Now that the ink has dried on the contract for a PICO-class satellite deorbit sail from HPS's ADEO dragsail family, the Munich-based space company is now also setting foot on North American soil: After carefully weighing the alternatives, the Canadian company StarSpec Technologies decided to integrate the system on its InspireSAT 12U ADCS MVP satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in 2026. The ADEO-P was purchased in early July. The integration will be carried out by the experts in 2025. The satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2026 on board a Falcon9 as part of the Transporter-17 Rideshire small satellite mission from the Vandenburg spaceport in the USA. At the end of the mission, the drag sail will be extended to a size of 1.4 m2 and the satellite will be automatically disposed of within the now mandatory period of less than five years. The satellite will burn up in the atmosphere without leaving any residue. This initiative advances StarSpec's high-precision, space-grade ADCS components, including sub-arcsecond precision star cameras, gearless reaction wheels, and ultra-high bandwidth controllers that provide 100x the precision and image quality for LEO imaging satellites. Jason Brown, Mechanical & Technology Lead, commented on the key factors that led to the selection of the ADEO-P for InspireSAT: “One of InspireSAT’s core missions is to provide high performance in-orbit capabilities that do not compromise and maintain the ongoing and future utility of LEO. We are delighted to have HPS, a proven high-tech specialist in the international space industry, on our side, enabling StarSpec Technologies to maintain its sustainable and environmentally conscious approach in space without losing focus on the successful demonstration of our transformative, state-of-the-art ADCS. Thank you HPS!”
StarSpec Technologies – Received a contribution of $2.15M to perform an on-orbit demonstration of its Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS). The end objective of this technology demonstration is to complete space-based packaging and adaptation of key components for the company’s InspireSat low Earth orbit satellite.
Agreement Number: 22SIMA01P2Agreement Date: Dec 14, 2023 - Dec 15, 2026
We are assembling CuRIOS-ED (CubeSats for Rapid Infrared and Optical Survey--Exploration Demo), an optical telescope payload which will act as a technology demonstrator for a larger constellation of several hundred 16U CubeSats known as CuRIOS. In preparation for CuRIOS, CuRIOS-ED will launch in late 2025 as part of the 12U Starspec InspireSat MVP payload. CuRIOS-ED will be used to demonstrate the StarSpec ADCS pointing capabilities to <1" and to space-qualify a commercial camera package for use on the full CuRIOS payload.
Additionally, we’ve already announced OTP-3 on Transporter-17 as our next mission. Not only will this mission advance us down our technical roadmap but offers one of the most diverse platforms to host payloads for our customers. The platform will have high resolution multispectral remote sensing, SDA sensors (LIDAR, Radar and optical) to support the RPOD capabilities as well as refuel and be refuellable. Manifesting Rogue’s own Scalable Compute Platform (SCP) we can offer edge computing hosting as well as use this capability for our mission.
SpaceWorks Enterprises today announced a payload hosting agreement with Rogue Space Systems Corporation, facilitating the integration of SpaceWorks’ FuseBlox™ docking and commodity transfer system onto Rogue’s Orbital Test Platform (OTP-3) spacecraft mission. This collaboration will mark the initial orbital flight for FuseBlox and will enable future refueling operations on the OTP-3 spacecraft.The agreement specifies the integration of a passive half of FuseBlox equipped with SpaceWorks’ novel fluid transfer system onto the OTP-3 spacecraft, which is slated for launch in 2026. In addition to preparing OTP-3 for future on-orbit refueling missions, the inclusion of the FuseBlox unit will also enable robust docking, power transfer, and data transfer functionalities with future servicing spacecraft. For more information about FuseBlox, visit spaceworks.aero/fuseblox/.Through this agreement, both SpaceWorks and Rogue are taking substantial strides toward enhancing space infrastructure and promoting sustainable space operations. The mission is part of an ongoing development and test program for Rogue’s revolutionary space logistics architecture based on the company’s Waypoint™ persistent platforms and Orblock™ payload containers. SpaceWorks, meanwhile, envisions FuseBlox as part of a modular building system that accelerates the utilization of structures, platforms, and spacecraft in Earth orbit and beyond. The deployment of FuseBlox on OTP-3 not only represents an exciting technical milestone but also sets a precedent for future collaborations and technological advancements in the on-orbit servicing sector.
