Archives for October 2020

The Swedish government has made the decision to establish the capability to launch smallsats from the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.

This announcement is the third step in an extensive modernization of the infrastructure at Esrange to meet the growing demand of testing and launching capability in the space sector. Swedish Space Minister Matilda Ernkrans announced this decision during the inauguration of a new testbed facility for next generation rocket technology at Esrange.

Esrange Space center is already one of the most active and versatile launch sites in the world and the latest decision allows SSC to proceed with its goal to be able to launch small satellites into orbit by 2022.

The announcement follows the overall ambition defined in the Swedish space strategy decided upon in 2018. The strategy underlines the importance of further developing Esrange in order to fully use its potential, strengthening Sweden’s position as a prominent space nation within the European and global space sector.

The new testbed at Esrange provides a platform for European and global space sector to develop next generation rocket technologies. This will now be supplemented with additional infrastructure needed for launching small satellites from Esrange.

The first rockets tests will be conducted by ISAR and RFA later this autumn, both already established at the site. The European Space Agency’s reusability programme Themis will conduct its first reusability test flights in 2022 from Esrange, in a collaboration between SSC and ArianeGroup supported by ArianeWorks (an innovation unit formed up by the French Space Agency CNES and ArianeGroup). SSC’s ambition is to launch the first satellites in 2022.

Executive Comments

“This means that Sweden will be one of the very few countries with capability to launch small satellites. We are very proud of having taken this decision,” said the Swedish Space Minister during her visit to Esrange.

“We are pleased that the Swedish government has now decided to establish the capability to launch satellites from Esrange. The decision means that Sweden will become a launching state, providing a capability that only a few countries have, of great importance for research, technology development and expanded international collaboration,” said Stefan Gardefjord, CEO at SSC.

ANGELS, France’s first industrial smallsat, extends the scope of space IoT and is five times more powerful and 10 times smaller than its predecessors — ANGELS has been designed to address the current challenges of New Space: miniaturization, scaled-up performance and very low consumption.

ANGELS is opening up its services to current users and offering IoT players premium access to this new connectivity. ANGELS gives a first taste of the opportunities provided by Kinéis, the first constellation of European smallsats dedicated to IoT.

Carrying a state-of-the-art ARGOS instrument, ANGELS is supported by CNES and manufacturers such as Thales Alenia Space, HEMERIA and Syrlinks.

ANGELS is so sensitive that transmitters on the ground can reach it with a transmission power of just 100 mW, about a fifth of the power needed by current ARGOS transmitters. It also provides access to a new frequency band, boosting the capabilities of the seven satellites in the current system. These major innovations will enable users to extend the battery life of their transmitters and reduce their size and weight.

Data from the 20,000 transmitters are currently processed by the entire system, a figure that will increase to several million by 2030. For biologists, who have been using the ARGOS system with CLS for more than 40 years, this means that their studies can last longer and can include new, smaller species through suitably miniaturized transmitters.

The addition of ANGELS (ARGOS Neo on a Generic Economical and Light Satellite) to the ARGOS satellite fleet, a world reference in the collection of transmitter data for the study and protection of the environment, offers new data collection capabilities. The ARGOS Neo instrument is the first of a new generation: this technological wonder has passed the challenge of miniaturization by being ten times lighter (2 kg) and three times more energy-efficient than previous generations.

Executive Comments

“All the innovations developed on board of the satellite in orbit has immediate benefits for users. In practical terms, this new instrument allows the transmitters to become smaller and lighter, which opens up the range of objects inside which they can be fitted. While the ANGELS model already offers exceptional performance, the 25 similar nanosatellites of the future constellation will meet even more demanding specifications,” explained Alexandre Tisserant, CEO of Kinéis.

Caroline Laurent, CNES’s Director of Orbital Systems, remarked, “The opening of new services and the inclusion of ANGELS in the ARGOS satellite fleet represent a new milestone in the ARGOS system success story. This was made possible thanks to the unique partnership between CNES, Thales Alenia Space, Syrlinks and HEMERIA. ANGELS is the symbol of French New Space: innovative working methods in action. Designed, developed, manufactured and qualified in record time, ANGELS announces the starting point for the marketing of a range of nanosatellites weighing less than 50 kg. It is carrying ARGOS Neo, itself the precursor of a new generation of low-cost, highly miniaturized instruments.”

Benoit Broudy, VP of the Navigation business at Thales Alenia Space in France, added, “We are proud to have supplied the ARGOS Neo instrument, and of its successful commissioning on ANGELS. It represents an important milestone in Thales Alenia Space’s New Space and innovation approach. The ARGOS system is the global benchmark in satellite location and data collection. Instrument miniaturization offers new spaceflight solutions such as nanosatellite constellations and creates new opportunities in satellite navigation and the Internet of Things. We are happy to share the success of the ANGELS mission, which should spur the development of a French nanosatellite sector to address the booming New Space market.”

