🚀 Space and Defense #25

Happy Monday 👋

This week in the defense and space sector, Canada invested $15M in space tech, and Italy ordered Rheinmetall's Skynex air defense systems for $75.1M, with an option for $210.9M more. AV secured a US Army contract under a $990M program, and Raytheon landed a $333M deal for SM-6 missiles. Blue Origin's New Glenn reached orbit but failed to recover its first stage, while India achieved a historic space docking milestone and SpaceX launched lunar landers with Canadian tech. Loft Orbital raised $170M to expand AI-driven satellite manufacturing, and Overland AI secured $32M for uncrewed ground vehicle software. Japan will lead a next-gen fighter jet design with the UK and Italy, leveraging its stealth expertise. Anduril doubled its revenue to $1B in 2024 and plans a $100M employee tender offer. The ESA launched three satellites under its InCubed program, and NASA is sending the RadPC radiation-tolerant computer to the Moon. ArianeGroup successfully tested its Prometheus rocket engine, marking progress in reusable space technology.

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.

HolonIQ's new skills newsletter is here! Get updates on emerging skills, workforce shifts, and industry insights across impact sectors. Subscribe now to stay ahead.

🛡️ National Defense

💰 Canadian Space Agency Funds Space Tech Development. The Canadian Space Agency is allocating $15M to fund new space technology development through its Space Technology Development Program.

🛡️ Italy Orders Rheinmetall's Skynex Air Defense Systems. After their proven performance in Ukraine, the Italian Army committed to acquiring Rheinmetall's Skynex air defense systems. Italy placed an initial order worth $75.1M, with an option for three more systems worth $210.9M.

🛩️ Japan to Lead Stealth Fighter Jet Design with the UK and Italy. Japan will lead the airframe design for a next-generation fighter jet being jointly developed with the United Kingdom and Italy, contributing its expertise in stealth technology.

🚁 Drones and Weapon Systems

🪖 AV Secures Major U.S. Army Contract. AV, a company, announced they received a second delivery order under a $990M contract with the U.S. Army.

🚀 Raytheon Awarded $333M Contract for SM-6 Missiles. Raytheon, an RTX business, secured a $333M contract from the U.S. Navy to produce Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Block IA missiles to support the Navy's mission.

💰 Anduril's booming business and growth plans. Anduril, a venture-backed weapons maker, doubled its revenue to around $1B in 2024 and plans a $100M employee tender offer, potentially benefiting from a change in US Defense Department leadership.

🧑‍🚀 Space Launches and Propulsion

🚀 Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Reaches Orbit. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully achieved orbit on its first launch on January 16, marking a significant milestone for the company, although it failed to recover the first stage.

🌕 SpaceX Launches Lunar Landers with Canadian Tech. SpaceX launched a rocket carrying two lunar landers, including technology from Canadian companies.

🛰️ ESA launches InCubed satellites for Earth observation. The European Space Agency (ESA) launched three satellites from its InCubed program from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, demonstrating its commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration in the commercial Earth observation sector.

🪐 Space Innovation & Emerging Technologies

📡 India Achieves Space Docking Capability. India successfully conducted a historic space docking test, becoming only the fourth country in the world to possess such technology after the United States, Russia, and China.

🖥️ NASA Sending Radiation-Tolerant Computer to the Moon. NASA is sending a radiation-tolerant computer called RadPC as a payload on Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 mission to the Moon. This computer is designed to operate in the harsh radiation environment on the lunar surface.

🛰️ ArianeGroup Completes Prometheus Engine Test. ArianeGroup, a major aerospace company, successfully conducted a key hot fire test of their Prometheus rocket engine at their facilities in Vernon.

🛠️ 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.

✨ AEROCOR has launched an in-aircraft pilot training program for the Beechcraft Premier I/IA, offering personalized type rating instruction with plans to add recurrent training soon. The program addresses the growing demand for flexible, customized training in the Premier community. Featuring online scheduling, exceptional instructor availability, and competitive pricing,  enabling pilots to achieve type ratings efficiently. The program also focuses on real-world proficiency and safety, highlighting AEROCOR's commitment to empowering pilots and enhancing the Premier ownership experience.

📡 The Egyptian Space Agency partnered with the African Space Agency and inaugurated the 2025 Basic Space Technology Training Grant. The program welcomed 21 engineers and specialists from 20 African nations, advancing Africa’s space sector through collaboration. Since 2021, 71 participants from 34 countries have benefited from this initiative. This year’s hands-on curriculum in satellite technology, offered in English and French, encourages collaboration and skill development and, reflects Egypt’s commitment to sharing expertise and empowering the continent’s space professionals.

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

💰 Loft Orbital raises $170M for expansion. Loft Orbital, a San Francisco-based condosat operator, raised $170M to expand its manufacturing facilities and streamline operations using more artificial intelligence for satellite launches.

🤖 Overland AI Raises $32M in Series A Funding. Overland AI, a technology company developing autonomy software for uncrewed ground vehicles, raised $32M in Series A funding led by Avascent.

Like getting this newsletter? For unlimited access to over one million charts, request a demo.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
Have some feedback or suggestions? Let us know at hello@holoniq.com