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Defense-focused space technology startup True Anomaly<\/a> has received key permits from regulators that will allow it to demonstrate imaging and rendezvous capabilities on-orbit for the first time.<\/p>\n The two authorizations \u2014 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) \u2014 give the company the greenlight to perform non-Earth imaging and to demonstrate in-space rendezvous proximity operations, respectively. True Anomaly is planning on executing these capabilities using two of its \u201cautonomous orbital vehicle\u201d spacecraft, which the company calls Jackals, during a mission early next year.<\/p>\n The 275-kilogram Jackal spacecraft will launch aboard SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-10 rideshare mission, which is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than February 2024. True Anomaly had previously been targeting a ride on Transporter-9, which is launching in October, but CEO Even Rogers told TechCrunch that they decided to move to a slightly later launch date after experiencing some supply chain issues.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes there are pressures when you\u2019re building new systems that you experience across the supply chain,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were subjected to some of those delays and then it just got a little tight.\u201d<\/p>\n The startup also announced that it had opened its first factory, a 35,000-square-foot facility called \u201cGravityWorks,\u201d in Centennial, Colorado. The new facility will be able to produce a spacecraft every five days, thanks to a manufacturing approach that\u2019s similar to how automobiles are assembled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to commoditize spacecrafts,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s some phenomenal companies out there that are just trying to make spacecraft less expensive and fast, but we\u2019re really focused on a national security space and securing the space domain from threats.\u201d<\/p>\n True Anomaly, founded by a quartet of ex-Space Force members last year, is looking to furnish the Pentagon with defensive technology, including an \u201cautonomous orbital vehicle\u201d the company calls Jackal, to protect American assets in space and conduct reconnaissance on adversary spacecraft. The company has found major traction for its tech, raising around $30 million in funding so far<\/a>, including a $17 million Series A that closed earlier this year.<\/p>\n In a previous interview with TechCrunch, True Anomaly CEO Even Rogers described an \u201cinformation asymmetry\u201d between the U.S. and its adversaries in space; the company wants to close that gap, by building spacecraft that can rendezvous with other orbital objects and capture images up close.<\/p>\n The company is also planning to provide virtual training and using the Jackal on-orbit as a real-life training system for U.S. warfighters. Last month, True Anomaly debuted a digital and an \u201con-orbit range\u201d service, which will be able to realistically replicate threats and allow users to train and test tactics.<\/p>\n Eventually, Rogers said the company is looking to roll out more hardware lines and have \u201cpotentially hundreds\u201d of spacecraft in every orbit, including cislunar orbit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n