National security space leaders talk the talk on embracing commercial innovation, but are they walking the walk?

In speeches and interviews, U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command leaders frequently cite their mantra, “Exploit what we have, buy what we can and build only what we must.”

National Reconnaissance Office leaders have a similar saying, “Buy what we can, build what we must.”

After years of these pronouncements, current and former government officials are underscoring the gap between words and actions.

Exactly how much of the government’s estimated $70 billion in national security space funding is flowing to the entrepreneurial space sector? It’s hard to say. #spacenews

#TAMPA, Fla. — #Kepler Communications, a Canadian small satellite operator, is teaming up with Europe’s #Airbus Defence and Space and its independent laser terminal subsidiary Tesat-Spacecom to develop an optical relay network in low Earth orbit (LEO).

The Canadian company is leading the group to help bid for a greater role in the European Space Agency’s High Throughput Optical Network ( #HydRON ) program.

First presented to Europe’s Ministerial Council in November 2019, #HydRON envisages a multi-orbit, terabit-per-second transport network for extending the reach of fiber networks on the ground.

Previously, Kepler was a subcontractor within two competing groups that won early ESA study contracts in 2022 for a multi-orbit HydRON demonstration mission: one led by Airbus and another led by Thales Alenia Space.

#Pentagon research chief calls for commercial radiation-hardened electronics.

“Recent reporting regarding the prospect of Russia launching nuclear warheads on long-range boosters or from orbiting platforms raises additional concerns of nuclear detonations in space,” said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

#COLORADO SPRINGS — The European Space Agency awarded a contract to a consortium of companies to resume work on a Mars rover mission that was derailed two years ago by geopolitics.

ESA announced April 9 it awarded a contract worth 522 million euros ($567 million) to a team led by Thales Alenia Space to restart work on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission. That mission will deliver to the surface of Mars the Rosalind Franklin rover, equipped with a drill that will go up to two meters into the surface, collecting material to analyze for evidence of past or present life.

ExoMars was scheduled to launch in September 2022 on a Russian Proton rocket, part of a partnership between #ESA and Roscosmos that also included Russian development of a landing platform for the rover. However, ESA suspended cooperation on the mission weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and put the completed rover in storage.

#TAMPA, Fla. — It is becoming more difficult for young space companies to close growth-stage funding rounds amid increasing investor scrutiny, according to an April 9 panel of investment bankers and equity analysts.

The poor trading performance of early-stage space companies listed on the stock exchange in recent years, coupled with the end of cheap capital as interest rates rise, is weighing on businesses’ ability to build scale in the market.

Citigroup investment banker Sameer Garg said during the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs that young space companies used to just need to nail down one lead investor to close a funding round.

Then it became “a market of two,” where the success of a funding round depended on existing investors stepping up and continuing to demonstrate their interest and desire to support a company alongside a lead investor, Garg continued.

#COLORADO SPRINGS — A startup has unveiled plans to develop inflatable modules that the company believes can be made larger and less expensive than alternatives, supporting commercial space stations and other applications.

Max Space is developing a series of expandable modules, the first of which is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in 2025. That Max Space 20 module, compacted into a volume of two cubic meters for launch, will expand to 20 cubic meters after deployment, making it the largest expandable module flown to date.

Aaron Kemmer, co-founder and chief executive of Max Space, said in an interview that his interest in expandable modules stemmed from his experience at space manufacturing company Made In Space, which produced 3-D printers used on the International Space Station

#TAMPA, Fla. — Recent high-profile layoffs are only a short-term setback for a space industry on track for more unprecedented growth in workforce and revenues, according to panelists joining the Space Foundation’s quarterly investment discussion April 8.

Employment in the private space sector soared about 30% over the last five years compared with a rise of less than 10% for the United States overall, Kelli Ogborn, Space Foundation vice president of space commerce and entrepreneurship, said during the non-profit organization’s 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

However, the employment picture is less rosy in other areas of the space sector

Battling Without Borders: Cross-Domain Capability is the Future of #Warfighting?

When waging war against their enemies, ancient Greeks often prayed to the deities Ares and Athena. Ares, the fiery god of war, was known for his brute strength and reckless aggression; while Athena, the sagacious goddess of wisdom, was known for her strategic thinking and righteous sense of justice. Because it married mind with muscle, their partnership was thought to be a perfect pairing for soldiers seeking victory.

But wars in this new era of great power competition are different from wars then. If the ancient Greeks were engaged in conflict today, the best object of their prayers might be Proteus, who in Greek mythology was a prophetic sea god who could unravel the past, discern the present and foresee the future. Although Proteus was omniscient, he did not like sharing his secrets. To avoid doing so, he would often change his form to hide from those who sought his counsel, metamorphosing into animals, trees, and even elements like water and fire

#Musk outlines plans to increase Starship launch rate and performance