🚀 Space and Defense #15

Happy Monday 👋

The US approved a $2B arms deal with Taiwan, including air defense systems, emphasizing US support. Switzerland joined the European Sky Shield Initiative, contributing to Patriot missile systems. Japan’s Navy will be the first international buyer of Lockheed Martin’s SEWIP electronic warfare system. India launched a $119M fund to boost its space economy. Boeing is considering selling Starliner after contract issues with NASA. Lumen Orbit raised over $10M for space-based AI data centers. Finally, defense startup Origin secured $4.2M to expand its NATO-approved, battlefield-tested weapon systems.

What's new?
HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveal industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

🛡️ National Defense

🪖 Approves $2 Billion Arms Deal to Taiwan. The US Department of Defense approved a $2B arms deal for Taiwan, including advanced air defense missile systems. This reflects the US commitment to Taiwan.

🛡️ Switzerland Joins the European Air Defense Initiative. Switzerland has joined the European Sky Shield Initiative, contributing US Patriot missile systems to the air defense cooperation.

🔫 US Approves Possible Sale of 1,000 TOW Missiles to Saudi Arabia. The US has approved Saudi Arabia's request to potentially acquire over 1,000 TOW missiles at an estimated cost of $440M.

🚁 Drones

🚢 Japan to Acquire US Navy's Electronic Warfare System from Lockheed Martin. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force will acquire the US Navy's electronic warfare system, SEWIP, developed by Lockheed Martin, marking the first international sale of the system.

🛩️ Indra Demonstrates Anti-Drone System's Swarm Attack Prevention Capabilities. Indra, a company, has demonstrated the ability of its Crow anti-drone system to interoperate with various systems and prevent complex drone swarm attacks.

🪐 Space Innovation

🌌 India Sets Up $119M Fund for Space Start-Ups. The Indian government has approved a $119 million venture capital fund to support space start-ups to boost the country's space economy from $8.4B to $44B over the next decade.

🚀 Boeing Considers Selling Starliner After Failed Crewed Flight. Boeing is considering selling its Starliner spacecraft after struggling to meet the requirements of its $4.3B contract with NASA for crewed flights to space.

🛰️ ESA Selects Companies for In-Orbit Fuel Storage and Refueling Tech. The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected five companies, including ArianeGroup and The Exploration Company, to develop technology for storing fuel and refueling spacecraft while in orbit.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

With reskilling and upskilling playing a key role in closing workforce gaps, HolonIQ is now tracking these impactful initiatives shaping the space industry. Read on for this week’s insights.

🛰️ The Ministry of Defense (MOD) is advancing job creation in the UK’s space sector through substantial investments, such as the $5.4B SKYNET global satellite communications program. According to Maria Eagle, these initiatives are enhancing national security and providing vital growth opportunities for UK businesses, including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, which has directly benefited around 100 jobs. Additionally, these programs promote industrial sponsorships, educational schemes, and skills development aimed at bringing new talent into the rapidly evolving space industry.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated to catalog, evaluate, and contextualize the components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Space Deals

📡 Lumen Orbit Raises Major Funding for Space Data Centers. Lumen Orbit, a startup aiming to build data centers in space, secured a funding round of over $10M from Y Combinator's accelerator program as venture capitalists compete to fund companies providing power sources for the AI industry.

⚔️ Origin secures funding for battlefield-tested weapons systems. Origin, a company developing algorithmic weapons systems, secured $4.2M in funding. The company has commercial agreements with two NATO countries, and its systems have already been battlefield-tested.

🚀 SAS Acquires Hypersonics Missile Maker Concordia Technologies. Special Aerospace Services (SAS) acquired Concordia Technologies, a company that manufactures hypersonic missiles. This acquisition will allow SAS to support national security missions.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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