Debra Werner

SAN FRANCISCO – Zenno Astronautics, a New Zealand startup focused on applying superconducting magnets for spacecraft attitude control and acceleration, plans to redomicile to the United States.

SAN FRANCISCO – Space startup veteran Mark Matossian has joined forces with a software engineer and a best-selling author to establish Whipsmart Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on space and deep tech.

SAN FRANCISCO – Southern California startup Orbes announced an agreement July 27 to send Exo-ORB, a free-flying satellite, to gather imagery of an uncrewed Symphony Space station.

SAN FRANCISCO – Fortastra, a Los Angeles startup focused on defending on-orbit infrastructure, is working with manufacturing specialist Hadrian to

SAN FRANCISCO – Sophia Space announced the award July 30 of a patent, shared with the California Institute of Technology, covering large, modular space-based data centers.

SAN FRANCISCO – Spanish startup Kreios Space announced plans Aug. 4 to conduct the first very low Earth orbit (VLEO) demonstration of its air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) in a Kongsberg NanoAvionics microsatellite bus.

SAN FRANCISCO – Rubicon Space Systems completed hot-fire testing of its Velox 5-newton ASCENT monopropellant thruster, paving the way for on-orbit operations in 2027.

SAN FRANCISCO – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will continue to evaluate data from Spire Global's Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) under a $3 million contract extension announced Aug. 4.

Satellite manufacturing thrives in California despite cost and regulatory pressures

SAN FRANCISCO – The National Reconnaissance Office has awarded contracts to Capella Space, Iceye U.S. and Umbra to expand the U.S. government's use of commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR).