Archives for November 2020

According to new research published by Polaris Market Research, the global smallsat market is anticipated to reach more than $6,111.8 million by 2026. In 2017, the smallsat segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue and, in 2017, North America accounted for the majority share in this market segment.

Smallsats are used in civil, government, defense, and commercial sectors for earth observation and telecommunication applications. Organizations are increasingly adopting nano and micro satellites for technology demonstration, and scientific research and experimentation. The growing commercial sector, along with low costs associated with these satellites, drive the market.

There has been a rising demand of Earth Observation (EO) services among various sectors such as agriculture, energy, civil engineering, oil and gas, and defense. Growing use of these satellites in defense sector would boost the growth of this market. Technological advancement in terms of miniaturization of components, and associated software has encouraged established organizations, and small and medium enterprises to invest in these satellites.

Advancements in microelectronics such as light weight apertures, antennas, panels, transceivers, control sensors and actuators, and multi-spectral imagers would increase the efficiency and processing power of these satellites and make it easy to assemble and test, reducing the complexities associated with heavy satellites.

Cubesat technology is growing at a rapid rate and are developed to standard dimensions (Units or “U”) of 10x10x11. They can be 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size, and typically weigh less than 1.33 kg (3 lbs) per U. Cubesats are widely used by academia and research and would constitute around 30% of total smallsat market during the forecast period. Nanosats in the range of 4-6 kg would constitute around 60% of this market during the forecast period, owing to their increasing application in remote sensing, EO and technology development.

The adoption of smallsats in the commercial sector has increased tremendously over the past few years, owing to the miniaturization of bulky satellite components, reduced costs and standardization of satellite parts. In the commercial sector, these satellites are used in forestry, agriculture, energy, civil engineering, archaeology, insurance, and media and entertainment among others. These satellites are used for obtaining high-resolution earth imaging, space-based internet, and communication services.

Planet, a company based in U.S., has a constellation of 36 smallsats in orbit and offers high resolution imaging to consumers in the commercial sector. Other companies such as Skybox, Digital Globe, and O3B offer services such as real time satellite imaging, telecommunication, and space-based internet through these satellites.

North America is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. Rise in applications of nano and micro satellites in agriculture, real estate, defense, and government sectors in the North American region is the major driver for market growth. The affordable price of these satellites also accelerates the penetration in the commercial sector.

Rise in investment in the defense sector, along with technological advancement in telecommunication industry, is expected to drive smallsat market growth during the forecast period. Use of high-resolution imaging, and communication services for border security and monitoring high-risk situation by federal agencies, government, and non-government organizations are expected to raise the market investment for these services.

The various applications of nanosatellites and microsatellites include earth observation, communication, technology demonstration, biological experimentation, scientific research & academic training, and others. EO accounted for the highest share in 2017. These satellites are increasingly being used in this sector for commercial weather monitoring, agricultural monitoring and management, and synthetic aperture radar imagery. They are also used by the defense sector for border monitoring, disaster management, and other military missions.

Companies such as Planet, Skybox Imaging, and Dauria Aerospace have launched several smallsats that dedicated for only remote sensing. More than 2,100 satellites are anticipated to be launched from 2016 to 2025. Leading companies in this sector include Planet, Spire, BlackSky Global and Satellogic, which together plan to launch 1,400 out of the total 2,100 satellites.

An emerging application of these satellites is near, real-time, remote sensing, with two U.S. companies, Planet Labs and Skybox Imaging, offering such services. Near-real time satellite imagery enables the monitoring of assets at the same time for global corporations, and generating high-resolution visual data for individual companies, and governments. Increasing demand of on-demand geographic information systems with pay-per-image business model is expected to supplement the growth of this market.

To learn more about this report, please access this direct infolink…

A new small sat system with sample return capability will be available for review at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research. Orbital Transports, Inc. has been selected to provide a pre-recorded Technical Presentation entitled, “CubeSats (with Optional Payload Return Module) as a Microgravity Research Platform,” at this year’s virtual annual meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research on November 5-6. This presentation may be seen on the Orbital Transports YouTube Channel.

“This new smallsat system with sample return capability from Orbital Transports opens the door to whole new avenues of space-related research that have never before been possible,” said Dr. Chris Porada, a professor with microgravity-based biological research experience at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina. “Given its numerous unique advantages, it is my prediction that this exciting new platform will quickly become the go-to means for researchers to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation.”

