🚀 Space and Defense #18

Happy Monday 👋

China is accelerating its development of its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. South Korea is building a major naval combat system test site. Anduril secured a contract for the USMC's air defense system. The AUKUS nations are collaborating on hypersonic technology. Singapore commissioned new submarines. L3Harris will develop an autonomous vehicle swarm control system for the Pentagon. SpaceX called off an attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster. SpaceX launched the first space mission for India. China tested a critical component for its lunar rocket. The Exploration Company raised funds for reusable spacecraft. TEKEVER raised $73M for AI-driven UAS innovation.

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.

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🛡️ National Defense

☢️ China Advances Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Program. China is accelerating the development of its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as evidenced by satellite images confirming progress on the project.

⚓️ South Korea Begins Construction of Largest Naval Combat System Test Site. South Korea started the construction of the largest naval combat system test site in the country.

🛩️ Kongsberg to Supply Air Defense Systems to the Netherlands. Kongsberg, a Norwegian company, signed a deal to supply NASAMS and NOMADS air defense systems to the Netherlands.

🚁 Drones

🛡️ Anduril Wins a $200M Contract for USMC's Air Defense System. Anduril, a defense technology company, secured a $200m contract to provide its Anvil counter-drone system to enhance the US Marine Corps MADIS air defense system.

🚀 AUKUS Nations to Test Hypersonic Technologies. The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies.

⚔️ India Tests Long-Range Hypersonic Missile. India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile from an island off the coast of Odisha, as announced by Defense Minister Rajnakh Singh.

🪖 Armored Vehicles

🛡️ Singapore Commissions New Invincible-Class Submarines. Singapore commissioned two new Invincible-class submarines to enhance the security of key sea lines of communication.

🤖 Pentagon Selects L3Harris to Develop Autonomous Vehicle Swarm Control System. The Pentagon chose L3Harris to develop a command-and-control system capable of operating multiple autonomous vehicles simultaneously.

🚁 Philippines Boosts Air Force with New Black Hawk Helicopters. The Philippines received new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, enhancing its aerial capabilities.

🪐 Space Innovation

🛰️ SpaceX Aborts Booster Catch During Starship Test Flight. SpaceX called off an attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster of its Starship rocket during a test flight on Tuesday due to safety concerns, resulting in the booster splashing down in the ocean instead of being caught by the company's 'chopsticks' catching mechanism.

🌌 SpaceX Launches First Mission for Indian Space Agency. SpaceX is set to launch the GSAT-N2 satellite today (Nov. 18), the company's first-ever mission for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

🚀 China Tests Critical Fairing for Long March 10 Lunar Rocket. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) successfully tested a key component of its Long March 10 rocket, which is an essential part of China's lunar exploration program.

🛠️ 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, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

📡 The North East Space Communications Accelerator consortium is set to advance space research with $3.15M backing for NESCA, a consortium of universities, local authorities, and industry leaders. Plans include a $63.14M Space Skills and Technology Centre, innovation funds to support spin-outs, skills development programs, and expanded marketing to position the region as a leader in space innovation. NESCA, launching next year, aims to bridge research and industry, aligning university innovation with market needs to drive economic growth and bolster regional expertise.

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

🚀 The Exploration Company Raises $160M for Reusable Spacecraft. The Exploration Company, a space technology firm, secured $160M  in new funding to further develop its reusable Nyx spacecraft.

🤖 TEKEVER Secures $73M Funding for AI-Driven UAS Innovation and Expansion. TEKEVER, a technology company, raised $73M in funding led by Baillie Gifford and the NATO Innovation Fund to accelerate its AI-driven unmanned aerial systems (UAS) innovation and global expansion.

📦 Inversion Space Secures $44M for Space Cargo Delivery. Inversion Space, a company focused on developing reentry vehicles, raised $44M to advance its technology for delivering cargo from space.

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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