Archives for November 2019

Alexandra Sokolowski

A Conversation with Ms. Alexandra Sokolowski, Business Development Manager, Hyperion Technologies B.V.

Ms. Sokolowski, what services and products does your company provide
to the industry?

Alexandra Sokolowski (AS)
Hyperion designs and develops miniaturized and high-performance components for smallsats. We focus on subsystems to ensure that the “payload is king,” as we like to say.
    Our range involves components for attitude determination, such as star trackers and sun sensors, attitude control, such as reaction wheels and magnetorquers, as well as fully integrated and autonomous ADCS. We are also working on new technologies that are going to soon enter the market.

What do you believe are the most significant challenges that need to be addressed within the satellite and related industries?

AS
Currently, the we see the main challenge to be incorporating non-space technologies into the market, making them fit for space environments. We also believe that we can learn a lot from these markets when it comes to increasing production speed and time to market.

What is your company presenting at this major event? What may we expect your company to reveal over the next few months?

AS
At SpaceTech Expo we are, of course, presenting our ADCS solutions as well as some newer components that are going to launch early next year.
    One of them is the world’s first 1U AOCS, which combines our miniaturized ADCS with a chemical propulsion unit. We are also proud to be raising the awareness for our laser communication terminal for cubesats, which we are co-developing together with the Dutch research institute TNO and the FSO Consortium.
    We are currently finalizing the Engineering Model and show attendees can already have a look at a 3D printed model at the TNO booth.

What sets Hyperion apart from your competition?

AS
We think that we are very curious and continuously look beyond our horizon into adopting new technologies for the space market, such as 3D printing or new ways of manufacturing.
    What also sets us apart is, in our opinion, our approach to designing products. Our first step is always to look at the fundamental limits, rather than just scaling down what already exists.
    If you look at the minimal required limitations in power, volume, size, mass and develop your product from there you can come up with very efficient products.
    Last, but certainly not least, we treat our clients more like partners, and involve them in our processes. Openness in communication and integrity are important to us.
    You might think that space is all about technology but in the end, it comes down to humans and values.

hyperiontechnologies.nl

Firefly Aerospace (Firefly) announced this past summer the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM), a global competition to host academic and educational payloads as rideshare participants on the inaugural flight of the Firefly Alpha launch vehicle.

The company has now announced the payloads that have been selected to fly on Alpha’s maiden flight to support and stimulate STEM on a global basis — there are 26 DREAM payloads representing seven  countries.

There are two categories of payload — nontechnical and technical. Nontechnical payloads include children’s artwork, messages from children in pediatric hospitals and photographs of previous space missions. Technical payloads range from 3U to 27U smallsats supplied by prominent universities and nonprofits from around the globe.

DREAM payloads will be co-manifested with commercial payloads on the first Alpha launch. Firefly plans to share its DREAM payload stories on its social media starting in late November.

Firefly CEO Dr. Tom Markusic said the firm is honored to have received so many outstanding submissions that promote STEM across the globe. From an all girl’s STEM rocket program in Lesothoto and leading edge technology demos from distinguished universities, the DREAM payloads embody Firefly’s ethos of ‘Making Space for Everyone.’

Firefly VP of Mission Assurance, Shea Ferring, added that in 1993 he was on the ASUSat-1 team and was given the opportunity to launch their first satellite on a donated rideshare slot to LEO. That program propelled so many of into the aerospace industry and it is now great to give back with a similar opportunity to multiple university programs. The company looks forward to providing similar opportunities on future missions to support and encourage STEM students that their dreams do come true.

The Nontechnical DREAM payload participants include…

• Anderson High School Robotics Program
• Animal Packers
• AstroGrams
• Audrey’s Space Dream
• Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows
• Brady Nilsson
• Brian Lunos
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Spaceflight Sciences Policy and Operation Club
• Izumiya-Hotaru Photographs for Education and Environments
• Liam Fjellstedt
• LifeShip
• Madison West Rocket Club
• Mission Microgravity
• Morija Girls Rocket Program
• NAET ArtFlight
• Noosphere Art Challenge
• Pichardo STEM Educational Foundation
• St. Paul Elementary School
• Think Beyond

The technical DREAM payload organizations include…

• Fossa Systems (Non-profit Juvenile Association)
• Hawaii Science and Technology Museum – 501c3
• Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Network Innovation and Experimentation (CENETIX)
• Purdue University
• Teachers in Space, Inc. – 501c3
• University of Cambridge
• University of Southern California, Space Engineering Research Center (USC SERC)

Tyvak has been selected by NASA to participate in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Tyvak’s offering provides NASA with a lander option to host payloads and perform science investigations on the lunar surface, paving the way to return to the Moon. With a long-standing history of fulfilling government mission needs, Tyvak will leverage flight-proven technologies and expertise from its smallsat portfolio for its lunar lander development.

