This Week In Space Industry(25/11/2023)

Greetings Detectives

Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to Rocket Roundup, your favorite Saturday space news source! We're here to share exciting space updates with you.

Though it's been a slow week for the space sector, we've got some interesting highlights to cover in this edition. Let's dive into this cosmic journey together! In this issue:

• MDA gets $131 million from mystery NGSO constellation customer

• Starliner “on track” for April crewed test flight

• UK Space Agency Invests $59M Across 12 Space Projects

MDA gets $131 million from mystery NGSO constellation customer

MDA, a Canadian space hardware specialist, has secured a contract worth 180 million Canadian dollars (about $131 million) from an undisclosed customer to start engineering a non-geostationary satellite constellation consisting of 36 satellites.

The deal, known as the Authorization to Proceed (ATP) contract, involves early work for the satellite project, including procuring long-lead items. MDA's new software-defined satellite design, which can be reconfigured in orbit, has attracted interest from multiple customers. The company is expanding its production facilities to meet the growing demand and aims to have the capacity to produce two satellites per day.

World View ends plans to go public through a SPAC merger

World View, a stratospheric ballooning company, has abandoned its plans to go public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger with Leo Holdings Corp II. The decision to terminate the merger was mutual, and the companies did not provide a specific reason for the cancellation.

While World View received strong interest from potential investors in 2023, challenging market conditions led both companies to decide against proceeding with the transaction. Leo Holdings faced an October deadline to consummate the deal or liquidate the company. With the termination of the World View merger, Leo Holdings will liquidate, returning proceeds to shareholders.

Starship Heavy lifts off on second flight

SpaceX's Starship rocket completed a flight test, flying for more than seven minutes, successfully separating from its booster before an unknown issue triggered the intentional destruction of the rocket mid-flight.

No people were on board the test flight. The Federal Aviation Administration will conduct a "mishap" investigation into the flight before SpaceX can launch another Starship rocket. The intentional destruction of Starship represented a premature end to the flight test, as SpaceX planned to fly it most of the way around the Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii.

Starliner “on track” for April crewed test flight

NASA has confirmed that Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is "on track" for its crewed test flight (CFT), scheduled for mid-April 2024. The CFT mission, named Ax-2, will fly NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for a stay of at least eight days.

Boeing has addressed issues from its second uncrewed test flight, Orbital Flight Test 2, including removing tape in wire harnesses in the capsule that is flammable and redesigning "soft links" in the spacecraft's parachutes. One drop test is scheduled for January 2024 to test the performance of the redesigned soft links.

NOAA Grants Satellogic Remote Sensing License as Company Looks to Boost US Business

Satellogic, a small manufacturer and operator of multispectral imaging satellites for Earth observation, has received a remote sensing license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an essential step to expand its U.S. government business.

The company is also redomiciling to Delaware from the British Virgin Islands, expected to be completed in the first half of 2024. Satellogic aims to complete a facility security clearance process in 2024 to provide classified services to the U.S. government. The company anticipates generating between $60 million and $90 million in revenue in 2025.

UK Space Agency Invests $59M Across 12 Space Projects

The UK Space Agency is injecting £47 million ($59 million) into 12 space projects through the Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF), complemented by private sector matching funds, resulting in a total investment exceeding £98 million ($122 million). The funding aims to stimulate innovation in space research and development and is part of a broader effort to decentralize the UK's space sector, fostering clusters throughout the country.

Major beneficiaries include Northumbria University's North-East Space Skills and Technology Centre, Space Forge's National Microgravity Research Centre in Wales, and Thales Alenia Space's satellite manufacturing facilities in Harwell. The initiative aligns with the goal of building a robust and globally competitive space economy in the UK.

• North Korea claims successful launch of spy satellite

• China Delays Launch of Its Xuntian Space Telescope

• Sierra Space lays off 165 in workforce realignment

• Telenor is Selling its Satellite Subsidiary to Space Norway

• Cobham Satcom Wins Contract to Provide Multi-band Antennas for US DoD

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