🚀 Space and Defense #26

Happy Monday 👋

This week in the global defense and space sector, Raytheon secured a $529M contract to supply the Netherlands with Patriot missiles, while Rocket Lab won a $1.45B US military hypersonic contract. Europe and China will launch a joint space weather mission in 2026. SpaceX's Starship exploded mid-air during its seventh test flight, prompting a US grounding and investigation. SpaceX also launched a record 27 Starlink satellites from California. Viasat won a $4.82B NASA contract for ground support. The US Space Force forecasted $2.3B in commercial satellite contracts. Redwire acquired Edge Autonomy for $925M to expand into defense.

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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🧑‍🚀 Space Launches & Propulsion

🚀 SpaceX's Starship Explodes Mid-Air, during its seventh test flight. The United States grounded SpaceX's Starship and ordered the company to investigate after the spaceship exploded mid-air during a test mission over the Caribbean.

🛰️ SpaceX, Falcon 9 launched a record number of Starlink Satellites from California. SpaceX launched a record number of 27 Starlink satellites from Oceanside, California on January 21.

📡 Galactic Energy Launched Satellites into Orbit. Galactic Energy, a private rocket company based in Beijing, successfully launched a mission on Monday, deploying five satellites into orbit.

🌌 Space Innovation & Emerging Technologies

🌕 Viasat won a $4.82B NASA contract for ground support services. NASA selected Viasat to provide global ground segment support for its Near Space Network under a five-year, $4.82B contract, supporting various NASA missions.

🛰️ US Space Force Forecasts Billion-Dollar Satellite Contracts. The US Space Force forecasted $2.3B in contracts for commercial satellite services over the next year. This indicates growth and investment in the space technology sector.

💻 Flexential Partners with Lonestar for Space Data Center. Flexential, a data center solutions provider partnered with Lonestar Data Holdings Inc., a lunar infrastructure company, to support the first commercial space data center.

🛡️ National Space and Defense

🚀 Raytheon Secures $529M Contract to Supply Patriot Missile System to Netherlands. Raytheon, a division of RTX, secured a $529M contract to provide the Netherlands with a Patriot air and missile defense system.

⛅ Europe and China to Launch Joint Space Weather Mission. The European Space Agency and China are collaborating on a joint space science mission focused on space weather, which is scheduled for launch in early 2026.

🤝 US and Norway Sign Space Technology Agreement. The United States and Norway signed an agreement allowing American space technology to be exported to Norway for rocket launches from the Andøya Space Center.

🚁 Drones and Defense Systems

🚀 Rocket Lab Wins $1.45B US Military Hypersonic Contract. Rocket Lab, an aerospace company awarded a 5-year $1.45B contract by the US military to launch hypersonic test vehicles.

🛩️ Kratos Awarded $34.8M Contract for Valkyrie Mission. Kratos, a technology company, secured a $34.8M contract for system integration work on the Valkyrie mission.

🪖 F-15 Fighters Get New Electronic Warfare Capabilities. The US Air Force deployed F-15E fighter jets with a new electronic warfare system to the UK The system enhances the jets' ability to detect and counter threats in hostile environments.

🛠️ 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.

✨ Durham University has launched the $6.1M Space Research Centre (SPARC) to support North East England’s space industry and promote sustainable space exploration. Bringing together experts from multiple disciplines, SPARC aims to advance science, business, and space law while developing a skilled workforce. As an ESA Lab, Durham gains access to technical expertise, funding, and collaboration opportunities. The university’s Centre for Advanced Instrumentation contributes to major space projects, partnering with agencies such as the UK Space Agency, ESA, and NASA.

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

🛡️ Redwire Acquires Edge Autonomy for $925M. Redwire, a space technology company acquired Edge Autonomy, a defense technology firm, for $925M to expand its business into the defense sector.

🛫 Shield AI hits a $5B valuation after raising $200M in a new funding round. Shield AI, which develops AI-powered software for autonomous aircraft, raised $200M in a new funding round.

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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