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20 Feb 25. Etlaq Spaceport, the first commercial spaceport in the Middle East and North Africa, has announced plans for five test launches in 2025 during the highly anticipated Etlaq Launch Conference 2025. These missions will serve as critical technology demonstrations, focusing on controlled ascent and descent, landing systems, stage separation, and fuel efficiency. As a globally accessible launch facility, Etlaq is collaborating with international launch partners from Kuwait, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand to execute these missions. This marks a major milestone in positioning Oman as a key player in the global space industry and reinforces Etlaq’s commitment to fostering international cooperation in space exploration.
The Genesis Program: Building Oman’s Spacefaring Future
At the heart of Etlaq’s mission is the Genesis Program, a pioneering initiative launched in 2024 to establish Oman’s national space launch heritage. Inspired by Oman’s history of seafaring excellence, the Genesis Program is the natural next step in transitioning the nation into a spacefaring future.
Initially conceptualized as a proof of concept for the National Space Services Company’s (NASCOM) experimental Duqm-1 mission, the Genesis Program aims to host as many launches as safely feasible from 2025 to 2027. By working with multiple companies operating suborbital and experimental launch vehicles, Etlaq is laying the groundwork for full-scale orbital launch operations. The program is structured to be rapidly deployable, ensuring flexibility in launch scheduling while maintaining the highest safety and sustainability standards.
A Commitment to Safety and Sustainable Space Access
Etlaq reinforced that it remains steadfast in its commitment to safety, ensuring that all five planned launches will be conducted under strict safety protocols and environmental considerations. The spaceport’s location in Wilayat Al Duqm provides a secure controlled exclusion zone, minimizing risks and optimizing launch efficiency.
“Safety is our top priority. Every mission will be conducted with rigorous risk assessments to ensure operational integrity without compromising mission success,” said an Etlaq spokesperson at the conference.
Strategic Agreements and Industry Partnerships
- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) and National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM): As part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to achieve the vision of the National Space Sector Policy and its Executive Program 2023-2033, to establish the Sultanate as the regional gateway for space services and applications, the ministry signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM) to grant the company the status of a “Qualified Entity” for building and operating spaceports, reinforcing the Sultanate’s ambitions to become a leading space hub.
This agreement aims to develop the capabilities of the Omani private sector, enabling partnerships in the implementation of strategic projects, attracting foreign investments, and facilitating the transfer and localization of advanced technologies.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the ministry by His Excellency Dr. Ali Al Shidhani and on behalf of the company by His Highness Sayyid Azzan Al Said.
- Etlaq’s Strategic Agreement with PLD Space
– In a groundbreaking partnership, Etlaq has signed a strategic agreement with Spanish launch service provider PLD Space to facilitate the launch of MIURA 5 from Oman, marking a significant step in European collaboration with Oman.
- MoU with SatMENA for Ground Station Services
– Etlaq also signed an MoU with SatMENA, a leading satellite communication service provider, to collaborate on ground station services and operational support for upcoming launches.
- New Brand Identities for Etlaq and the Oman Society for Astronomy and Space
– To reflect its growing ambitions and global vision, Etlaq unveiled a refreshed brand identity, signaling a new era for Oman’s space industry. Additionally, the Oman Society for Astronomy and Space also introduced its new brand identity, aligning with the nation’s expanding space endeavors.
19 Feb 25. Gilmour targets late March for first launch. Gilmour has set a date of late March to blast off its Eris rocket after passing the final regulatory hurdle. The green light from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority follows the company being granted a launch licence in November and approval to use its North Queensland spaceport almost a year ago. Gilmour said it plans to have 50 staff based at its Bowen spaceport to help conduct the blast-off, with a two-week launch window now pencilled in. The lift-off will be a hugely significant moment for the local space industry, with its three-stage vehicle being the first Australian-designed and manufactured orbital rocket.
Speaking at a conference in Canberra, founder Adam Gilmour said, “It’s the first time we have formally set a launch date, both with the regulators and internally in the company. There’s a buzz that it’s all getting real.
“People have to be on their toes and get everything ready and overcome issues that come up very quickly.”