The company intends to provide end-to-end commercial payload delivery solutions spanning payload integration, launch services and operations to land on the Moon’s surface.

The Tyvak lander initially aims to deliver small payloads, but through modularity and the significant flexibility of its architecture, can evolve the design to deliver larger payloads.

Marco Villa, Tyvak’s COO, noted that this is an exciting time in space. Performing these lunar payload deliveries is the next natural step of commercial space efforts supporting government initiatives.

ISIS – Innovative Solutions in Space (ISISpace) has selected Simera Sense to provide them with a multi-spectral optical payload — the MultiScape 100 imagery, developed by Simera Sense, for an upcoming cubesat mission. This will be ISISpace’s primary payload on a 6U cubesat Earth Observation (EO) mission.

As a result of the close collaboration between ISISpace and Simera Sense, they can deliver turnkey EPO solutions for a range of remote sensing applications. ISISpace is providing complete satellite missions, satellites and services for a broad range of applications and sees a strong increase in the need for responsive remote sensing solutions using small satellites. 

Simera Sense’s xScape100 product range is introducing the highest EO performance in the most compact form factor for smallsats. The large aperture and long focal length enable a compelling spatial resolution of below 5m GSD in up to 7 bands in the visible and near-IR range.

Johann du Toit, CEO of Simera Sense, said the company is on a mission to increase the resolution that can be sensed with smaller Earth Observation satellites. The company is excited to work with such an experienced new space actor in the development of turnkey Earth observation missions. Together, the companies can respond quickly to customer needs in a more cost-effective manner.

Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO of ISISpace, added that the company offers turn-key space mission solutions and satellite-as-a-service offerings to a broad range of customers with varying needs.

WORK Microwave AR-80 wideband demodulator

Recently, WORK Microwave and SAIT partnered to complete a communication transmission test between WORK Microwave‘s AR-80 wideband demodulator and SAIT’s space qualified transceiver, to prove that their combined solution is ready to power space, commercial, government, and science missions. 

Seamless integration between SAIT‘s space transceiver and WORK Microwave’s AR-80 wideband demodulator ensures that satellite downlink operations run smoothly. WORK Microwave’s AR-80 demodulator offers high performance at low price points for specialized satellite downlink receivers. 

SAIT’s transmitter portfolio supports everything from CubeSats to large satellites and deep space spacecraft, offering up to 10 years’ design life. The company’s downlink transmitters feature high throughput, state-of-the-art adaptive error correction coding and modulation, flexible interface options, and small size, weight, and power. 

There will be a live demo of the combined solution will be shown at Space Tech Expo Europe 2019 in Bremen, Germany, November 19-22, at the SAIT booth #1014, Hall 4. 

Andrew Kuzmenko, CTO at SAIT said that performance is an important metric of satellite communications equipment, especially for space missions. Teaming up with WORK Microwave, they are able to provide an extremely powerful and reliable solution for space-born missions and satellite Earth observation. 

Joerg Rockstroh, director of digital products, WORK Microwave added that from a technology perspective, SAIT and WORK Microwave are very compatible, each bringing distinct expertise to the satellite communications domain. Their AR-80 demodulator supports SAIT with efficient downlinks from their CubeSat transmitters, featuring 1+Gbps throughput to address the needs of mission customers. 

For all involved in the satellite and space industry and the various market segments that enhance these dynamic environments, the 2020 SmallSat Symposium is invaluable.

The 2020 SmallSat Symposium begins on February 3, 2020, with workshops on the first day. Then the Conference continues from February 4 to 6 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The SmallSat Symposium is hosted by Satnews Publishers which, since 1983, has been a provider of satellite news, media and events. This information packed forum enables you and your company to secure a larger portion of market share as well as to take a step into the next stage of your company’s, or organization’s, growth.