Nicolas Multan, CEO of HEMERIA, reported, “I am delighted and proud of the progress made since 2016, a time when questions were being asked about ‘how cube- and nanosats can be turned into industrial products with promising performance’. I think we can say that ANGELS clearly demonstrates French know-how in the New Space area, from CNES labs all the way through to the industrial sector, which we are working to unite. This demonstrator, which is now operational, is good news for the constellation of 25 satellites soon to be launched, which will make Kinéis a unique player in tomorrow’s IoT world.”

Christophe Vassal, President of CLS, provider of ARGOS environmental services, mentioned, “According to WWF’s latest Living Planet Report, populations of vertebrates – fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles – fell by 68% between 1970 and 2016. ANGELS and the forthcoming Kinéis constellation are flying strategic technologies for improving knowledge and protection of biodiversity. ANGELS therefore opens the path to a bright future for wildlife conservation, but also for the sustainable management of marine resources with the monitoring of traditional fishing vessels, or the study of our Blue Planet with the establishment of a digital twin of the ocean. From now on, any sponsor of a project offering connected solutions for the environment can obtain assistance in developing applications. The Kinéis and CLS teams will provide technical and commercial support to all pro-planet players in the creation of novel space applications.”

Guy Richard, President and CEO of Syrlinks, said, “Syrlinks is proud to have taken part in designing the ARGOS Neo miniaturized payload with Thales Alenia Space. We contributed our expertise in space radio communications, digital signal processing and software, and our mastery of the New Space system. Syrlinks also provided ARGOS Neo with an ultra-stable reference clock, essential for locating ARGOS transmitters. Developing payloads is fully in line with the company’s strategy and allows us to diversify our range of satcom products with more advanced features.“

Elon Musk’s satellite constellation Starlink has registered a business in Australia.

Starlink Australia Pty Ltd has been created out of a pre-registered company – Tibro Australia Pty Ltds.

Tibro (‘orbit’ backwards) in Australia was granted a telecommunications license in Australia (by the Australian Communications & Media Authority) on August 7th.

There has been no formal announcement from Musk or SpaceX as to plans for Australia; however, the nation’s Channel 9 News correctly reminds its audience that Musk did say on October 6th that “Other countries would follow as soon as [Starlink] received regulatory approval.”

Starlink is planning to start rolling out its services in a “fairly wide public beta [trial]” in northern US and southern Canada as soon as its latest batch of 60 satellites reach their target positions.

Founded in 2008, Axelspace Corporation has designed, built and is operating vie smallsats — from 2015, the company started building AxelGlobe, the next-generation Earth Observation (EO) platform that consists of multiple smallsats to cover various parts of the world with high frequency — the company launched their first GRUS-1A in December of 2018.

For the firm’s upcoming launch, the manufacturing process for four satellites (GRUS-1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) is almost complete and the final preparation for the shipment is being completed as the company awaits confirmation of the actual launch date.

Lowering satellite manufacturing cost and shortening delivery time are becoming critical topics in order to move forward with the mass production of satellites. Innovation in the manufacturing process of on-board components for satellites is vital, welcoming mass production and moving away from single unit production.

Axelspace decided to newly develop two, different, on-board components with partner companies. These developments have been selected and awarded a grant, FY2020 “Program to Support Ventures for Developing Space Components,” by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Development Component 1
Membrane Deployment De-Orbit Mechanism
Space debris is a growing concern and proper disposal of newly launched satellites, after the end of operation, by deorbiting is fast becoming a requirement. Satellites for LEO, developed by Axelspace, will re-enter the atmosphere and disintegrate, before reaching the ground. The company has been developing the membrane deployment de-orbit mechanism to accelerate the speed of lowering the orbital altitude and as announced on June 9th this year, the project has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (“JAXA”) for the demonstration theme of “Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3.” The component will be developed in partnership with Sakase Adtech Co., Ltd.

Development Component 2: Reaction Wheel
Reaction wheel is one of the attitude control systems and a crucial component for a satellite like GRUS with demanding requirements for precision attitude control. Diversification of suppliers of reaction wheel for microsatellites has been needed, as there are challenges with the cost and delivery time, in addition to the short supply as the vendors are limited. The component will be developed in partnership with Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.

Axelspace will continue to work toward the development of high-performance/high-quality smallsats combined with a low cost/short delivery time, together with all partner companies.

Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”) has closed their Series E round with additional funding of $51 million from a group of investors led by aSTART Co., Ltd. (“aSTART”) — this latest round brings the total investment raised to $191 million and makes Astroscale the most funded, on-orbit services and logistics company globally as well as the most funded space venture in Japan.

The significant investment raised since its founding in 2013 has allowed Astroscale to establish a global footprint across five countries and grow to over 140 team members. Each of the five global offices are working in concert to achieve the Astroscale mission of safe and sustainable development of space for future generations.