The company has been developing Eris for eight years and hopes to address a gap in the global market for small satellite launches. It had planned for an inaugural blast-off in April 2024 but faced a lengthy delay in obtaining its final permit from the Australian Space Agency, which came to an end two months ago. Previously, a date of late mid-January had been muted. The news comes weeks after the federal government relaxed the laws around launches to better consider the high likelihood of failure. The changes to the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018 include an amendment that means that if no property is destroyed, a longer investigation can now be avoided in the event of an explosion.
Gilmour has repeatedly stressed that the initial blast-off of Eris is likely to end in failure, while SpaceX engineers in 2023 famously celebrated when the first launch of Starship ended in failure.
“This is the second round of reforms over the past 18 months to the act, which will support our fast-moving and highly commercialised space sector,” said Enrico Palermo, the head of the Australian Space Agency.
“These changes will remove inefficiency and improve flexibility without compromising safety.”
In a LinkedIn post, Gilmour called the amendments “positive news” and said they would bring Australia’s regulations closer to the US and those of other nations. (Source: Space Connect)
17 Feb 25. Firefly Aerospace Awarded Launch Agreement for the USSF VICTUS SOL Tactically Responsive Space Mission. VICTUS SOL will be the third U.S. Space Force TacRS mission launched aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket. Firefly Aerospace, Inc., the leader in responsive space launch services, today announced the company was awarded a $21.81 m contract to launch the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) VICTUS SOL Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission. VICTUS SOL is an early operational capability to enable the United States to rapidly respond to on-orbit needs and provide flexibility to Combatant Commanders. The VICTUS SOL launch service contract was competed on the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract managed by the Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) within SSC’s Assured Access to Space Program Executive Office (PEO). The Space Safari Office, within SSC’s PEO for Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power, is the lead organization for the USSF’s TacRS initiatives and is the end-to-end mission lead for VICTUS SOL.
“With VICTUS SOL, Firefly is humbled and proud to continue serving the Space Force on tactically responsive space with two follow-on missions after VICTUS NOX,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “As our country’s deterrence and responsive space needs grow exponentially, Firefly has ramped up our Alpha production line to meet that demand and provide flexibility to support the Space Force’s urgent needs that keep us ahead of the game.”
VICTUS SOL builds on the lessons learned from the VICTUS NOX and VICTUS HAZE missions. Firefly will continue to launch other government and commercial missions while maintaining an Alpha rocket on standby for the Space Force. Then at an unknown time, the Space Force will give Firefly a notice to launch for space vehicle deployment.
“The VICTUS SOL launch will provide the operational capability to have a launch vehicle and space vehicle on standby while we continue to launch other commercial and government missions until we’re called up by the Space Force,” said Kim. “We’re further improving our readiness to provide a rapid response capability.”
VICTUS SOL is the third U.S. Space Force mission Firefly will support with its responsive Alpha launch service. In September 2023, Firefly successfully launched the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS NOX mission following a 24-hour notice, becoming the first and only company to achieve this milestone. Later this year, Firefly will also support the U.S. Space Force VICTUS HAZE mission as part of a contract with True Anomaly to be ready to launch their space vehicle for a TacRS launch. Firefly’s on-demand launch and on-orbit capabilities are enabled by the company’s co-located manufacturing and test facilities, vertical integration of its four vehicle lines, and streamlined launch operations. As the only operational one metric ton rocket, Alpha’s high mass-to-orbit performance further allows Firefly to meet customer demand for rapid, affordable launch solutions when and where customers need their spacecraft deployed. (Source: ASD Network)
11 Feb 25. SES and Eutelsat possibly in line for C-band $bn bonus. The FCC is kickstarting the process to auction new C-band spectrum for use by US cellular operators and 5G expansion. The auction will wrap by mid-2026, according to FCC’s new Chairman Brendon Carr. Analysts at investment bank BNP Paribas say the news is “positive” for satellite operators SES and Eutelsat.
The FCC’s plan covers 3.98-4.2 GHz of spectrum for auction.
Media analyst Sami Kassab at the bank, in a note to clients, reminds investors that the FCC’s 2020 spectrum auction benefited by some $21 bn, split between SES, Intelsat, Eutelsat and a couple of smaller North American satellite operators.
