Archives for August 2020

The global small satellite market is anticipated to proliferate at a healthy pace and surge past valuation of US$ 8.9 billion by the end of the forecast period (2018 – 2028), according to a new market study by XploreMR — the growth of the market is mainly driven by soaring demand in earth observation services applications in numerous sectors such as agriculture, energy, civil engineering, oil & gas, and others.

Furthermore, smallsats are gaining remarkable traction in the defense sector for applications such as medium-resolution imagery, tactical communication, and geospace and atmospheric research. In addition, smallsats have a competitive advantage over conventional satellites, on the back of their compact size that requires lesser development and production time, which subsequently reduces the manufacturing and operations costs. Backed by the aforementioned factors, the global smallsat market is set to bestow an incremental opportunity of US$ 2.31 to market players during the forecast period.

Some of the major growth drivers of the small satellite market include high expenditure by government and private organizations for the development of novel technologies and high demand for satellites in research and development purposes (R&D) in various sectors that mandate studying earth and other natural factors.

Furthermore, surging adoption of LEO and MEO services, where smallsats are highly preferred, is also acting as a predominant growth attribute. However, the growth of the market is not free of hindrances. Issues such as space debris problems, lack of skilled working personnel, and multiple regulatory limitations continue to hold back the market from reaching its full potential, but. On a positive note, the emergence of advanced space technology and favorable government policies for space exploration activities will continue to bolster the adoption of small satellites in the years to come.

Nanosatellites are forecasted to remain the most sought-out smallsat types, holding the majority of market share in the global value through the forecast period. The high demand for nano-satellites is mainly attributed to their compact size and low weight, which enables the launch of multiple satellites for different applications in a single-vehicle launcher.

Based on the end-use the application, the defense sector is foreseen to drive the majority of revenue, backed by increasing investments by national governments across the world to safeguard their respective nation’s defense standpoint. Smallsats are used in multiple defense applications such as tactical communication, and geospace and atmospheric research. On the other hand, the adoption of small satellites in the civil and commercial sector is expected to witness an uptick as numerous organizations extensively invest in R&D activities.

On the regional front, North America will reign supremacy over the global market, accounting for more than 55% of market value. Furthermore, the region is foreseen to register a stellar value CAGR of 13.1% through the forecast period and remain the leading regional market for small satellites.

The region’s dominance is predominantly attributed to increasing collaborations with the US government, and the strong presence of major market players. Furthermore, increasing usage in procuring satellite images, burgeoning demand for surveillance applications in the defense sector, will complement the market growth. Backed by these factors, North America is anticipated to bestow a revenue opportunity of more than US$3.4 billion during the forecast period.

Closely following North America, Western Europe is projected to create a total incremental $ opportunity of US$1 billion by the end of the forecast period. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to contribute to nearly half a billion dollars in sales, backed by increasing infrastructural development in emerging economies such as India and China.

Some of the major market players in the global small satellite market include The Boeing Company, Aerospace Corporation, Airbus Defense and Space, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Thales Group.

A sample copy of this in-depth report may be requested via this direct link…

Scotland’s ‘Space hub Sutherland’ has gained planning approval to build the rocket launch facility.

Development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) intends to create Space Hub Sutherland on land owned by Melness Crofters Estate on the A’ Mhòine peninsula, south of Tongue. HIE had submitted plans in February this year (2020), including an extensive environmental impact assessment. Following a period of public consultation, these were considered on June 26 by the Highland Council North Planning Applications Committee.

Although the committee was minded to approve the application, the council was required formally to notify Scottish Ministers, as part of arrangements to ensure government overview of spaceport planning applications.

On August 3rd, the Scottish Government announced that ministers did not intend to intervene and the council was free to determine the outcome of HIE’s application, which it has now done and publicized on August 19th.

The decision means that small commercial satellites and launch vehicles designed and manufactured in Scotland could be taking off from Sutherland within the next few years. Up to 12 launches a year will be permitted from the spaceport, which will include a control center, 2.5 km of road and a launch pad, occupying a total of just over 10 acres of the 740-acre site.

HIE has approved a budget of £17.3 million to develop Space Hub Sutherland, including funding from the UK Space Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Planning approval is subject to a set of 34 conditions, including measures to ensure operations are carried out safely and strict protection measures are implemented and monitored to protect the natural environment.

