The Dance of Satellites
China continues advancing and practicing its rendezvous and proximity operations.
Good morning,
Pretty slow week, with more fireworks than rockets being fired off. There were only three launches, one each from the U.S., China, and Russia. Most of the important news this week related to space tech, seems to revolve around China’s efforts to militarize space and establish military dominance there. We’ve said it before and will continue to say it that space is the ultimate high-ground and increasingly dangerous. Both China and Russia are seeking to gain advantage or—failing that—to neutralize anybody else’s advantage there.
Alright, let’s move on to the news!
News Headlines
Trump frustrated with Pentagon decision to suspend arms shipments to Ukraine (AP)
Trump said Fed chair Jerome Powell should resign immediately (RT)
U.S. vows no additional tariff deadline extensions past August 1st (BBG)
Satellites
Launches
Upcoming Launches
Space News
Navy accelerates phase-out of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program; stops providing DMSP imagery to NOAA (MT)
Space industry companies urge Congress not to cut funding to space commerce office (TH)
Air Force, Space Force seek $16B additional for 'unfunded requirements' (BD)
Space Force unveils its first international strategy as GAO flags barriers to cooperation (SN)
Space based experiments show wax-filled heat-sinks keep electronics cooler, longer (TX)
Space ice is wildly more different from terrestrial ice than we previously thought (PHYS)
Space Systems Command cancels $2B tactical satellite competition (ASF)
Axiom crew tests new spacesuit in NASA's neutral buoyancy lab for first time (AxS)
Space Systems Command awards Boeing $2.8B for next-gen nuclear communications satellites (DS)
Florida A&M University is pioneering novel, sustainable additive manufacturing capabilities for space (SuT)
Northrop Grumman stakes its role on Golden Dome (SN)
Foreign Space News
ESA drop tests its reusable space craft Space Rider (ESA)
AWS launches space accelerator focused on Australia, Japan, India (ISU)
New Zealand's Air Force is standing up its first dedicated space unit (DN)
China is practicing orbital warfare in space (SN)
China seeks an AI advantage for its military, on orbit (BBG)
Shijian 21 and Shijian 25 believed to be conducting on-orbit refueling operations in major leap for spacecraft sustainability and reusability (AT)
China's military could capitalize on its many, rapid space tech gains (MP)
China launches classified Shiyan-28 series satellite, believed to be part of a space situational awareness constellation (SN)
MDA Space achieves industry first in satellite digital beam forming (PRN)
Private Russian space firm facing bankruptcy in string of high-profile failures (TMT)
Deal Flow
Funds
Unmatched launches a human-focused, hard tech fund (PL)
VC
VC-backed firms head for fewest US IPOs in a decade (BBG)
Musk's SpaceX is planning a raise and secondary share sale at a $400B valuation (BBG)
Chloris Geospatial, a climate tech startup using satellite data to measure forest carbon and ecosystem change, raised an $8.5M Series A led by Future Energy Ventures (PRN)
PE / M&A / Other
British small sat maker Open Cosmos bought Portuguese startup Connected to bolster space-based IoT capabilities in a transaction with undisclosed terms (SN)
Opportunities
The Space Development Agency is seeking proposals from Hybrid Acquisition of Low-Earth Orbit (HALO) pool prime contractors for 1 of 2 tracks: a two-space vehicle demonstration and commercial solutions of on orbit capabilities (SDA)
The Space Force is looking for a company to provide all operations and management for the DoD STARBASE Program (introducing youth to technological needs related to space) (SAM)
Editor’s Picks
Strategic Policy contributing editor John Ruehl finds the militarization of space to be inevitable, suggests we must work within that reality to mitigate risk.
The China Aerospace Studies Institute explores the tactics, techniques, and procedures of China's Shijian - 6, or SJ-6, satellite series used for rendezvous and proximity operations.
Lighter Side
Keep Building,
BOF
Thanks for putting this together. As far as the Chinese and Russians seeking space dominance, who is closest to achieving it? Is the US doing enough in space to stay ahead?