The question now, says Kassab, is how much more C-band spectrum can satellite operators clear and how much will they earn from the FCC’s process. “We note that only a fraction of C-band transponders onboard SES 18 and SES 19 are currently in use. Satellite operators still use C-band for broadcasting distribution to 120 m homes in the US. We assume a further 100 Mhz [of satellite spectrum] could be cleared.”
“In the 2020 clearing phase, satellite operators received a net incentive payment of $32.3 m (in addition to the reimbursement of all clearing costs). Assuming the same conditions would bring a total of USD3.23bn. In 2020, Intelsat got 50 per cent, SES received 41 per cent and Eutelsat 5 per cent. Assuming a similar breakdown would bring SES (which is in the process of acquiring Intelsat) $2.94 bn and Eutelsat $169 m or respectively 82 per cent and 17 per cent of their current market capitalisation (assuming former Intelsat shareholders are entitled to 42.5 per cent of total C band proceeds earned by SES),” continued Kassab
That 2020 auction sold off 280 MHz of C-band spectrum and raised
However, there are some key areas of uncertainty: “It remains unclear whether under the new administration European satellite operators will be handed a similar incentive payment. However, we note that the same argument remains in favour of satellite operators, ie speed of delivery vs. long lasting legal battles. Secondly, it remains unclear to us to what extent former Intelsat shareholders are entitled to 42.5 per cent on the combined C-band spectrum rights or just on the former Intelsat share of C band spectrum rights,” added Kassab’s note.
“C-band had been a key driver of SES and Eutelsat share price a few years ago. We are likely to enter a similar phase witness the strong bounce in SES share price yesterday. Relative C-band exposure, as well as operating trends, is one of the key reasons we reaffirm our stock ratings of Outperform on SES and Underperform on Eutelsat,” said the bank’s note.
The stock market reacted favorably to the news, with SES shares jumping from €3.11 to €3.77 last week. SES has not commented on the speculation but more news should emerge at its results presentation on February 26th. (Source: Satnews)
11 Feb 25. Eutelsat America Corp. + OneWeb Technologies partner with Hughes to deliver LEO capability to the L3Harris multi-mission RASOR ecosystem. Eutelsat America Corp. and OneWeb Technologies Inc (EACOWT), operating in combination as a wholly owned independent U.S. proxy company and subsidiary of Eutelsat Group, have announced a contract with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), an EchoStar company (Nasdaq: SATS), to develop an enterprise-grade OneWeb capable LEO modem transceiver Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) that will support EACOWT’s contract with L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 003 program.
RASOR
This hybrid SATCOM technology will deliver resilient Eutelsat OneWeb LEO broadband connectivity to the L3Harris RASOR Ecosystem, a scalable and configurable waveform solution that unifies multiple line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight capabilities into a single unit. It will provide military users with flexible software-defined multi-orbit connectivity for critical Comms on the Pause (COTP), Comms on the Move (COTM) and Aero applications through the AFRL’s DEUCSI Call 003 program. The partners will deliver this future-proof Eutelsat OneWeb LEO capability, helping to augment military communications by leveraging agile, commercial satellite innovation, beginning in 2025.
As a Eutelsat OneWeb and EACOWT distribution partner, Hughes has delivered and developed the OneWeb gateway electronics and core modules that enable military users to access OneWeb LEO broadband connectivity.
EACOWT is a leading provider of satellite services for the U.S. government and its allies, committed to ensuring customers’ access to the most reliable SATCOM capabilities available. Together, EACOWT and Hughes have delivered OneWeb LEO capabilities in the Arctic region for AFRL since 2021.
“Hughes is developing this solution leveraging its deep expertise in the OneWeb gateway electronics, Satellite Subscriber Module (SSM) and systems architecture,” said Ian Canning, CEO of EACOWT. “In addition to its engineering capabilities, Hughes is a long-standing distribution and technology partner. They are well placed to support EACOWT to deliver seamless and innovative connectivity solutions to address military users’ multi-orbit mobility needs.”