The University of Palermo has already signed the contract for the launch with SpaceX, Elon Musk's company. The satellite would be launched in mid-2026 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. It is expected to operate in polar orbit, which will allow it to maximize coverage over areas of interest and transmit data to ground stations in Argentina and the region.
A hyperspectral satellite, named the "Hyperspectral 6U CubeSat," is currently being developed in Rwanda, with plans to launch it into space by 2026.This advanced satellite, designed by TRL Space Rwanda, is equipped with innovative sensors capable of capturing high-resolution images across a wide color spectrum. The satellite will primarily provide accurate data for agriculture, including crop monitoring and soil analysis.TRL Space Rwanda, a subsidiary of the Czech-based TRL Space, specializes in small satellites known as CubeSats. The company has been operating in Rwanda for three years and is headquartered at Norrsken House in Kigali.[...]The satellite, weighing between 10 and 12 kilograms, measures 10 cm by 20 cm by 30 cm.Construction began this week with a team of 20 engineers, including seven Rwandans. The project is scheduled for completion within the next 20 months, targeting a June 2026 launch date.Upon completion, the satellite will be shipped to the United States, where it is expected to launch from either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral in Florida, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.Once in orbit, the satellite will operate at an altitude of 510 kilometers for five years, delivering crucial agricultural data. It may also support other sectors, including security and communication.
Satellite launch: 2Q 2025
Agena Space announces its collaboration with Aerospacelab to demonstrate the flight readiness and capabilities of its Rocket Pack™ green propulsion system, which will be integrated into Aerospacelab’s renowned Versatile Satellite Platform, VSP-150. The launch aboard the Falcon 9 Transporter 17 is scheduled for May 2026.The Rocket Pack™ green propulsion system, a monopropellant version of the propulsion system, enabling rapid and effective maneuvers essential for various in-orbit civilian and military applications, including rapid collision avoidance with space debris, will be installed on Aerospacelab’s VSP-150, a 150kg Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite platform.
Dawn Aerospace, a global leader in green in-space propulsion, has announced a new partnership with Reditus Space Inc, marking it Dawn’s first venture supporting on orbit manufacturing applications in space.Reditus Space is a company focused on developing reusable satellites for zero-gravity manufacturing, particularly in materials, pharmaceutical and biologics, leverage the unique manufacturing opportunities that microgravity environments offer. They aim to unlock a unique manufacturing environment with sustained access to and from space through a reusable re-entry capsule. Reditus like Dawn employs a modular approach, allowing for responsive and flexible solutions for their customers and values reusability, the key to a sustained space economy.Reditus is preparing for its first full-scale re-entry mission, named ENOS, scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket in a launch window opening in March 2026. This mission will host a pharmaceutical research and development payload, with plans to fully re-enter and recover the satellite. Dawn Aerospace will be providing its signature SatDrive systems, with 5 already in orbit across three customers. Dawn plans to work closely with Reditus to explore reusability of the SatDrive propulsion system.
Iridium Satellite LLC (“Iridium”) seeks experimental authority to transmit in the 1618.725-1626.5 MHz band from its space stations1 to ENOS Mk1, a non-geostationary smallsat to be operated by Reditus Space, Inc. (“Reditus”) that is scheduled to be launched on July 31, 2026.Iridium requests authority for one (1) year beginning July 31, 2026. Iridium asks that its license be issued by May 1, 2026, to satisfy the requirements of the launch integrators. The twelve-month license term is meant to account for the possibility of launch delays.As stated in Reditus’ application for ENOS Mk1,2 the mission is to perform propulsive maneuvers to inform future commercial missions and performance checks of Reditus’ ground station network services. An Iridium 9704 transceiver modem will communicate with the Iridium constellation from launch through the completion of the mission.