Known as Biotech Zero-G, this solution is just one of the products available in the Biotech & Microgravity section of the SmallSat Catalog. Orbital Transports recognizes that not every microgravity-based biological experiment is suitable for the International Space Station, and that International Space Station lockers and launches aren’t always available. Biotech Zero-G is for the scientist who needs the following for his/her experiments (as compared to the International Space Station):

• On-demand sample return
• Increasing number of launch options
• Independence from ISS crew availability
• No biological sample restrictions as exist for ISS
• Variable mission duration vs. minimal flexibility on ISS
• Independence from ISS launch/Dragon capsule return schedule
• Polar orbits and ability to transit the South Atlantic Anomaly useful for space radiation research, not accessible from ISS

Biotech Zero-G is a turn-key service for biotechnology and pharmaceutical researchers interested in conducting experiments in space-based microgravity environments. This orbital bio-research platform provides microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices within a self-contained autonomous biotech lab module that provides remote monitoring and real-time manipulation of samples.

The experiments are hosted on a small satellite with a payload return capsule capable of atmospheric reentry and rapid recovery of research materials. Launches are available to many destination orbits, including access to polar orbits useful for space radiation research. Mission duration is highly flexible and research materials can be returned from orbit at any time and delivered to the customer within 30 hours of de-orbiting.

According to new research published by Polaris Market Research, the global smallsat market is anticipated to reach more than $6,111.8 million by 2026. In 2017, the smallsat segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue and, in 2017, North America accounted for the majority share in this market segment.

Smallsats are used in civil, government, defense, and commercial sectors for earth observation and telecommunication applications. Organizations are increasingly adopting nano and micro satellites for technology demonstration, and scientific research and experimentation. The growing commercial sector, along with low costs associated with these satellites, drive the market.

There has been a rising demand of Earth Observation (EO) services among various sectors such as agriculture, energy, civil engineering, oil and gas, and defense. Growing use of these satellites in defense sector would boost the growth of this market. Technological advancement in terms of miniaturization of components, and associated software has encouraged established organizations, and small and medium enterprises to invest in these satellites.

Advancements in microelectronics such as light weight apertures, antennas, panels, transceivers, control sensors and actuators, and multi-spectral imagers would increase the efficiency and processing power of these satellites and make it easy to assemble and test, reducing the complexities associated with heavy satellites.

Cubesat technology is growing at a rapid rate and are developed to standard dimensions (Units or “U”) of 10x10x11. They can be 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size, and typically weigh less than 1.33 kg (3 lbs) per U. Cubesats are widely used by academia and research and would constitute around 30% of total smallsat market during the forecast period. Nanosats in the range of 4-6 kg would constitute around 60% of this market during the forecast period, owing to their increasing application in remote sensing, EO and technology development.

The adoption of smallsats in the commercial sector has increased tremendously over the past few years, owing to the miniaturization of bulky satellite components, reduced costs and standardization of satellite parts. In the commercial sector, these satellites are used in forestry, agriculture, energy, civil engineering, archaeology, insurance, and media and entertainment among others. These satellites are used for obtaining high-resolution earth imaging, space-based internet, and communication services.

Planet, a company based in U.S., has a constellation of 36 smallsats in orbit and offers high resolution imaging to consumers in the commercial sector. Other companies such as Skybox, Digital Globe, and O3B offer services such as real time satellite imaging, telecommunication, and space-based internet through these satellites.

North America is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. Rise in applications of nano and micro satellites in agriculture, real estate, defense, and government sectors in the North American region is the major driver for market growth. The affordable price of these satellites also accelerates the penetration in the commercial sector.

Rise in investment in the defense sector, along with technological advancement in telecommunication industry, is expected to drive smallsat market growth during the forecast period. Use of high-resolution imaging, and communication services for border security and monitoring high-risk situation by federal agencies, government, and non-government organizations are expected to raise the market investment for these services.

The various applications of nanosatellites and microsatellites include earth observation, communication, technology demonstration, biological experimentation, scientific research & academic training, and others. EO accounted for the highest share in 2017. These satellites are increasingly being used in this sector for commercial weather monitoring, agricultural monitoring and management, and synthetic aperture radar imagery. They are also used by the defense sector for border monitoring, disaster management, and other military missions.

Companies such as Planet, Skybox Imaging, and Dauria Aerospace have launched several smallsats that dedicated for only remote sensing. More than 2,100 satellites are anticipated to be launched from 2016 to 2025. Leading companies in this sector include Planet, Spire, BlackSky Global and Satellogic, which together plan to launch 1,400 out of the total 2,100 satellites.

An emerging application of these satellites is near, real-time, remote sensing, with two U.S. companies, Planet Labs and Skybox Imaging, offering such services. Near-real time satellite imagery enables the monitoring of assets at the same time for global corporations, and generating high-resolution visual data for individual companies, and governments. Increasing demand of on-demand geographic information systems with pay-per-image business model is expected to supplement the growth of this market.

