🚀 Space and Defense #20

Happy Monday 👋

This week in the global defense and space sector, China banned rare earth minerals exports such as Gallium, and Germanium to the U.S., impacting advanced semiconductor production for space tech. The Netherlands contracted Kongsberg for $1B in air defense systems, while the U.S. approved a $1.17B MH-60R helicopter deal with India. The UK military received its first 3D-printed parts for naval systems. Rheinmetall will build a $190M ammo plant in Lithuania. SpaceX Sets a New Record carrying 24 satellites, and China launched its first all-electric propulsion satellite. CSMC licensed Canadian nuclear reactors for space use. Spain’s Sateliot secured a $31.7M EIB loan for its satellite network.

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🛡️ National Defense

🪨 China Bans the Export of Critical Minerals such as Gallium, Germanium, and antimony to the US. These minerals are vital for advanced space chip manufacturing, highly efficient solar cells crucial for powering spacecraft, infrared sensors, missile tracking, and ammunition production. This could hinder the progress of the space and defense industry.

🚀 Netherlands Buys $1 Billion Air Defense Systems from Kongsberg. The government of the Netherlands contracted Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, a Norwegian company, to deliver NASAMS and NOMADS air defense systems worth $1 billion.

✈️ US Approves $1.17 Billion Helicopter Deal with India. The US State Department approved a potential $1.17 billion deal to sell MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter equipment and support to the Government of India.

🚁 Drones and Weapon Systems

🖨️ UK Military Receives First 3D-Printed Parts for Naval, Artillery Systems. The UK military received its first batch of 3D-printed components for naval and artillery systems, as announced by manufacturer Babcock.

⚔️ Rheinmetall to Build Ammunition Plant in Lithuania. Rheinmetall, a German company, and Lithuania signed agreements to construct a $190M ammunition plant for producing artillery shells, as Lithuania remains wary of Russia.

🛬 OpenAI to Upgrade Anduril's Anti-Drone Tech for US Military. OpenAI inked a deal to provide its AI technology to Anduril, a defense startup, to enhance systems used by the US military to counter drone attacks.

🧑‍🚀 Space Launches and Propulsion Technology

🚀 SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Sets New Record with 24th Flight. SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on a record-breaking 24th flight early on December 4, carrying 24 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit.

🛰️ China Delivers First All-Electric Propulsion Satellite in Orbit. China delivered its first all-electric propulsion telecommunications satellite, APSTAR-6E, to its customers while in orbit. This marks a significant step in satellite operation and development.

📡 China's Long March 3B Rocket Reaches 100th Launch Milestone China successfully launched its 100th Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, carrying an experimental satellite called Communication Technology D.

🪐 Space Innovation & Connectivity

⚡ CSMC Licenses Canadian Nuclear Reactor for Space and Remote Energy. CSMC and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories are collaborating to commercialize nuclear reactor technology for use in space exploration.

🛰️ Northrop Grumman Activates Arctic Satellite Constellation for Space Force and Norway. Northrop Grumman completed the activation of Space Norway's Arctic satellite constellation, expanding satellite communications access in the Arctic region for the U.S. Space Force and Norway.

🌞 Lockheed Martin unveils solar power array for NASA's Artemis program. Lockheed Martin, an aerospace company, unveiled a solar power array that will be used for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

🛠️ 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.

🦾 Space Force Pilots Civilian ROTC-Style Program to Build Workforce. The Space Force has launched a pilot program akin to ROTC, offering college students civilian job guarantees upon graduation. Partnering with top universities, it provides firsthand exposure to Space Force operations. Civilians constitute nearly 50% of its workforce, performing critical technical and support roles. This initiative, supported by a five-year Congressional mandate, aims to strengthen the civilian talent pipeline, enhance technical expertise, and bolster awareness of the Space Force’s evolving mission.

🚀 IN-SPACe Recognized to Certify Space Sector Skill Trainees. India's space regulator, IN-SPACe, has been accredited by NCVET to certify trainees in space sector qualifications. This milestone enables it to offer training in critical areas such as satellite manufacturing, mission design, and propulsion systems. IN-SPACe aims to align programs with industry demands, building a skilled workforce for India’s space ambitions. This initiative strengthens India’s global space competitiveness through comprehensive vocational education standards.

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

🛰️ Spanish satellite operator Sateliot secures a $31.7M EIB loan. Sateliot, a satellite operator based in Barcelona, Spain secured a $31.7M loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the deployment of its satellite network.

🚀 PLD Space Secures $11.6M Loan for Miura 5 Launch Complex. PLD Space, a space technology company secured a $11.6M loan to support the development of its Miura 5 launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre.

🌠 Turion Space Secures Strategic Funding from Veteran Ventures Capital. Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC) announced a strategic investment in Turion Space, a company focused on space domain awareness and non-earth imaging capabilities.

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