April Fundraising Activity
April 5 – Japanese smallsat manufacturer and Earth observation business Axelspace Corporation announced that it raised an undisclosed amount of new funding from Space Compass Corporation, Development Bank of Japan, Tokio Marine Holdings and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital.
April 6 – True Anomaly, Inc., a space security startup that is developing an autonomous orbital vehicle for space object data collection, emerged from stealth, announcing that it has raised $30m in funding from Eclipse Ventures, Riot Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures and Space.VC, among other investors.
April 13 – Kepler Communications Inc. announced that it raised $92m in a Series C funding round led by IA Ventures, with plans to use the new capital for development of an optical data relay system to complement its radio frequency network.
April 17 – On-orbit refueling company Orbit Fab, Inc. announced that it raised $28.5m in a Series A funding round led by 8090 Industries, which it plans to use for deployment of its multi-orbit fuel delivery and storage infrastructure.
Thuraya Makes Investment in Astrocast
On April 3, Thuraya Telecommunications Co (Thuraya), a subsidiary of Al Yah Satellite Communications Co PJSC, and Astrocast S.A. (Astrocast) announced that they entered into an agreement whereby Thuraya will make an investment in Astrocast through a $17.5m convertible loan, marking Thuraya's first investment in a low-Earth orbit constellation.
Dish Selects Maxar for New Satellite
On April 18, Dish Network Corporation announced that it selected Maxar Technologies Inc. to manufacture the ES XXV satellite based on its 1300 GEO platform. ES XXV will be used to provide high-definition broadcast services to customers across North America.
Virgin Orbit Files for Bankruptcy Protection
On April 4, Virgin Orbit LLC filed voluntarily for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and announced that it seeks to use the process to maximize value for its business and assets.
Maxar Shareholders Approve Advent Acquisition
On April 19, Maxar Technologies Inc. announced that its shareholders approved the acquisition of the company by Advent International Corporation at a price of $53 per share
April Launch Services Performed
April 7 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully launched the IS-40e satellite for Intelsat S.A. (Intelsat) on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and then recovered the vehicle's first stage. Manufactured by Maxar Technologies Inc., IS-40e will provide mobility services from 91ºW. The satellite also carries a hosted payload for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that will be used to monitor air pollution.
April 14 – SpaceX successfully performed the Transporter-7 rideshare mission, launching 51 satellites—including Turkey's IMECE imaging satellite and satellites for Satellogic, Inc., GHGsat Inc., Hawkeye 360, Inc. and Umbra Lab Inc.—using the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and then recovering the vehicle's first stage
April 20 – SpaceX performed its first ever test flight of an integrated Starship launch vehicle and Super Heavy booster. After lifting off successfully from the company's test site in Boca Chica, Texas, on a mission designed for a long suborbital trajectory, the Starship reached an altitude of 39 km before engine failure caused it to descend and, after activation of the flight termination system, break apart.
April 28 – SpaceX successfully launched two O3b mPower satellites for SES S.A. (SES) on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and then recovered the vehicle's first stage. Manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. (Boeing), the two satellites join a pair of O3b mPower satellites launched late last year, together accounting for four of the 11 satellites to be deployed by SES for its next-generation medium-Earth orbit broadband system.
April 19, 27 – SpaceX successfully launched batches of 21 and 46 Starlink satellites, respectively, each time using a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and then recovering its first stage.
April 30 – SpaceX successfully launched a ViaSat-3 satellite for Viasat Inc. (Viasat), along with the Arcturus satellite for Astranis Space Technologies Corp. (Astranis) and the Orbit Guard #1 / G-Space 1 satellite for Infinite Orbits SAS and Gravity Space LLC on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. With a 702MP+ satellite platform manufactured by Boeing and a payload built by Viasat, the ViaSat-3 satellite is the first to be deployed for the three-satellite ViaSat-3 broadband system. Arcturus – the first MicroGEO satellite to be deployed by Astranis – will provide capacity for Pacific Dataport Inc. to offer broadband services in Alaska, while Orbit Guard #1 / G-Space 1 will demonstrate technology for in-orbit servicing missions.
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