An artist’s ilustration of satellite connections in orbit above the Earth.
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Overview: Digital orbital danger
What’s up
- ABL Space inaugural launch fails: Shortly after liftoff, an anomaly in the RS1 rocket shut down its nine engines, causing the vehicle to return and impact “directly on the launch pad,” resulting in damage. The FAA said in a statement to CNBC on Thursday that there were no reports of injuries and no public property damage, and that “all debris was contained within the designated hazard area.” – CNBC
- SpaceX returns 26th ISS cargo mission, with the company’s Dragon capsule splashing down to complete the flight. – SpaceX
- Japanese lunar mission completes fifth milestone as flight continues: ispace’s Mission 1 lander is now over 1.3 million kilometers from the Earth as it heads to the moon. – ispace
- OneWeb deploys 40 more satellites after second SpaceX launch, bringing the company’s constellation to 542 satellites in orbit. OneWeb has two launches remaining to complete its first generation constellation. – OneWeb
Industry maneuvers
- Capella Space raises $60 million from billionaire Thomas Tull’s fund, as the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery company prepares to launch its next-generation Acadia satellites this year. – CNBC
- European airline airBaltic signs with SpaceX to equip fleet with Starlink, and plans to begin offering the service, free of charge, inflight. – airBaltic
- General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems wins contract from Advanced Space to build a deep space detection satellite under $72 million Air Force Research Laboratory contract. – SpaceNews
- NASA names A.C. Charania as chief technologist, who joins after previous roles at Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. – NASA
- ST Engineering iDirect names Don Claussen as CEO. He comes to the satellite communications company from Intelsat where he was a vice president with a wide variety of roles. – ST Engineering iDirect
- Retired Air Force three star general Steven Kwast named CEO of Skycorp, a California-based space logistics company. – SpaceNews
- EchoStar fires senior vice president and Chief Accounting Officer Muhammad Ali Butt, with subsidiary Hughes Network’s Jeffrey Boggs taking over as interim principle accounting officer. An EchoStar spokesperson told CNBC that Butt’s termination “was strictly a personnel issue and not the result of any concern over controls, processes, or financial reporting.” – EchoStar
- Astranis brings on Doug Abts as Chief Commercial Officer. He joins after more than seven years at Viasat, most recently as SVP of strategy and corporate development. — Astranis CEO John Gedmark
- Slingshot Aerospace hires Thomas Arend as Chief Product Officer. He joins after 18 months at Astra, most recently as VP and head of product management. – Slingshot
- Habitat startup Vast Space moves headquarters to Long Beach, California, expanding facilities footprint for future growth. – Vast
Market movers
- Virgin Orbit is down 20% week to date, after its first launch of the U.K., and sixth to date, failed mid-flight. The company has begun an investigation into the cause, as the anomaly led to the upper stage engine cutting off early. – CNBC / Virgin Orbit