APOGEE STAFF Space interests across Europe eagerly awaited the first liftoff of Ariane 6, hoping for an end to a launch crisis that drove vital payloads to foreign companies, tested relations within the multinational European Space Agency, and raised national security questions for the leader of the French space command. Successor to the first commercial launch vehicle, the most reliable rocket of its time, Ariane 6 was delayed by a host of factors — cost overruns, the challenge of meeting its lofty technical goals and supply chain interruptions blamed in part on the COVID-19 pandemic. Development began in 2014, with…
Author: Apogee
REUTERS The United States has eased export restrictions on U.S. commercial space companies to ship certain satellite and spacecraft-related items to allies and partners. The changes, announced in October 2024, are intended to make it easier for the growing U.S. commercial space industry to expand sales while also protecting national security and foreign policy interests. U.S. space companies like SpaceX, and large defense contractors with space units, including Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies and Boeing, could benefit from the new rules. “As the diversity of commercial activity in space grows, these rules will reduce the burden for U.S. industry to continue…
APOGEE STAFF NATO launched plans in October 2024 to develop a military-grade satellite network for the Arctic to boost defenses against Russia. Thirteen countries agreed to push forward with the Northlink initiative to connect space-based communication systems across the Arctic using existing commercial satellites, Politico reported. Although NATO doesn’t operate its own satellites, it opened a dedicated space command center in Germany in 2019. Russia, which also borders the Arctic, has ramped up its operations in the region with warnings of jamming attacks on satellites in the area. Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and the United States all control Arctic territory…
APOGEE STAFF A wide-ranging cooperation agreement signed by Italy and the United States in October 2024 included the strengthening of national security ties in critical areas such as space domain awareness and commercial integration, according to the Breaking Defense website. “The U.S.-Italy Space Dialogue’s purpose is to strengthen cooperation and advance bilateral collaboration in space matters,” a joint statement by the countries declared. “Both sides reiterated their strong determination to expand already robust bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas, including addressing the climate crisis and sustainable and safe use of outer space; preserving outer space heritage; advancing national security…
REUTERS A consortium of NATO allies in June 2024 confirmed the first tranche of companies awarded funding as part of the group’s $1.1 billion innovation fund, and artificial intelligence and space innovation were listed as key priorities. The alliance unveiled the fund in the summer of 2022, months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, promising to invest in technologies that would enhance its defenses. The fund is backed by 24 of NATO’s 32 members, including Finland and Sweden, which joined the alliance in 2023 and 2024, respectively. One company NATO is investing in is Space Forge, a Welsh company that…
As space threats grow in sophistication and number, so do efforts by the nations of the world to resist them. For the European Union (EU) and its executive European Commission, a key component of these efforts falls to a Prague-based agency that tests and approves the standards for keeping space assets secure. The work of this agency, the Security Accreditation Board (SAB), is highly technical and largely classified. But what’s at stake is clear. “The EU is increasingly dependent on space-based assets and services for the functioning of its economy, its society and for security and defense,” the European External…
APOGEE STAFF At a time when space power was emerging as the difference between winning and losing on the battlefield, NATO gave up its satellites. The United States had demonstrated the military value of capabilities such as GPS, precision-guided munitions and satellite communication in 1990 during Operation Desert Storm — what many historians refer to as the first U.S. space war. And as far back as 1970, NATO, the alliance born after World War II to protect Europe against the Soviet Union, had owned and operated its own satellites. Then, in 2005, NATO decided on a different approach: Save money and…
APOGEE STAFF Japanese researchers have created the world’s first wooden satellite to test the potential uses of timber for lunar and Mars exploration. The satellite, called LignoSat, was flown in November 2024 to the International Space Station (ISS), where it was deployed into orbit in December 2024. Developed by Kyoto University and Tokyo-based logging company Sumitomo Forestry, the palm-sized spacecraft will help researchers learn about the renewable material’s cosmic potential as humans investigate the possibility of living in space. “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space…
APOGEE STAFF The Space Development Agency (SDA) is laying the groundwork to enlarge the military’s defense satellite constellation known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The agency has notified satellite manufacturers of its aim to solicit 200 satellites in 2025. The satellites, forming Tranche 3 of the architecture, would include upgrades over current Tranche 1 and 2 satellites. An arm of the U.S. Space Force, the SDA develops and deploys next-generation systems to help the military detect and counter advanced threats, including hypersonic missiles. It works closely with manufacturers to deliver systems at a rate faster and more cost-efficient…
APOGEE STAFF The electronic electromagnetic jamming system known as Meadowlands, which will help the U.S. Space Force defend against Chinese and Russian satellites, has been scheduled for delivery after two years of delays, the Space Force said. The system, developed by L3Harris Technologies Inc., is a lighter-weight mobile version of the military’s Counter Communications System (CCS). It was originally set for deployment in October 2022 but was delayed due to technical problems, according to Bloomberg News. In addition, a software upgrade was added to enable the system to jam more frequencies. As of September 2024, Meadowlands had completed all system-level…