Scottish Government Innovation Minister Ivan McKee said, “I very much welcome the decision of the Highland Council to approve the planning application for Space Hub Sutherland, which will support around 250 well-paid jobs in the Highlands and Islands, including 61 in Caithness and Sutherland. This is the first of Scotland’s spaceport projects to clear the planning process and it represents a significant step forward for both the project and Scotland’s aspiration to offer the full end to end capability for manufacturing and launching small satellites and analyzing their data. The space sector has a key role to play in the fight against global climate change and this milestone has been achieved through the hard work of the Sutherland team in partnership with the local community, leading experts and public bodies.”

Graham Turnock, CEO, UK Space Agency, added, “Growing our domestic launch capability will bring new jobs and investments to communities in all corners of the UK. Space Hub Sutherland is an integral part of these plans and today’s news strengthens our position as Europe’s leading destination for small satellite launches. “The UK government is committed to minimising the environmental impact of spaceflight activities and is developing a National Space Strategy which recognises the unique contribution of satellite technology to our understanding of global issues like climate change.”

David Oxley, Director of Business Growth with HIE, also welcomed the council’s decision. “The UK’s space ambitions present a wonderful opportunity for the Highlands and Islands,” he said. “A vertical launch spaceport is a key piece of the national jigsaw, along with the design and manufacture of satellites and launch vehicles, that will ensure Scotland can derive maximum economic benefits from this growing and exciting sector. Another important aspect is the role that satellites launched from Sutherland will play in gathering data that will help people around the world to understand and address the impacts of climate change. “In developing our plans, we have always been very mindful of the environmental challenges presented by a project of this kind. Part of our ambition is to create the world’s most low-carbon space centre and the conditions applied to the planning approval will help us make that a reality.”

Nilesat has continued to see pressures on its revenues and net profit.

The Cairo-based satellite communications company reported a 17 per cent reduction in its net profit for the first six trading months of 2020.

According to its statement filed to the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the satellite operator said its net profit stood at $19,564,668 (EG Pounds 311,119,307) in H1 2020, compared to $23,812,278 in H1 2019.

The financial results of NileSat for Q1 2020 showed net profits of $10.8 million down by 5 per cent from $11.38 million in the year-ago period.

NileSat’s revenues declined to $32.36 million in the January-March period, compared to $32.86 million in the same period in 2019.

It is worth mentioning that during the full year 2019, NileSat posted net profits of $42.53 million, down 20.45 per cent from $53.46 million in 2018.

The official Committee of OneWeb’s unsecured creditors is objecting to the current Chapter 11 exit reorganization plan for OneWeb.

In a filing to the US Bankruptcy Court, they argue that the disclosure statement from OneWeb “lacks adequate information of particular importance to the unsecured creditors.” The submission to the Court stresses that they are in favour of OneWeb proceeding as a “going concern” but additional information must be supplied.

The Committee argues that, superficially, the OneWeb plan is only the result of negotiations with the debt-holders of $1.6 billion of (potentially) ‘debt for equity’ promissory Notes, and the incoming Bid100 Ltd consortium of Bharti and the UK Government which is the sponsor of the restructuring scheme.

The Committee, in its filing, stated, “The truth is that (even apart from the exclusion of the Committee), the Proposed Plan was negotiated by two parties, not three. The Debtors are controlled by the Purported Noteholders, who hold over 70 per cent of the Debtors’ equity as well as a controlling majority of the Debtors’ board of directors, and there is no evidence that any steps were taken or corporate formalities observed to separate what is best for the Debtors (and their estates) from what is best for the Purported Noteholders. Worse, it has become clear that the Debtors (and their insiders) have no qualms about using the proposed transaction with BidCo (the “BidCo Transaction”) — specifically, the threat of the loss of this transaction—as a sword to extract inappropriate concessions from unsecured creditors and to try to “box in” the Court with a Hobson’s choice: confirm an unconfirmable plan or lose the BidCo Transaction.”

The filing continued, “The Debtors can conduct plan negotiations in whatever manner they choose and, as long as exclusivity is in place, file whatever plan they see fit. However, having held their negotiations and having filed their Proposed Plan, the Debtors must now demonstrate that their Proposed Plan is confirmable on its face and that they have provided adequate information and disclosures about the agreements they have reached, for all practical purposes, with themselves. The Debtors fail on both accounts.”

The Committee argues that the plan also includes “sweeping” approval for “millions of dollars” to be paid in the form of retention and severance bonuses to OneWeb executives.