Reditus Space is happy to announce that earlier this year, we signed a strategic partnership with Voyager Technologies, a leader in commercial space station services. Under this agreement, Voyager will serve as an implementation partner for upcoming missions aboard the Reditus ENOS reentry platform. Reditus Space is preparing to launch the demonstration mission of the ENOS spacecraft in April 2026. The ENOS platform enables end-to-end support for microgravity research with full recovery capability, drastically accelerating R&D timelines across pharmaceutical, materials, and biotech sectors. In the collaboration with Voyager, Reditus will operate the ENOS vehicle, while Voyager will guide customers through the development of hardware suitable for flight and operation aboard the platform.
The ENOS program is designed to support pharmaceutical research & production, biotech application, advanced materials development, semiconductor substrate production, and other precision-dependent microgravity applications. By enabling commercial teams to launch experiments, iterate within weeks, and fly again without long cycles or high costs, Reditus aims to redefine the tempo and economics of in-space production.[...]ENOS Mk1 is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2026. This mission will carry multiple customer payloads to space and back. ENOS will spend eight weeks in orbit, after being launched on a SpaceX rideshare, before reentering and landing in the United States. With this mission, Reditus Space will have gone from seed to launch in just 15 months, more than twice as fast as any reentry vehicle ever built.ENOS will be the largest commercial free-flyer ever to launch and return from orbit. ENOS is built around a fully reusable architecture, the system is engineered to be launched repeatedly, to enable repeatable, capital efficient, high cadence access to microgravity. We believe that reusability is the key to rapid cadence and economic scalability. This ensures the microgravity research and manufacturing industry can thrive post-ISS.
The debut flight is scheduled to spend two months in orbit, hosting an undisclosed pharmaceutical R&D payload, before shooting through the atmosphere and splashing down for recovery off the coast of Florida.
Exolaunch, a global leader in launch mission management, integration and satellite deployment services, has signed a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to support the deployment of CubeSats as part of CUBICS (CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM), a program designed to advance space science and technology while training Canada's future space leaders.The agreement enables the launch of nine 3U CubeSats, developed by Canadian universities, with options for additional missions through mid-2028. These satellites will be deployed via a rideshare mission no earlier than mid-2026, with integration taking place at CSA's facilities in Quebec.Through this agreement, Exolaunch will provide its industry-leading mission integration, testing, and satellite deployment services. The satellites will be deployed using EXOpod Nova, Exolaunch's next-generation CubeSat separation system, which provides enhanced flexibility, scalability and reliability for high-performance missions. With this contract, Exolaunch grows its activities in Canada, reinforcing its commitment to enabling cost-effective, reliable access to space for government agencies, research institutions, and commercial satellite operators worldwide.The CubeSats supported under CSA's CUBICS program are developed by nine Canadian universities, each contributing cutting-edge research and technology demonstrations across a range of scientific disciplines, including Earth observation, space weather monitoring, and communications technology.In the coming months, CSA will host technical meetings, where Exolaunch will engage with the participating universities, review student presentations, and gather mission requirements to optimize the integration and deployment process.
Defense wants to increase space capacity in the short term with four satellites27-03-2025Defence wants to have four additional small satellites in space in the short term. De Telegraaf reports that according to those involved, two satellites will be launched in June and October of this year. The other two should then be launched in the second quarter of next year. These are probably so-called nanosatellites: small satellites about the size of a milk carton.Defence had previously indicated that it wanted more capacity in space, but the launch of the four satellites had not yet been announced.A spokesperson for Defence does not go into details, but does say that "the Dutch armed forces have invested heavily in satellite capabilities in recent years and will continue to do so in the future".[...](Google Translate from Dutch)
KENSAT is a personal 2U CubeSat intended to be the first Malaysian private individual’s satellite in orbit. [...]Planning a launch on SpaceX Transponder 17 mission from Cape Canaveral in June 2026 into a 520 km SSO.
2U Form Factor (10 × 10 × 20 cm)Mass: Approximately 2.5 kgOrbit: Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO), 500-600 kmLaunch: Scheduled for Q2 2026
VISTAsat N2-P-BodySpaceX Transporter 17.Q2 2026.
