Challenges | Solicitations | Resources
Help NASA overcome challenges inherent to living far away from Earth by submitting an idea for sustaining a human presence to, from, and around the Moon. Deadline: October 2, 2023.
Space Talent is a resource for careers at the intersection of space and tech. They match employers with top talent while providing insights and resources to grow your career.
The Amateur Astronomers Association, founded in 1927, seeks funds to build a free public observatory in New York City. Funds will be used for site construction costs, see further updates and pictures here.
Upcoming Events
The 37th Annual Small Satellite Conference will focus on key technological drivers, operational constructs, and activities for successful small satellite missions at scale. Utah State University, Logan, Utah. August 5-10, 2023.
Global event bringing together 1,000 decision makers for deal-making and discussions shaping the future of the industry. $580-$3730. Online and in-person in Paris. September 11-15, 2023.
2-day event addressing the NewSpace economy and sustainability. Special guests include NASA Chief Economist Alexander MacDonald and NASA Commercial Director Dan Rasky. CHF 269-649. Luzern, Switzerland. September 11-12, 2023.
The theme of the Global Aerospace Summit is Innovating the Skies, Connecting the World. Presenting Sponsors including Airbus and Raytheon Technologies will discuss the latest developments, trends, challenges, and opportunities in aviation and space. Washington DC. September 12-13, 2023.
UNIDIR’s Outer Space Security Conference provides a unique forum for the diplomatic community and, military experts, and more, to jointly consider challenges and solutions related to security in outer space. Free online and in-person. Geneva, Switzerland. September 13-14, 2023.
The 2nd annual South Florida Space Day is a full-day event comprised of keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking in support of space entrepreneurship. Free. Fort Lauderdale, FL. September 21, 2023.
Image of Mars taken by the OSIRIS instrument on the ESA Rosetta spacecraft during its February 2007 flyby of the planet. Image Credit: ESA & MPS for OSIRIS Team
The 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention brings together leading scientists, engineers, commercial space executives and government policymakers to discuss current and future Mars exploration and planning for human missions. Tempe, Arizona. October 5-8, 2023.
Asia-Pacific satellite and space industry professionals gather for market insight and collaboration on the industry’s challenges and opportunities. $650-1,500. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. October 10-12, 2023.
Two satellite industry events hosted back-to-back. Satellite Innovation focuses on analyzing next-generation satellite technologies and the current business environment, while MilSat Symposium will focus on space defense. $50-2,195. Mountain View, CA. October 17-20, 2023.
Insights and discussions on key military issues. Get access to senior officials from a variety of nations, with representatives from India, South Africa, Portugal and Peru added in 2023. Tickets £1198-2898. London, UK. November 6-9, 2023.
A showcase of the latest technologies, networking opportunities, and topical debates around new technologies. Free. Bremen, Germany. November 14-16, 2023.
The annual workshop, organized by the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) in partnership with U.S. Space Command, brings together leaders from various DoD agencies to discuss policy and operational issues related to commercial and military satellite communications. Arlington, Virginia. December 12-14, 2023.
Add your event or campaign. Contact us for details.
Space Ecosystem | Startups | Deals
Firefly Aerospace, now valued at over $1 billion, is nearing the announcement of a capital raise, signaling progress in their efforts to develop space launch vehicles. CEO Bill Weber believes there will be a continued need for smaller players to focus on precise launches.
Preliminary Mars lander design. Image Credit: Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the propulsion and last-mile space payload delivery startup headed by SpaceX first employee Tom Mueller, raised $45 million of Series A funding led by RTX Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Founders Fund, Lux Capital and Airbus Ventures.
Virginia-based HawkEye 360 has closed $58 million in D-1 funding to support continued development of advanced radio frequency data services. The company has 21 satellites in orbit.
Italy's Leaf Space raised €20 million in Series B funding to expand its telemetry, tracking, and payload data transmission network for satellite operators to support the growing demand for satellite-based services.
Constellr, a thermal data startup, secured €17 million in funding to support its mission of capturing thermal imagery from space, providing data for various industries like agriculture, energy, and environmental monitoring.
Space Dots raised €1.75 million in pre-seed funding and aims to accelerate testing and qualifying of materials for use in space.
After dropping steadily since 2021, there are signs of stabilization in space industry investment, suggesting potential growth and opportunities for investors.
Space Exploration | Development
The Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities (CCSC) program, separate from funded agreements NASA signed in 2021 with teams led by Nanoracks, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman, is an unfunded effort on various initiatives including SpaceX potentially repurposing Starship into a commercial space station.
China plans a planetary defense test in 2025, targeting asteroid 2019 VL5 with both an impactor and observer spacecraft to assess their ability to deflect potential threats to Earth.
Artist concept of Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft. Image credit: DARPA
NASA and DARPA announced they selected Lockheed Martin to assemble an experimental nuclear thermal reactor vehicle (X-NTRV), aiming for a launch in four years. Nuclear-powered engines could potentially reduce travel time to Mars from 7-9 months to 2-4 months.
Astronomy | Astrophysics | Astrobiology | Cosmology
A new study suggests that NASA's Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch by May 2027, might detect approximately 400 exoplanets not bound to any star and provide insights into planetary formation and distribution.
Artist depiction of Nautilus array deployment. Image credit: Nautilus-array.space
The proposed Nautilus Space Observatory would employ a cheaper and improved thin-lensed diffractive lens. A preliminary design envisions a constellation of 35 satellites with 10x the light collecting power of the James Webb Telescope.