News stories authored by journalist Chris Forrester, who posts for the Advanced Television infosite and is a Senior Contributor for Satnews Publishers.

AAC Clyde Space along with ORBCOMM Inc. and Saab will be collaborating on the development of a next generation VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) satellite, the first of an intended, cutting-edge LEO satellite to, as the company stated, “revolutionize maritime communications.”

VDES (info video at this direct link…) has the potential to the transform the international maritime sector and improve the safety of sea fairing vessels, from the broadcast of maritime safety information to route exchange. It supports direct ship-to-ship and ship-to-coast communication, but its key characteristic is that it supports two-way communications, this means that vessels can have two-way communications globally.

Additionally, when compared to other global comms systems available already, VDES is standardized and intended for every ships bridge so there would potentially be no need for new custom hardware onboard the ship, apart from the mandatory equipment.

Many small vessels currently use satellite AIS, automatic identification system, but with up to 32 times more bandwidth than current AIS services, VDES can be integrated with e-navigation systems, providing savings in fuel and emissions of up to 25 percent, while aiding maritime navigation and safety. The higher rate communications and flexibility of the service would be able to support a variety of services from vessel traffic services to search and rescue.

The space-based maritime communication infrastructure will increase VDES range from the shoreline to anywhere in the ocean, converting what is currently a predominantly coastal system into a global maritime system.

The satellite will carry a VDES payload from Saab for two-way communication between satellite and ground. ORBCOMM will integrate the data in its distribution centre for maritime communications.

The EPIC 3U demonstration satellite will be assembled at AAC Clyde Space’s new integration facility in Uppsala, Sweden. After demonstrating its VDES capabilities, the EPIC 3U satellite will also deliver AIS data to ORBCOMM, which will then be distributed to its government and commercial customers for ship tracking and other maritime navigational and safety efforts.

AAC Clyde Space, ORBCOMM Inc. and Saab have received a grant from the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) to build, launch and commission a smallsat with global coverage. The Swedish space project is expected to start in October of 2020, with the launch of the demonstration satellite in mid-2022, followed by on-orbit demonstration and testing, which will end in the first quarter of 2023.

PredaSAR Corporation has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) to initiate the fabrication, testing and the launch of the company’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) spacecraft, in partnership with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc.

PredaSAR is building and will operate the world’s largest and most advanced constellation of SAR satellites. The successful CDR completion marks another major milestone in PredaSAR’s journey and follows its recent announcement of a rideshare partnership with SpaceX to launch its first satellite aboard the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

PredaSAR spacecraft employ an advanced, proprietary radar payload to create 2D Synthetic Aperture Radar images, 3D reconstructions of objects and the Earth’s surface, and customer-tailored data products. SAR satellites provide high-resolution images at any time of day and in any weather condition, overcoming natural limitations of traditional optical satellites.

PredaSAR spacecraft possess the latest in space-proven, high quality satellite systems to support scalable and fully capable operations in any low earth orbit. Leveraging its advanced technologies, PredaSAR will deliver critical insights and data products to military and commercial decision makers at the speed of need.

Executive Comments

“The collaborative work between PredaSAR and sister company Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems has met or surpassed objectives for this advanced radar satellite design. We look forward to building on the momentum of the successful CDR and accelerate toward production and testing,” said PredaSAR COO Colonel Mike Moran, USAF (Ret).”

“We are very pleased with the successful completion of PredaSAR’s Critical Design Review and the cooperative efforts of all who contributed to this important achievement in our journey. We continue to mature this game-changing technology and look forward to building upon this successful partnership with Tyvak to achieve our mission to deliver compelling radar solutions for our government and commercial customers at the speed of need.” said Eric Truitt, PredaSAR’s Chief Solutions Officer.

Kepler has signed a launch agreement with Exolaunch for two of the company’s 6U XL satellites.

Under the contract, Exolaunch will provide launch, mission management, integration and deployment services to Kepler’s satellites on a Soyuz rideshare mission, targeted for launch in September, 2020. With Exolaunch providing a quick turnaround for launch and deployment, Kepler now continues its rapid constellation development ahead of its 2020 launch plans.

Kepler’s two new satellites are important installments of the company’s development and demonstration platforms, and both carry a high-capacity Ku-band communications system and a prototype IoT payload. The satellites will deliver additional capacity for Kepler’s Global Data Service and a technology demonstration platform for Kepler’s narrowband connectivity solution for Internet of Things devices.