The personal connections at the SmallSat Symposium enable attendees to network with established organizations, subject-matter experts as well as ‘New Space’ entrants.

The SmallSat Symposium will focus on the daily changes in new technologies and the business environment that is shaping the implementation of SmallSat constellations, SmallSat launchers, the challenges facing the SmallSat developer and actors as well as the enormous benefits of these advanced technologies that will benefit our world.

This event attracts more than 100 diverse speakers, all of whom possess deep industry experience. Additionally, numerous opportunities exist to mingle and network with peers while enjoying exceptional, complimentary meals and refreshment breakfast.

Learn more at this direct link…

On Saturday, October 26th, Exos Aerospace launched their SARGE-SRLV at Spaceport America.  Launch initiation was at 11:39 MST.  

While the company bested SpaceX to a fourth flight, the firm will likely not surpass them to a fourth recovery, given the loss of the SARGE-SRLV vehicle at T+48 seconds. Exos Aerospace is still in the process of evaluating video and telemetry data; however, it appears a structural failure resulted in an abort and deployment of the recovery system at speeds far beyond its design capability. Exos recovered the vehicle within the flight hazard area and the retrieved hardware confirms that the safety systems performed flawlessly.

Liftoff of the SARGE rocket.

Photo is courtesy of Exos Aerospace.

This event presents an opportunity to implement the lessons learned from the first three launches of SARGE – S1.  Much has changed in the Industry and supplier base since the company completed the design of this vehicle.

While it may take a little longer to implement the lessons learned and return to flight, the firm’s change management will include numerous upgrades that are low risk – high impact. The company will work closely with the FAA and AST on the return to flight plan and relevant submission on the planned vehicle upgrades.

On flights 1-3, Exos Aerospace learned a great deal about the dynamics of the control system along with the complex operations required to launch a reusable liquid-fueled sounding rocket successfully.  Flight 4 confirmed that substantial improvements in the GNC software were incorporated and the new IMU performed as designed.  From observing the air to ground telemetry, indications are good that the vehicle was going to continue to fly well.

Though the company has plans to launch SARGE – S2 in early 2020, the firm will have to beat the onset of high winds in April/May. This event will not impact the transition to LEO and the development of the JAGUAR smallsat launcher that will also benefit from the latest lessons learned.

The company stated they are extremely proud of the team of 12 who flew the same vehicle four times. In that respect, Exos Aerospace stands among two giants in the Industry, SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Developing a “Satellite-as-a-Service” business is the driving force behind Loft Orbital, based in San Francisco.

The company has their Series A funding with a collection of $13 million to support operations in Boulder, Colorado, and Toulouse, France, as the company builds smallsats with initial launches scheduled for 2020.

Five customers have signed on for Loft’s first satellite and they include Eutelsat, the UAE Government flying an imager and SpaceChain. The company stated they have also signed on customers for the second and third satellites, as well. The firm’s business model has customers schedule milestone payments and then participate in a subscription service once the satellite is operational on-orbit.

An artistic view of Kipp, Kepler’s first Ku-band LEO satellite.
Photo Credit: Kepler

Two companies have partnered to combine their assets offering a dynamic service. The companies and their new service was announced to eliminate barriers to widespread adoption of high capacity data services over Kepler Communication’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network.

Kepler Communications and Cobham SATCOM’s new partnership translates that under the new arrangement, organizations that evaluate Kepler’s ability to cost-effectively move multiple gigabytes of data per day around the globe can experience a fully managed trial of the service anywhere with no upfront CAPEX spend, no lengthy service commitment, and certified installation and support executed through Cobham SATCOM’s global Technical Service Partner network.   

The ‘User Terminal-as-a-Service’ (UTaaS), the Kepler-Cobham partnership centers on three core principles:

• shifting equipment costs to a monthly operational fee from a more traditional one-time capital expense
• embedding installation, technical support, terminal maintenance, warehousing, and transport services into the monthly fees with future capabilities for add-on services
• exchanging technical know-how to improve the delivery of LEO wideband services going forward.

