• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • News
  • Featured
  • More News ⌄
    • SatNews
    • SatMagazine
    • MilSatMagazine
  • Events ⌄
    • MilSat Symposium
    • SmallSat Symposium
    • Satellite Innovation
  • Contacts
  • SUBSCRIPTION

SmallSat News

You are here: Home / News / Kleos Scouting Mission Satellites En Route to India for Upcoming Launch

Kleos Scouting Mission Satellites En Route to India for Upcoming Launch

February 12, 2020 by editorial

Luxemberg based Kleos Space S.A, has dispatched its four Scouting Mission nanosatellites to Chennai, India, in preparation for launch aboard their PSLV C49 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. As of December 2019, PSLV has launched 319 foreign satellites from 33 countries, the most notable among these was the launch of PSLV C37 on February 15, 2017 successfully deploying 104 satellites in sun-synchronous orbit.

Kleos is a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company.  Kleos’ Scouting Mission satellites will detect and geolocate maritime radio frequency transmissions to provide global activity-based intelligence, enhancing the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of governments and commercial entities, which is important when Automatic Identification System (AIS) is defeated, imagery unclear or targets out of patrol range. Used with other data sources, Kleos’ independent geolocation data will assist the detection of hidden maritime activity, such as piracy, drug and people smuggling and illegal fishing.

The dispatch starts the Kleos specific launch activity for the Scouting Mission satellites on PSLV C49, a rideshare mission conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that includes satellites from other organizations such as Spire Global. The satellites are being transported to the integration facility where they will undergo a system checkout and mechanical inspection prior to battery charging, and fuelling. The satellites will be armed for flight, inserted into their dispensers and finally integrated onto the PSLV launch vehicle. After launch, Kleos’ satellites will commence their Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), one of the most critical phases of a mission. Spacecraft operations engineers take control of the satellites after launch vehicle separation, up to the time when the satellites are safely established in their final orbit.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). PSLV has gained a reputation as a provider of rideshare services for smallsats, due to its numerous multi-satellite deployment campaigns with auxiliary payloads usually ride sharing along with an Indian primary payload.

The Scouting Mission satellites will be launched into a 37-degree inclination orbit, delivering information over crucial shipping regions including the Strait of Hormuz, South China Sea and East and West African coasts.

Kleos Space CEO Andy Bowyer said that their Scouting Mission satellites are the foundation of their future constellation, which will deliver unprecedented situational awareness at sea with near real-time coverage over key regions of maritime interest including the Strait of Hormuz, South China Sea and African coast.

 

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019

© 2019–2023 SatNews

x
Sign Up Now!

Enjoy a free weekly newsletter with recent headlines from the global SmallSat industry.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing! You will now receive weekly SmallSat News updates.
We love our advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable Ad Blocker to continue... We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.