The satellites will be deployed into orbit with the EXOpod, Exolaunch’s advanced cubesat deployer, that has delivered 80 cubesats into orbit to date. Exolaunch produced a custom-tailored 16U EXOpod to accommodate Kepler’s 6U XL satellites.

Because of the EXOpod’s ease of operation and flexible design, Kepler’s engineers were able to successfully integrate both satellites at the company’s facilities in Toronto with virtual support from the Exolaunch team. Kepler and Exolaunch worked effectively together on this integration in a remote setting due to the current travel restrictions.

The satellites will be delivered to the launch site in Russia, where Exolaunch will conduct a launch campaign and integrate the satellites on a Soyuz launch vehicle.

Kepler’s satellites are a part of a September Soyuz rideshare mission that is fully manifested by Exolaunch to realize the launch plans of its international small satellite customers. The mission is named Wanderlust, Desire To Travel, which symbolizes both: the ever-increasing importance of sustainable access to space for small satellites and longing for travelling which was recently restricted.

Exolaunch has excellent heritage flying international customers on Soyuz; in summer 2019, it launched its largest smallsat cluster to date: 29 satellites from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. On this mission, Exolaunch will deploy a cluster of 15 smallsats into a sun-synchronous orbit for its customers from Europe, the UK, the UAE, Canada and the USA. The company is set to provide its market-leading separation systems – EXOpod for cubesats and CarboNIX for microsats – as well as its EXObox sequencers, to ensure timely deployment of small satellites into their target orbit.

Executive Comments

Jared Bottoms, Head of Launch & Satellite Programs at Kepler, said of the launch partnership, “Exolaunch continues to show growth and innovation in launch solutions and is accommodating to the rapid shifts and changes that often accompany our work as a new space company. Flight heritage is important when we consider launching our assets, and the combination of both deployment and launcher integration brought in by Exolaunch is something we can trust. We look forward to a successful partnership with Exolaunch, and a successful deployment of Kepler’s satellites.”

Jeanne Medvedeva, Commercial Director at Exolaunch, commented further on the upcoming launch plans and added, “Exolaunch looks forward to working with Kepler to support its mission to eliminate global gaps in connectivity. With the launch of two more satellites, Kepler’s Global Data Service capabilities will expand significantly and improve the economics of movement of data. Our team is ready to utilize our launch expertise and deployment solutions to ensure smooth deployment of Kepler’s satellites into orbit. In light of recent global challenges, we are especially proud of this opportunity to continue our mission to provide our customers with regular access to space.”

The University of Georgia‘s Small Satellite Research Laboratory (SSRL), located in the basement of the Physics building, is developing two satellites that will be sent into orbit to map and image oceanic and coastal ecosystems.

SSRL was created, thanks to funding from two grants for the design, integration, and testing of cubesats. These smallsats are comprised of units(U), each one under 1.33 kg and measuring 10x10x11 cm in size. Both projects, one funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) University Nanosatellite Program (UNP), and the other funded by NASA’s Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP), are for building two, 3U cubesats.

The projects are supervised by Dr. David L. Cotten with physics faculty members Dr. Susanne Ullrich and Dr. William Dennis, along with 12 other faculty across five departments at UGA, creating a truly interdisciplinary group. As a result of these funding opportunities, SSRL established an official Space Act Agreement with the NASA Ames Research Center for testing of satellite components and sharing of information.

The primary scientific goals of these cubesat missions are to develop and operate the first moderate resolution coastal ecosystem and ocean color CubeSats in Georgia.

The AFRL mission, the Mapping and Ocean Color Imager (MOCI) will use an onboard RGB camera to take images from multiple perspectives to create a 3D point cloud of land features.

The NASA mission, the SPectral and Ocean Color Satellite (SPOC Sat), will generate hyperspectral moderate resolution imaging products to monitor coastal wetlands status, estuarine water quality, and near-coastal ocean productivity in compliance with some of the NASA’s strategic objectives. The designing and building of the hyperspectral imager for SPOC is being done in house and will have 60 bands to acquire image data between 400 and 850 nm. In addition, the SPOC mission has been chosen as a candidate of NASA’s eight CubeSat Launch Initiative, meaning that SPOC will be launched to the International Space Station for deployment between 2018 and 2020.