To further validate the effectiveness of the new UTaaS partnership, recently the two firms confirmed that Cobham’s full range of SAILOR and Sea Tel antenna systems, used in the maritime communications segment, are both fully capable of tracking LEO satellites on land and at sea. 

As an example, Kepler and Cobham successfully deployed their system recently utilizing two augmented Sea Tel antennas aboard the Polarstern research vessel. Currently, the network is delivering services in the central Arctic well beyond the range of traditional geostationary satellites and has demonstrated up to 40 Mbps downlink and 120 Mbps uplink. 

Kepler’s Global Data Service (GDS), which is currently enabled by Kepler’s first two satellites in orbit, is a high-capacity worldwide data communication service that enables the movement of Gigabytes of data to and from the user’s location at economic rates. The store-and-forward nature of the solution makes it suitable for delay-tolerable data such as large multimedia files, high-resolution videos and imagery, and other bandwidth-intensive data within the maritime, oil & gas, tourism, and scientific communities.

Jeffrey Osborne, Co-founder and VP of Business Development at Kepler and Matt Galston, Sr. Director Global Market Strategy and Development, Cobham SATCOM concluded with comments that include;

Jeffrey Osborne, Co-founder and VP of Business Development at Kepler said that proven, reliable ground segment is a critical piece for delivering wideband services from LEO. The cost of today’s tracking antennas as well as the complexity of coordinating setup, installation, and support are understandable roadblocks for those wishing to test drive their Global Data Service. At Kepler, their goal is to deliver the most frictionless customer experience possible so that anyone with a potential use case for this groundbreaking capability can simply say ‘yes’ and keep their focus on the really important elements of their application. Their partnership with Cobham enables them to create precisely that experience where they can scaleably execute demonstrations anywhere on the planet all for a manageable monthly OPEX fee that includes hardware, setup, support, and airtime. 

Matt Galston, Sr. Director Global Market Strategy & Development, Cobham SATCOM commented that Kepler’s approach is unique for their industry. By starting with a small number of satellites in operation, they focus more directly on solving problems for the end-user. Their collaboration demonstrates how some solutions come through partnerships, new commercial models, and a shared goal of delighting end-users while being able to scale that delight to many more in time. It’s exciting to be a part of this journey, and they are confident Kepler’s future is very bright.

For all involved in the satellite and space industry and the various market segments that enhance these dynamic environments, the 2020 SmallSat Symposium is invaluable.

The 2020 SmallSat Symposium begins on February 3, 2020, with workshops on the first day. Then the Conference continues from February 4 to 6 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The SmallSat Symposium is hosted by Satnews Publishers which, since 1983, has been a provider of satellite news, media and events. This information packed forum enables you and your company to secure a larger portion of market share as well as to take a step into the next stage of your company’s, or organization’s, growth.

The personal connections at the SmallSat Symposium enable attendees to network with established organizations, subject-matter experts as well as ‘New Space’ entrants.

The SmallSat Symposium will focus on the daily changes in new technologies and the business environment that is shaping the implementation of SmallSat constellations, SmallSat launchers, the challenges facing the SmallSat developer and actors as well as the enormous benefits of these advanced technologies that will benefit our world.

This event attracts more than 100 diverse speakers, all of whom possess deep industry experience. Additionally, numerous opportunities exist to mingle and network with peers while enjoying exceptional, complimentary meals and refreshment breakfast.

Learn more at this direct link…

Rocket Lab has introduced ‘Rosie’ the rocket-building-robot to the company’s manufacturing line, speeding up the production of Electron launch vehicles by more than 400 hours.

Until recently, Rocket Lab had been producing an Electron launch vehicle every 30 days. ‘Rosie’ the Robot will help bring Rocket Lab towards its goal of one Electron built and launched every seven days.

Rocket Lab’s ‘Rosie’ robotic manufacturing system.

Photo is courtesy of Rocket Lab.

The newly installed, custom-built, 140 sq/meter robot enables the precision machining of Electron’s carbon composite structures, including stage 1, stage 2, and the fairing. In only 12 hours, all marking, cutting, drilling, milling, and sanding, is completed on a full vehicle. ‘Rosie’ comprises a 3.5 meter by 16 meter 5-axis machining window coupled with a custom-built sixth rotary axis. The entire unit is large enough to house a bus, with room to spare, so it comfortably machines an entire 12m carbon-composite Electron first stage.

