiatives in the country.

Neuraspace and Arcsec partner to use star trackers for debris detection

Neuraspace, a space traffic management (STM) provider, has partnered with Arcsec, a star tracker manufacturer, to enhance debris detection and tracking in space. Using data from Arcsec's star trackers, Neuraspace's STM solution will analyze and assess the risk posed by debris as small as three centimeters.

The partnership aims to create the world's most accurate system for risk assessment in space, helping protect space assets, contribute to space environment preservation, and prevent costly service interruptions. The star trackers from Arcsec provide essential information about space objects' brightness and size, offering valuable insights for risk assessment. Additionally, Arcsec's star trackers are re-programmable in orbit, allowing for adaptability and updating in response to the evolving space environment.

Terran Orbital’s independent directors back CEO

Independent directors of the board at Terran Orbital have expressed their support for CEO and Chairman Marc Bell and the company's management team. The response comes after an earlier letter from Sophis Investments called for corporate governance changes at the company, including the replacement of the CEO and a strategic review.

The independent directors stated that Terran Orbital has achieved strategic successes, making them confident that the current management team is on the right path for maximizing long-term shareholder value.

$2 billion Berkeley Space Center

The University of California, Berkeley, and the NASA Ames Research Center have unveiled plans for the $2 billion Berkeley Space Center in Mountain View, California. The project, which has been in development for over two decades, aims to bring academia and industry together to foster innovation in aviation science and space exploration.

The campus will encompass 130,000 square meters of office and research and development facilities, with the University of California taking around 10% of the space. The remainder will be available for private industry tenants. Construction could begin in approximately three years, pending an environmental impact review. The Berkeley Space Center will have clusters focused on space robotics, remote sensing, planetary sciences, climate change, electric aviation, mixed autonomy traffic operations, and firefighting.

Urban Sky Raises $9.75M Series A

Denver-based startup Urban Sky has secured $9.75 million in a Series A funding round led by New Legacy Ventures, Lavrock Ventures, and Lerer Hippeau. The oversubscribed round will enable the company to expand its high-resolution imagery services from small stratospheric balloons, or "microballoons," outside Colorado.

Urban Sky currently operates one balloon per week and plans to increase this cadence to one every two to three days. The funding will also support the development of higher-resolution cameras and new infrared cameras for its microballoon system, while the expansion of its imagery services is expected to cater to applications such as environmental monitoring, property insurance, and the oil and gas industry.

AnySignal Raises $5M Seed

California-based startup AnySignal has come out of stealth mode with $5 million in funding for its versatile space radio platform. AnySignal's offering spans multiple spectrum bands and includes hardware-in-the-loop test equipment, upgradable modems for various waveforms, licensing support, and software interfaces with different flight systems.

The firm aims to differentiate itself by providing tightly integrated, end-to-end solutions for customers, with a focus on performance optimization and cost reduction. AnySignal's radio platform is compatible with UHF, S-band, L-band, and X-band frequencies, targeting a wide range of space applications. The company already generates revenue from a mix of commercial and government customers.

K2 Space Raises $7M Funding

K2 Space, a satellite manufacturer, has secured $7 million in additional funding, bringing its total investment to $16 million. The funding was provided by European fund Alpine Space Ventures, led by former SpaceX engineers. K2 Space, founded by former SpaceX engineer brothers Karan and Neel Kunjur, aims to create large, cost-effective satellites to accommodate payloads of one ton for $15 million and multiple tons for $30 million.

The company has secured three contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, totaling $4.5 million. K2 Space plans to test its Mega satellites in 2023 and commence commercial flights by 2025.

HawkEye 360 Raises Additional $10M Series D-1

Lockheed Martin has invested an additional $10 million in HawkEye 360, a satellite operator that specializes in sensing radio frequency transmissions on Earth. The investment is part of HawkEye 360's Series D-1 round, which now totals $68 million.

Lockheed Martin's investment strengthens the partnership between the two companies and allows them to develop "end-to-end remote sensing solutions for government and commercial customers," with a particular focus on radio frequency intelligence (RFI) systems. HawkEye 360 is working on its Block 3 satellite architecture, which will expand its capabilities to serve customers in RFI and multi-intelligence orchestration, along with AI and data fusion.

• India sets 2040 target for crewed moon landing
  

• Atomos wins $1.6 million AFWERX contract to test multi-party rendezvous

• Space Development Agency awards York Space $615 million contract for 62 satellites
  

• Government funding blunts impact of private investment decline
  

• CesiumAstro Wins $395,000 NASA Contract for Communications Study

• SES Wins Space Force Contract, Launches New Media Platform

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