Military/Aerospace Electronics

Synspective, the Tokyo based SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite data specialist, has raised ¥7 billion ($43.5 million) in a Series C funding round. The company says it will use the new capital to develop, manufacture, launch, and operate the SAR satellites for its constellation. It will also prepare mass production facilities, develop its satellite data systems, and look to expand ...

LeoLabs has been has been selected by AFWERX to develop next-generation radar technology to counter security threats in space. The SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase II contract is worth $1.2 million. AFWERX – part of the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) and working with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) – is described as an innovation programme, ...

DAC 2024: Accellera Systems Initiative, the EDA standards body, reflects the industry’s shift of focus from chip to systems, with the formation of a new working group. The Federated Simulation Standard (FSS) working group will focus on the Interoperability of simulators, models, and other components that together form systems-of-systems simulation environments, said Martin Barnasconi, Accellera’s technical committee chair and chair ...

The International Space Station (ISS) National Lab announces new funding opportunities to use its orbiting laboratory to develop, or test products and processes. The organisation is offering $750,000 for projects that have “a clear line of sight to commercial applications and demonstrate the potential to produce a positive direct or indirect economic impact” in the near term. The funding is ...

BAE Systems and GlobalFoundries are to align technology roadmaps and collaborate on long-term strategies for US  fabrication and packaging of secure chips for use in aerospace and defense systems. Together, the companies will plan  for emerging technologies and collaborate on R&D into packaging, GaN-on-Si, silicon photonics and process development. The non-exclusive collaboration brings together BAe’s expertise in microelectronics for critical ...

Panasonic is currently supporting a development programme by students at ETH Zurich to develop a robot that will be used to explore asteroids. The main challenge to overcome for the SpaceHopper program is the virtual absence of gravity on asteroids, which makes it very difficult for any robot to move around. The development team from ETH Zurich assumes that the ...

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded four contracts to develop space laser communication terminal prototypes. This will be the first of three phases in a $100 million Enterprise Space Terminal (EST) programme. The four companies chosen are: Blue Origin, CACI International, General Atomics, and Viasat. Laser communication The goal for the EST programme is to enable ...

Skynopy, an eight month-old Paris-based space startup specialising in satellite connectivity, has raised $3.1 million. Founded in October 2023 by Pierre Bertrand and Antonin Hirsch, former directors of Loft Orbital, Skynopy aims to bring the simplicity of mobile phone connectivity to low-orbit satellites and constellation sector, thanks to its business model and key interface technologies. Skynopy addresses the complexity of ...

IENAI Space has raised €3.9 million during its latest funding round to develop its electric propulsion technologies. The Madrid-based startup said the latest round of investment brings the total funding of IENAI to €7 million. The investors included the Spanish companies Inveready, WA4STEAM, DPM, GED Conexo Ventures, and CDTI, a Spansih government backed investor that matches private investment. Following the ...

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen Redwire’s SabreSat VLEO (very low-Earth orbit) platform for its Otter propulsion research programme. The contract from the defence agency will see Redwire become the prime mission integrator for the development of an “air-breathing satellite” that will demonstrate the use of novel electric propulsion systems. This will be in VLEO, which ...