‘Rosie’ is the latest in a series of production, licensing, and infrastructure upgrades all targeted at boosting Electron production rates to meet a weekly launch cadence. In the past month, Rocket Lab has completed the installation of the launch mount and strongback at Launch Complex 2, Rocket Lab’s second orbital launch site, which will enable the first Electron launch from U.S soil in 2020. A new Range Control Facility has also been built at Launch Complex 1 to streamline mission operations, and the FAA has recently issued Rocket Lab with a 5 year Launch Operator License, enabling Rocket Lab to expedite pre-launch regulatory paperwork. 

Work toward a reusable first stage for Electron is also underway, with Rocket Lab’s next mission featuring an upgraded booster to support recovery efforts. The launch window for the next mission, named ‘Running Out Of Fingers,’ is scheduled to open on November 25 and the mission features a first stage block upgrade.

The Electron launch of Rocket Lab’s “As the Crow Flies” mission.

Photo is courtesy of Sam Toms and Simon Moffatt.

Electron’s booster will include guidance and navigation hardware, including S-band telemetry and onboard flight computer systems, to gather data during the first stage’s atmospheric re-entry. The stage is also equipped with a reaction control system to orient the booster during its re-entry descent.

These new measures have been implemented with one goal in mind – frequent, reliable, and responsive launch for small satellites.

‘Rosie’ is automating machining tasks; however, human hands are still in high demand on the manufacturing teams at Rocket Lab’s Huntington Beach Headquarters and the company’s Production Complex in Auckland, New Zealand. More than 100 roles across manufacturing, test, and design are being recruited into the company over the next 12 months.

Rocket Lab’s Director of Production, Jamie France, said Rosie is the latest in a string of manufacturing upgrades designed to take the company from an Electron build every 30 days to one every seven days. A machine like this didn’t exist in the market, so Rocket Lab custom-built one that’s big enough for a bus to be parked within — this means building a rocket stage takes hours, not weeks or months.

Photo of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus-12 arriving at ISS.

Image is courtesy of NASA.

Two National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) research and development cubesats were successfully launched via rideshare aboard an Antares rocket as part of the Northrop Grumman-12 (NG-12) Cygnus cargo resupply mission from NASA Wallops Space Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, on November 2, 2019.

Led by NRO’s Advanced Systems and Technology (AS&T) directorate, the two cubesats are part of the NRO’s IMPACT project – an R&D effort to provide early evaluation of new technologies in space.

Manifested as AeroCube 14, the two, 3U IMPACT cubesats launched use the Aerospace Corporation’s AeroCube for bus and integration support and host 14 technology demonstrations that range from new materials, such as structural materials and thermal straps, to solar cells, star tracker experiments and on-board processors.

These smallsats will first travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the cargo resupply and will deploy in about two months from the ISS to their final orbit.

To assist with the NRO’s research and development goal of rapid technology infusion, the IMPACT program offers a regular launch cadence for technology demonstrations; provides an adaptable bus that enables easy onboarding and off-boarding of those technologies, and serves as the front end of the technology for NRO future capabilities.

The AeroCube-14 CubeSats in the lab prior to launch integration.

Photo is courtesy of Aerospace Corporation.

Four of the experiments that were launched are also part of NRO’s new Greenlighting program, which leverages and evaluates the performance and space survivability of new technologies developed by non-traditional commercial partners in a streamlined fashion on a rapid timeline.

The unclassified Greenlighting program focuses on technology development, not satellite development, by giving vendors supporting NRO’s mission goals the ability to focus on maturation of technologies without having to worry about the logistics of getting to space.

By using a standard circuit board interface on which to host small module technology experiments, the Greenlighting program drives miniaturization of technologies and keeps costs low — all while giving these projects access to space testing that might not be available through traditional means.

Dr. Susan Durham, Director, AS&T, said that with IMPACT, the goal is to take the pioneering research areas being explored to test their survivability and performance in space. The launch of the IMPACT cubesats along with the NRO’s new Greenlighting program represents the best of the agency’s collaboration with commercial research and launch partners.