🚀 Space and Defense #23

Happy New Year! 🎉

This week in the global defense and space sector, The European Space Agency approved an $8.3B budget for 2025, while India launched its first space docking mission. RTX secured a $946M deal for Patriot missile systems in Romania, and QinetiQ US won a $31.5M Army contract for sensor integration. SpaceX is set to launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite, while Blue Origin completed a key test for its New Glenn rocket. The ESA and Telesat achieved the world’s first 5G satellite connection. A piece of space debris fell on a Kenyan village, and HELSINKI a Chinese satellite maker raised $137M in funding.

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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

🧑‍🚀 European Space Agency Approves 2025 Budget. The European Space Agency Council approved a preliminary budget of $8.3B for 2025, a slight decrease from the previous year's budget.

🛰️ India's First Space Docking Mission. India launched its first space docking mission, aiming to become the fourth country to achieve this milestone in space exploration.

🛡️ RTX Awarded $946M Deal for Patriot Missile Systems in Romania. RTX, a defense contractor, secured a $946M contract to provide Romania with Patriot missile defense systems, enhancing the country's air defense capabilities.

🚀 Vietnam to Purchase BrahMos Missiles from India. India and Vietnam are close to finalizing a $700M deal for Vietnam to purchase BrahMos supersonic missile systems from India.

🚁 Drones and Weapon Systems

🛡️ QinetiQ US Wins $31.5M Army Contract for Sensor Integration. QinetiQ US, a defense technology company, secured a 5-year, $31.5M task order from the U.S. Army to support sensor and system interoperability with the Integrated Sensor Architecture (ISA).

🚢 China's New Amphibious Assault Ship With Aircraft Carrier Capabilities. China unveiled a new amphibious assault ship called the Sichuan. The vessel's electromagnetic catapult system allows it to launch fighter jets and drones, essentially making it a light aircraft carrier.

🚀 US Navy Acquires Torpedo Kits from General Dynamics. The US Navy strengthened its fleet by acquiring MK 54 lightweight torpedo kits from General Dynamics, a major defense contractor.

🧑‍🚀 Space Launches and Propulsion

🛰️ SpaceX Launching Thuraya 4-NGS Satellite. SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite for the UAE-based mobile satellite services operator Thuraya.

🚀 Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Passes Key Test. Blue Origin completed a 24-second hot-fire test of its New Glenn NG-1 rocket's BE-4 engines, an important milestone before an expected test flight.

🌕 China's Lijian 1 Y6 rocket launch fails. China's Lijian 1 Y6 carrier rocket, a key part of the country's commercial space program, failed during its launch on Friday. The mission took place at a commercial aerospace facility in northwest China.

🪐 Space Innovation & Emerging Technologies

📡 World's First 5G Satellite Connection Achieved. The European Space Agency (ESA) and Telesat established the world's first direct 5G connection between a Low Earth Orbit satellite and the ground, marking a significant milestone in mobile communication technology.

🚁 NASA's Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Featured on Rose Parade Float. NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the first aircraft to fly on another planet, was featured on a float at the Rose Parade, celebrating its achievement.

🚀 ispace-EUROPE and ASI to Transport Laser Array to Moon. ispace-EUROPE and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) agreed to transport a Laser Retroreflector Array (LaRA2) to the moon for accurate lunar position measurements.

☄️ Space Traffic and Debris Management

🌑 Space Debris Falls on Kenyan Village. A large piece of space junk, believed to be part of a rocket, fell onto a village in Kenya, though no one was injured. Experts warn that such incidents are becoming more common due to the increasing amount of debris orbiting Earth.

🛠️ 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 Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT), an Austin-based nonprofit, is launching an initiative to build a skilled workforce for the state’s expanding space industry. The program aims to ensure that 50% of new space industry jobs are filled by Texas talent, fostering collaboration between educational institutions, industry leaders, and aspiring engineers. Austin has become a key hub for space-focused companies, hosting major players like Firefly Aerospace and SpaceX. Additionally, innovative startups such as Icon Technology Inc., CesiumAstro, and Slingshot Aerospace are contributing to the 21st-century space race.

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

🛰️ HELSINKI, a Chinese satellite manufacturer raises $137M. HELSINKI, a Chinese satellite manufacturer for the Thousand Sails megaconstellation secured over $137M in Series A+ funding.

🚀 ION-X Raises Funding for Ion Thruster Industrialization. ION-X, a company developing ion thrusters for small satellites, raised $14M in funding to industrialize its ion thruster technology.

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