Astroscale Japan is on schedule to ship the pioneering End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission, the world’s first demonstration of commercial orbital debris removal. Astroscale U.K. is leading the development of the In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre – National Facility, which will form the basis for satellite servicing mission operations.

Astroscale U.S., and its newly established subsidiary, Astroscale Israel, are focused on satellite servicing research and developing a mission for life extension of geostationary satellites. With the addition of an administrative office in Singapore, Astroscale is uniquely positioned to meet the global challenges of securing orbital sustainability.

Senior officials from government and industry have been increasingly expressing concerns over the growing dangers of space debris to assets in orbit. Recently, near misses of space debris with the International Space Station and multiple conjunction warnings for both active and defunct satellites have spurred more concerted international action to overcome the issue.

At the same time, independent valuations have estimated that life extension and other on-orbit satellite services will provide significant value to commercial and government operators by repairing or upgrading assets rather than just replacing them.

This latest funding round will allow Astroscale to continue developing technologies, defining business cases and working with policymakers to ensure debris issues are addressed and servicing opportunities for sustainability are realized.

Executive Comments

“In Astroscale’s seven-and-a-half-year history, we have seen a growing awareness of the debris issue and the recognition that protecting space technologies is essential for improving our daily lives and helping to ensure sustainability on Earth,” said Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO. “Our multiple funding rounds are a testament to the power of Astroscale’s vision of space sustainability, and this latest series will allow us to continue developing the technologies that will lead the debris removal and on-orbit servicing market.”

“Space debris is a serious issue that has the potential to affect our daily lives, the global economy and environmental sustainability,” said Kazumasa Watanabe, CEO of aSTART. “Astroscale is not only leading the market with its unrivaled technology, but is also making a global impact by contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This combination of technology advancement and societal benefit is why aSTART has invested in Astroscale since Series C. We will continue to support Astroscale in developing new on-orbit servicing capabilities which will benefit humankind.”

Investors in Astroscale Series E Round…

• AS aSTART 1 Limited Partnership (aSTART Co., Ltd.)
• Hulic Co., Ltd.
• I-NET CORP.
• SHIMIZU CORPORATION
• SPARX Space Frontier Fund (SPARX Innovation for Future Co.,Ltd.)

Access to ICEYE‘s Public Archive has been announced by the firm — this archive contains nearly 18,000 images from ICEYE satellites.

The ICEYE Public Archive includes radar imagery in various imaging modes taken with ICEYE’s SAR satellite constellation between mid-2019 and now. The ICEYE Public Archive consists of preview images from around the world, which are released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license, allowing for non-commercial use.

The ICEYE Public Archive is provided as a downloadable file through the ICEYE website, showing the locations and time of imaging for each thumbnail in the Archive. After downloading the file, users can open it with their Geographic Information System (GIS) program of choice, such as Google Earth Pro or QGIS, making exploring the world of radar satellite imaging accessible for all.

The Public Archive does not contain the full catalog of ICEYE imagery, as customer exclusivity applies in many cases. The ICEYE SAR data associated with the preview images presented in the Public Archive can be ordered in the ICEYE standard image formats by following the order process described in the ICEYE Product Guide. ICEYE sales will assist new customers to set up an account for image orders.

Executive Comments

“The ICEYE SAR satellite constellation is here for the global community of decision makers, data users, and more, to improve our shared world around us all,” said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE. “The ICEYE Public Archive opens up a unique view of the world, which we invite you to explore together with us.”

“Every day, ICEYE provides unique access to data and information for our customers that hasn’t been available before,” said Steve Young, VP, Business Development and Sales, ICEYE. “Our customers and the global community of Earth Observation data explorers now have access to some of the imagery that has been collected in the prior years by ICEYE’s SAR satellite constellation. The ICEYE Public Archive provides additional inspiration for what can be achieved in the future.”

Spaceport America has signed an agreement with C6 Launch Systems to provide services, resources and access to the vertical launch sites facilities for testing operations and activities.

C6 Launch Systems plans to begin work at Spaceport America in January 2021. Over a six-week period, the Canadian rocket company will install a new vertical test stand and conduct system integration tests including several engine firings at Spaceport America. These tests will validate the avionics, engine control, ground control and communications subsystems.

C6 builds rockets designed to launch small satellites. Its launch vehicle is purpose-built for a high-cadence, low-cost orbital launch program. Elementary tank architecture, pressurization, and propellant management systems simplify manufacturing and launch operations. Its time-tested engine provides a path to reliable flight performance.

Executive Comments

“C6 Launch is a young, innovative company, part of the new frontier of commercial space developments, and a perfect fit for our site,” Scott McLaughlin, Spaceport America’s Interim Executive Director said, “We are glad to play an important role in their growth, and hope to be a partner for many years to come.”

“Spaceport America has been great to work with over the past few months,” said Richard McCammon, President of C6 Launch Systems. “I am truly excited about our new partnership. This integration test is a major milestone for us as we continue to develop our launch vehicle.”