SpaceX Transporter-13 mission 15 launched dozens of small satellites into orbit in March, including several, which were funded by the US military and intelligence services. It was the 13th dedicated joint launch using SpaceX's small rocket, which is now a regular launch for commercial and government customers.
Among 74 payloads was a technology demonstrator from the National Intelligence Office (NRO), agencies, responsible for designing, construction and operation of American reconnaissance satellites. The payload consists of two cubesats, developed and managed by the NRO's Office of Advanced Systems and Technologies for an unspecified research mission.
Transporter-13 also carried small satellites from commercial startups, which received military funding to study defense applications.
Earth observation startup Albedo has launched Clarity-1, his first companion, designed to operate in very low Earth orbit to provide high resolution visible and thermal images. The company recently signed a contract to increase strategic funding for the US Air Force (STRATFI) for a potential amount 12 million dollars with partial funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory.
MuonSpace Company, which specializes in satellites for forest fire monitoring, launched its FireSat Protoflight satellite, the prototype of the planned grouping. The company received a contract for the amount 2,9 million dollars from SpaceWERX, technology department of the US Space Force, to evaluate its technology for military applications, including high-resolution images of cloud cover and weather conditions, which could contribute to the planning of military and intelligence operations.
Space services startup Turion Space has deployed its Droid spacecraft.002, designed for situational awareness in space and space debris monitoring. Turion received a contract from SpaceWERX for the sum 1,9 million US dollars to develop technologies for autonomous docking and maneuvering of spacecraft - capabilities, in which the Space Forces are interested in capturing space objects, which do not cooperate, and increasing mobility in space.
The mission also included W-3 Varda Space Industries, the third capsule of the company, intended for production in space and as a test stand for materials and payloads at hypersonic flight speeds. The W-3 has a navigation system called the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), developed by the USAF and Innovative Scientific Solutions Incorporated, which will be tested at atmospheric entry velocities, which he must endure, but the real test in flight conditions will be held for the first time. The capsule will remain in orbit for several weeks, before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing at Coonibba Proving Ground in South Australia.
Source: https://spacenews.com/investors-bet-on-europes-space-sector-as-geopolitical-winds-shift/