NOVI’s first commercial satellites - set to launch aboard SpaceX Transporters in early 2026 - will establish the world’s first open-access, space-based platform for Earth observation and edge computing:
The startup is tackling a persistent problem in space communications. Satellites frequently go offline during parts of their orbit due to dead zones — periods when they are not in the line of sight of a ground station. While relay satellites and global ground station networks help reduce this downtime, they only provide partial solutions.[...]In Q2 2026, Apolink aims to launch its initial demo mission via a SpaceX rideshare. The mission will feature a 3U technology demonstration satellite, LinkONE/IPoS, designed to confirm the backward-compatible radio-frequency relay in low Earth orbit, Batra said.
We're also proud to share that our first satellite mission, IPoS (Interoperability Protocol over Satellite), a 3U technology demonstration satellite scheduled to launch aboard Transporter-17 in Q2 2026, will demonstrate the world's first backward-compatible RF relay. This milestone will significantly improve the reliability and accessibility of our downlink services.
The TUPAC satellite is based on Apex’s Aries supplemented with commercial-off-the-shelf and proprietary items from Aetherflux. Basic enclosing dimensions are 248.5 x 88.74 x 119.8 cm (solar arrays deployed). The satellite is composed of the Aries spacecraft bus, deployable solar panels, and a payload. The solar panels generate 250 W Orbit Average Power (OAP) of electrical DC power, which is stored in a 60 Ahr commercial off the-shelf (COTS) Li-Ion unpressurized battery assembly. A secondary 1170 Wh payload battery of the same type is present to provide payload power. The solar array is deployed using a hold down mechanism. The bus is 3-axis stabilized, employing star trackers and sun sensors for attitude knowledge and reaction wheels and magnetorquers for attitude control.[...]Mission:Transporter-17Launch Date:June 2026Inclination:97.6° ± 0.1°Min Insertion Apogee/Perigee: 485 kmMax Insertion Apogee/Perigee:525 kmMass:235 kgOperational Lifetime:<5 years
Aetherflux LaserkW-class Ytterbium fiber laser at 1060nm wavelength. Converts electrical energy to optical energy with greater than 38% electrical to optical efficiency and sufficient beam quality to transmit to the surface, M2 <1.3. Power density on the ground will be eyesafe.[...]Aetherflux will also be building and testing its own ground station in support of its tests regarding the terrestrial delivery of space-generated solar power. The Aetherflux ground station consists of commercial-off-the-shelf fresnel concentrators that focus light from the Aetherflux Laser payload onto small photovoltaic devices.
Mission Concept of OperationsThe TUPAC satellite will test the thesis that you can wirelessly transmit energy to a small ground station on earth by using eye-safe infrared lasers that project small spot sizes and that can point, acquire, and track from space. The goal is to demonstrate the functionality of the Aetheflux built spacecraft platform, including each subsystem and payload, and validate performance of the satellite.
Separately, NordSpace plans to launch its first satellite – Terra Nova – in 2026 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 17 rideshare mission.
NordSpace is co-developing a custom spacecraft bus, Athena, to deliver a single platform that powers all of its launch vehicles, satellites, and robotics. NordSpace plans to launch its own cluster of 8 satellites to connect Canadians and monitor our environment in real-time, starting with our first satellite in 2026 called Terra-Nova. Terra-Nova, will be a demonstration of 3 key technologies: the Athena Bus, Zephyr-EP thruster, and Chronos edge-AI camera.
New ISO5 clean room at @Nord_Space set up, dedicated to our first satellite, Terra Nova (launching in June, Transporter-17)! Thermal chamber, vibration table, and more coming in later this month. Full speed ahead with satellite and space systems development 🛰️ Let’s build! 🇨🇦
We are also launching our first pathfinder satellite, Terra-Nova, next June aboard Transporter-17 to provide edge-AI imaging capabilities to predict wildfires and other threats from space and one day save lives, we launched our own venture fund (NordSpace Ventures) to support Canadian space/defence startups in their early days, we are quadrupling the size of our manufacturing facilities, and are announcing our first lunar mission over the coming months.
