See you in court (7/10/23)

Good morning. Happy Monday! We hope you all had a great weekend. Let’s get right to it.

In today's edition...
⚖️ Iran to use EO pics in court
🛰️ Voyager, India team on small sats
🗓️ The week ahead

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Iran Deploys EO Imagery in Court

An Iranian EO satellite launched last year is switching its focus to land mapping. A spokesperson for the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) said Saturday that it has teamed up with the Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITO) to explore using the satellite’s images as evidence in court cases on land misuse.

Iran’s eye in space: When Iran launched the Khayyam EO satellite in August from the Baikonur Cosmodrome atop a Soyuz rocket, its space agency said that it hoped the event would mark the beginning of a “strategic aerospace cooperation” between Iran and Russia.

• That partnership sparked concern for US authorities, who worried that cooperation between the two nations in space could bolster Russia’s intelligence in Ukraine as well as Iran’s in Israel and the Middle East.

• Tehran denied the accusation that Khayyam could be used to support Russian intelligence in Ukraine at the time, saying it would retain full control over the satellite from the outset despite its launch partner.

The Khayyam satellite was reportedly designed for scientific purposes, including radiation and agricultural monitoring. The satellite started sending home telemetry soon after launch.

The agreement: The ISA and ITO have signed a MOU to release a handful of images showing changes in land utilization to court authorities, agency spokesperson Hossein Daliriyan said. Under the deal, images from the Khayyam satellite can be used as evidence to settle disputes for both private citizens and government organizations.

“We are ready to offer necessary data to other Iranian state agencies and help them solve their problems in various fields, including environmental monitoring, water resources, soil erosion and land subsidence,” Daliriyan added.

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Voyager Space Teams up with NSIL

Voyager Space, a space tech rollup, announced Friday it had signed an MoU with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial launch division, to explore small sat deployment opportunities and component tech sharing.

“This partnership is a unique opportunity as we join forces to drive innovation and advancement in the small satellite launch industry," said Voyager CRO Clay Mowry.

Voyager Space: Since its founding in 2019, Voyager has acquired seven businesses including Zin, Altius, Space Micro, Nanoracks, Valley Tech Systems, Pioneer, and The Launch Company. In total, the companies have participated in 2,000+ space missions.

• Voyager is best known for leading the development of Starlab, a commercial space station it is building in partnership with Lockheed and Airbus.

• The free-flying outpost is backed by a $160M NASA contract and is expected to launch by 2028.

Voyager also develops satellite communication systems, Earth and space visualization tech, propulsion systems, satellite grappling points, and launch service logistics support. The collaboration will NSIL will enable Voyager to expand its satellite capabilities.

NSIL: The commercial launch arm bridges India’s space agency and private industry by providing launch services, mission support, and tech transfers.

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere

​Join Payload with Bank of America, Deloitte, and Velo3D for an evening of networking on August 17. Food and drinks will be provided. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with space industry professionals.🚀

In Other News

• This chart displays all 135 space shuttle flights in honor of the 12th anniversary of the program’s final mission.

• A Falcon 9 booster was launched for a record-breaking 16th time.

• Varda Space Industries’ first in-orbit pharma mission was a success.

• Starlink is getting in the way of watching the night sky, scientists say.

• Elon believes SpaceX could increase Starship’s sea-level Raptor engine thrust by 20% to 9,000 tons, allowing the vehicle to deliver 200 tons to orbit.

The View from SLC-40

SpaceX launched 22 Starlink birds from Cape Canaveral late Sunday night.