Trendwatch Space & Defense: July 17, 2020

Reuters: Britain Rockets Into Unknown With OneWeb    

Britain is betting that satellite operator OneWeb will help it boldly go into a post-Brexit era.  

Techcrunch: Autonomous Reusable Rocket Startup Lands Air Force Contract 

New York-based startup iRocket says it will be able to launch and propulsively land both its first and second stages, with the potential of launching small payloads on demand in as little as 24 hours.        

CNBC: Momentus Provides ‘Last Mile Delivery’ for Satellites Launched on Any Rocket

“From a single launch we can drop into multiple orbits, and just change altitude or change inclination, dropping you in several spots. Basically increasing the flexibility of a big rocket launch dramatically”

Techcrunch: High Earth Orbit Robotics Uses Imaging Satellites to Provide On-Demand Check-Ups for Other Satellites

The startup makes use of existing satellites to provide monitoring services for others, generating revenue from unused Earth imaging satellite time and providing a valuable maintenance service all at the same time    .

Space News: Amazon Web Services Establishes Space-focused Business Unit     

Amazon Web Services' new Aerospace and Satellite Solutions business division follows the company's entrance into the satellite ground-as-a-service business in 2018.