Both 3U cubesats will contain all relevant flight systems such as: S-band and UHF/VHF communications, Electrical Power Systems, an On Board Computer (OBC), Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) with reaction wheels and sun sensors, and data storage. The two missions and the establishment of the lab have the primary goals of teaching and developing students for STEM careers by training undergraduates in a broad range of fields through hands-on, experiential learning and creating a pipeline for high school students to attend UGA through the Physics and Astronomy Department. While the majority of members in the lab are undergraduates, there are graduate students that serve as mentors. The team currently consists of 45 students from around campus.

The student groups have already been through multiple reviews with the Air Force and NASA regarding communications, engineering, orbital parameters, power specifications, data management, temperature regulation, attitude control, project management, and budgeting. The team is divided into 5 subteams: Mechanical, Electrical, Mission Operations, Research, Testing, and Lab Operations in order to address the many aspects of the missions.

The undergraduate students have also been very active in outreach activities: giving a three day workshop in SSRL with NSF-funded LISEL-B teachers to help communicate science to middle and high school students, serving as guest lecturers at Cedar Shoals High School presenting on orbital mechanics, giving four guest lectures around campus, and will be giving a series of workshops related to empowering women in STEM with Chick Tech Atlanta.

These and future projects in the lab will provide a unique opportunity to enhance the growth of UGA educational programs by exposing undergraduates to the challenges of space exploration, creating more experiential learning opportunities for classes, helping students transition into the STEM related workforce, and attracting new students to the University. More information about these projects can be found at this direct infolink…

The lab is currently equipped with a 140 sq ft clean room rated ISO 7, a 200-liter vacuum chamber capable of reaching 10-6 torr and multiple Electrostatic Discharge workstations, all of which are suitable for the integrations and testing of flight ready equipment. The lab is leading the way in developing a Small Satellite Course that will form the foundation of an aerospace-based curriculum at UGA. This program will have all levels of students from undergraduate to doctoral, with faculty based in numerous departments.

SSRL aims to teach, to develop, and to discover through undergraduate involvement. For years to come, the lab hopes to continue: teaching students how to build and use space ready equipment, developing the local community by getting local K-12 students interested in both space exploration and the University, and discovering, by using space based equipment to observe phenomenon on Earth from an orbital perspective through national funding opportunities, creating new technologies that can be used on future missions, and demonstrating how small satellite systems can make large scientific discoveries.

Article source: Department of Physics and Astronomy,
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences,
University of Georgia.

Exolaunch has signed a wide-ranging MOU with Germany-based launch service provider, Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA), to provide end-to-end launch services for smallsats, with Exolaunch procuring launch capacities from RFA.

Exolaunch provides launch services, mission management, and smallsat deployment systems, whose customers include startups, universities, scientific institutions, and space agencies from around the world. Since 2017, Exolaunch has helped launch nearly 100 smallsats into orbit, with 50 additional smallsats to be launched before the end of 2020.

Rocket Factory, a start-up backed by the German satellite maker OHB as a strategic investor and Venture Capital firm Apollo Capital Partners, currently is developing a launcher system called RFA One for small satellites with a payload performance of up to 300kg to low earth orbit (LEO). The first launch is scheduled for 2022. The company recently qualified the upper stage tank system during cryogenic tests and currently is preparing hot-fire tests of the main engine in Esrange, Sweden.

RFA is engaged in global, new-space, launch vehicle development, with their state-of-the-art staged-combustion engine technology. This high-performance engine technology, coupled to lowest-possible-cost production techniques, is essentially new to Europe, and through the support of OHB, RFA managed to acquire key technologies and key talent that will propel the business case of the RFA One launch vehicle to allow it to compete on a global scale.

Recently, RFA won the first round of the German micro-launcher competition of the German Space Agency DLR, which granted RFA with a letter of support to receive 500.000 € of funding within ESA’s C-STS program. In the next round of the competition, DLR and ESA will award a launch contract worth 11,000,000 euros for institutional payloads.

Executive Comments

“Exolaunch and Rocket Factory share a common mission that places the customer at the center of every launch service experience,” said Jeanne Medvedeva, Commercial Director at Exolaunch. “The agreement between our companies not only expands access to commercial space opportunities, but also reinforces Germany’s leadership position in the space industry in Europe and beyond.”

“RFA is looking forward to launching the first RFA One vehicle, using separation and payload deployment systems supplied by Exolaunch. We are optimistic that this partnership will generate a win-win situation for all parties involved, in particular our customers,” said Dr. Stefan Brieschenk, Chief Operations Officer at RFA. “This marks the beginning of a new era, where the space domain is transformed into a commercial market in Europe.”