DIU Selects Companies for Hybrid Space Architecture, Maxar's Raptor System, and ESA's Proba-3 Mission

Defense Innovation Unit's Hybrid Space Architecture

• 🚀 The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has selected 12 companies to build a secure network of military and commercial communication satellites.
• 🎯 The Hybrid Space Architecture (HSA) project aims to integrate civil, commercial, and military space assets for improved warfighter awareness and decision-making.
• 💡 HSA seeks to increase network resilience through multi-path routing, optimizing data transport and mitigating adverse effects from weather or obstructions.
• 🤝 New contracts were awarded to companies including Capella Space, OneWeb Technologies, Lockheed Martin Space, and Ursa Space Systems, joining existing performers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft.
• 🗓️ The project aims to pilot an operational hybrid commercial and government space architecture by 2026.

Joint Antenna Marketplace (JAM) Prototype

• 🛰️ The US Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) has selected Auria Space and Sphinx Defense to develop a secure, cloud-based Joint Antenna Marketplace (JAM) prototype.
• 💰 The combined contract value is $17.6 million, with Auria receiving $8.1 million and Sphinx $9.5 million.
• 🔗 JAM will connect satellite operations centers to commercial and government antennas to support US and allied forces.
• 📈 SSC views this as a pivotal collaboration to enhance scheduling flexibility, system resiliency, and support for future space operations.

Maxar's Raptor System and Software Focus

• 🗺️ Maxar US Government General Manager Susanne Hake discussed the Raptor system, a software suite designed for navigation in GPS-denied environments.
• 🧠 Raptor leverages Maxar's high-resolution 3D maps (nearly 100 million square kilometers) combined with a drone's camera for navigation.
• ✈️ The platform-agnostic software is being tested on various drone types and is globally available due to the widespread 3D map coverage.
• 💡 Maxar is transitioning from a focus on imagery to providing more operational and tactical mission solutions, including software and AI models for use cases like site monitoring and change detection.
• 🌍 Commercial and humanitarian applications for Raptor are also being explored, particularly in environments where drones are used and GPS interference might occur.

Other Space Industry News

• 💰 X-Bow Systems raised $105 million in a Series B funding round, with a strategic agreement with Lockheed Martin to accelerate its role as a supplier of solid rocket motors.
• 📊 AST Space Mobile reported Q1 financial results, holding $874.5 million in cash and anticipating orbital launches every two months in 2025-2026.
• 🌐 Rivada Space Networks partnered with Q-KON to expand network and digital transformation across Africa using Rivada's Outernet connectivity.
• 🇭🇺 Hungary is reigniting its ambition in space with an astronaut participating in an upcoming Axiom mission.
• 🎓 An educational partnership was announced between the Space Development Agency and the University of North Dakota.

ESA's Proba-3 Mission

• 🌌 The European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 mission successfully demonstrated autonomous formation flying between two spacecraft, the Occulter and Coronagraph, separated by 150 meters.
• ☀️ The mission uses the Occulter to cast a shadow, allowing the Coronagraph to study the sun's corona without waiting for natural eclipses.
• 🔬 Precision is maintained using cameras, LED lights, and a fine lateral and longitudinal sensor, achieving millimeter-level accuracy.
• 🚀 This achievement paves the way for future missions involving multiple satellites working collaboratively as a single observatory.