As the Lab's inaugural program, NordSpace will launch Terra Nova, a self-funded, Canadian-built dual-use defence and commercial demonstration satellite which has been under development for the last year. It is manifested on SpaceX’s Transporter-17 mission in 2026 with ExoLaunch.[...]The spacecraft hosts an NVIDIA processor running artificial intelligence models trained using synthetic images generated through NordSpace’s proprietary simulation environment. This approach supports the company’s Chronos imaging system and enables the detection of objects and environmental changes that typically remain obscured when using conventional imaging techniques.The spacecraft’s onboard autonomy will allow it to test artificial intelligence algorithms that detect non-emitting objects in space for space domain awareness (SDA), dark vessels or aircraft operating in and over Canada’s Arctic, and early physical signatures of developing wildfires. These capabilities reflect emerging needs across national security, civil protection, and commercial operations, where faster awareness and reduced latency are becoming essential.The mission also incorporates Zephyr-EP, an electric propulsion demonstrator designed and manufactured by NordSpace. This system provides Terra Nova with fine-grained maneuverability and serves as NordSpace’s first operational demonstration of in-space propulsion.
Pursuant to Section 5.54(a)(1) of the Federal Communications Commission’s rules, Amazon Kuiper Holding 1 LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com Services LLC, requests an experimental license to launch and operate one satellite, KGS-1, at the orbital altitude 595 km using S-band frequencies for research, testing, and demonstration purposes. Amazon seeks authorization for a two-year license term, the standard for conventional experimental radio licenses.The demonstrations are a part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Communications Services Project, as established by the Funded Space Act Agreement. This research and development experiment uses a proof-of-concept space vehicle to demonstrate how NASA, in particular, and Federal agencies, in general, can benefit from accessing Kuiper System technologies and capabilities through optical inter-satellite links. [...]Apogee /Perigee (km) 595Orbital Period (minutes) 97Inclination (deg) 53.5Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 (rideshare)
Launch Vehicle and Launch Site:Launch vehicle is a SpaceX Falcon 9 launching out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Amazon selects launch vehicles based on vehicle and site availability, cost, and reliability.Launch Date and Mission Duration:Launch will occur no earlier than June 2026. The nominal mission duration is two years.[...]Total spacecraft mass at launch, including all propellants and fluids:Total mass is 329 kg.
0915-EX-CN-2025 [Sep 5]Quote from: Narrative StatementApogee /Perigee (km) 595Orbital Period (minutes) 97Inclination (deg) 53.5Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 (rideshare)
Apogee /Perigee (km) 595Orbital Period (minutes) 97Inclination (deg) 53.5Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 (rideshare)
The mentioned inclination is 53.5 degrees, which doesn't match with a Transporter mission.
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#spacevan LEO Mission 3 is Officially Lifting Off! 🚀 ✨ 🌍 Launch window: June 2026
CubIXSS is motivated by a compelling overarching science question: What are the origins of hot plasma in solar flares and active regions? CubIXSS builds on heritage from pathfinder programs such as MinXSS-1 and the SDO/EVE sounding rockets to provide unprecedented SXR spectroscopy of hot coronal emissions with improved spectral coverage and dynamic range, and sufficient spectral resolution to distinguish emission from different flares and active regions. CubIXSS approaches this science question through one highly targeted measurement objective (MO) and one science-motivated technology demonstration objective (TO), each of which involve measuring the abundances of key trace elements in the solar corona as diagnostics of energy release and transport.[...]SpaceX Falcon 9, Transporter 17 Launch, Vandenburg SFB, CA, USA[...]NET June 1th, 2026. Mission duration is 14 months (2 months commissioning, 12 months prime science).[...]CubIXSS is a ride share payload that will be deployed through a standard CubeSat deployer. The mission has no propulsion, so the orbit the spacecraft will be deployed into will not be actively changed. Our anticipated orbit is a 510 km by 510 km sun-synchronous orbit with 97.4 degree inclination and MLTAN 11:00 + 30 min (TBC; these are the current Transporter 17 estimates).[...]Current CubIXSS mass at launch: 25.3Kg CBE. This does NOT include the mass of the deployer. [...]CubIXSS will be installed in and deployed from an Exolaunch ExoPod Nova 16U canisterized dispenser.
This Monday morning, Space Cargo Unlimited inaugurated its new offices. The company, a pioneer in microgravity manufacturing, has announced funding of €27.5m, including €12.5m from the EIC Accelerator. With 82 committed customer projects, it is establishing itself as a key player in Europe’s new orbital economy. And it is looking forward to the launch of its BentoBox next spring.