“Hughes looks forward to developing this critical, multi-orbit solution, which will integrate Eutelsat OneWeb’s resilient LEO broadband connectivity into L3Harris’ innovative RASOR Ecosystem,” said Raghunandan Janardhan, vice president at Hughes Defense and Government Systems. “By collaborating with EACOWT, we are meeting military requirements for innovative, resilient satellite communications worldwide.” (Source: Satnews)
11 Feb 25. Amazon’s Kuiper-1 launch brought forward. The USA’s United Launch Alliance (ULA) is bringing forward the launch of its debut Kuiper-1 mission (officially its KA-01 launch). This will be the first operational launch for Amazon’s giant Project Kuiper mega-constellation, and it is expected to launch in the next two months aboard an Atlas V 551 rocket. This will be the first launch for the ULA rocket this year. ULA had expected the launch slot to handle to be the USSF-106 mission onboard a Vulcan rocket and it began preparing the rocket in October 2024, following its second certification mission, dubbed Cert-2. Gary Wentz, vice president of Government and Commercial Programs at ULA said the government identified that payload as “their highest priority mission,” so they worked to get quickly ready for that. However, the USSF-106 mission is not yet ready. “And so, we elected to go ahead and LVOS (Launch Vehicle on Stand) pause that booster to get that work off the critical path so that we’re prepared to launch, whether it was 106 or Kuiper,” added Wentz. It seems Kuiper has won the race, and the rocket will handle a large number of satellites, possibly around 27 although the precise number has yet to be confirmed. Amazon hasn’t said how many satellites it plans to launch on the Kuiper-1 mission although it has announced on social media that “another batch” of its Kuiper broadband production satellites was “on its way to Cape Canaveral.” Amazon’s Kuiper fleet is planned to have a total of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit. Kuiper has 46 launches booked with ULA. Amazon has also purchased 18 launches on Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket, plus 12 launches on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, with options to add another 15 on top of that; and three launches on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. ULA has confirmed that it plans on launching “quite a few” Kuiper missions this year, using both the Atlas rocket as well as the more powerful Vulcan craft. Wentz said the first Vulcan rocket planned to launch Kuiper satellites is currently in production. (Source: Satnews)
10 Feb 25. Rocket Lab schedules the launch for 1st of multiple missions for BlackSky. Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) will soon launch a satellite on a dedicated Electron mission, the first of a bulk order of multiple new missions for real-time space-based intelligence company BlackSky (NYSE: BSKY). The mission, named “Fasten Your Space Belts”, will launch from Rocket Lab’s private orbital launch site, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand during a launch window that opens on February 18th UTC. The mission will launch the first Gen-3 satellite in BlackSky’s mid-inclination, Earth-imaging constellation to a circular 470 km orbit. The mission is the ninth launch for BlackSky since 2019, making Rocket Lab the most prolific launch provider for BlackSky’s constellation to date. The mission will bring the total number of satellites delivered to space by Rocket Lab to 210 and follows a record year of 16 successful launches 2024. Each mission for BlackSky includes a Rocket Lab Motorized Lightband separation system for BlackSky’s satellites, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy and ability to provide commercial launch, satellite, and spacecraft components solutions across the mission spectrum.
“Fasten Your Space Belts” will be Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2025 and its 60th Electron launch overall. Rocket Lab’s 2025 launch manifest includes Electron missions for commercial and government customers, as well as HASTE missions from Launch Complex 2. Launch windows for each will be announced in due course.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said, “Electron is a trusted and reliable constellation builder for companies like BlackSky, allowing them to be in control of how, when, and where to deploy their constellation. BlackSky is one of our earliest and longest-standing commercial satellite customers, and it’s great to be heading back to the pad with them once again to continue to advance and expand their constellation.”
“This launch represents a major inflection point for our global defense and intelligence customer base as BlackSky introduces low-latency, very high-resolution Gen-3 satellite to our dynamic, high-frequency monitoring constellation,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “As more Gen-3 satellites complete production, we expect a regular cadence of additional launches over the coming year. (Source: Satnews)
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Founded in 2017, MatrixSpace is creating the next generation of artificial intelligence enabled sensing solutions to digitize the outdoors beyond the limits of human perception.
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Visit maxtrixspace.com
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