To learn more about this report, please access this direct infolink…

ThrustMe and Spacety have announce that the BEIHANGKONGSHI-1 satellite, carrying the world’s first iodine electric propulsion system, was successfully launched into space on a CZ-6 Long March 6 rocket from Taiyuan in China on the November 6 at 04:20 a.m. (Paris time).

In-space propulsion is becoming a critical subsystem, particularly for satellite constellations, for which high-performance, turnkey, and streamlined solutions are important to ensure economic and environmental sustainability of the space industry. The use of smallsats operating not individually, but as part of a constellation, has changed the way the industry designs, manufactures, launches and operates satellites.

Propulsion systems available for these satellites have, so far, been too complex, too expensive, or had insufficient performance to provide full constellation deployment capabilities, and new innovative propulsion solutions are needed. The BEIHANGKONGSHI-1 satellite includes a ThrustMe NPT30-I2 electric propulsion system which uses iodine propellant.

Iodine can be stored as a solid and does not require any complex or costly high-pressure storage tanks like conventional gaseous propellants such as xenon. This also means that the propulsion system can be delivered pre-filled, which greatly simplifies satellite integration and testing.

Considering the high production cost of xenon, and the predicted supply problems to meet growing demands from satellite constellations, iodine is seen as an important next-generation propellant to enable sustainability of the space industry.

The demonstration of ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2 on Spacety’s BEIHANGKONGSHI-1 satellite will lead to a significant commercial collaboration between the two companies.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) uses a special radar antenna to create 2D or 3D reconstructions of landscapes or cities, both day and night, rain or shine. By making use of a constellation, global coverage can be obtained with fast refresh rates ideal for remote sensing and mapping, and particularly disaster management. As smallsagt constellations are often launched together in batches, onboard propulsion is critical to allow deployment of the constellation into its required global operational pattern, and to provide orbit maintenance over time.

The development of the NPT30-I2 flight model used on this demonstration mission was funded via the European Space Agency (ESA) ARTES C&G program. ThrustMe’s prior research and development of iodine technology has been supported by the French state via SATT Paris-Saclay, BPIFrance I-LAB and the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) R&T program.

BEIHANGKPNGSHI-1 is the first 12U satellite developed and launched by Spacety and is also the first space mission of the new Spacety satellite platform with advanced modules improved on designs with rich space heritage. The satellite platform is equipped with batteries of 400 Wh and a solar panel of nearly 100 W to support payloads with high power consumption and duty cycle.

The satellite has the capability to accommodate payloads of large range of different power requirement with a patented thermal radiator. The area of radiating surface is controllable according to the satellite thermal control need. BEIHANGKPNGSHI-1 is the first technology demonstration mission in China to demonstrate the technology for automatic airplane tracking and will validate and demonstrate key technologies for multi-beam and multi-channel ADS-B system.

An ADS-B over satellite system has the characteristics of continuous global coverage, dynamic tracking, real-time communication, and precise intervention. It can provide information services such as communication, navigation, and surveillance for a wide range of aviation users, and enhance the capabilities of existing air traffic control systems.

This flight demonstration will benefit the development of national airspace and aviation industry in general. On board BEIHANGKPNGSHI-1, there are other payloads, such as NPT30-I2 electric propulsion system, an experiment of GRID Plan, and more.

Executive Comments

“Iodine is a game changer, and with this mission, we will demonstrate it for the first time,” said ThrustMe’s CEO, Ane Aanesland. “

“Last year, we tested critical technologies for iodine storage, delivery, and sublimation, on Spacety’s Xiaoxiang 1(08) satellite as part of an in-orbit demonstration of our I2T5 iodine cold gas thruster. This time, we will test the full capabilities of our NPT30-I2 electric propulsion system and carry out a number of advanced orbital maneuvers,” said ThrustMe’s CTO, Dmytro Rafalskyi.

“We consider ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2 iodine electric propulsion to be a very promising technology to meet the propulsion requirements of our SAR constellation. We have already ordered several of ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2 propulsion systems for our upcoming Synthetic Aperture Radar constellation that we will start deploying this year,” added Feng Yang, Founder and CEO at Spacety.

“On-orbit demonstration is a critical step for a new space product to enter the space market. We have been very pleased with the win-win collaboration with ThrustMe on the quick and flexible demonstration mission, and are looking forward to future collaborations,” noted James Zheng, CEO of Spacety Luxembourg.

The TAU-SAT1 smallsat was devised, developed, assembled, and tested at the new Nanosatellite Center, an interdisciplinary endeavor of the Faculties of Engineering and Exact Sciences and the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, at Tel Aviv University.

TAU-SAT1 is currently undergoing pre-flight testing at the Japanese space agency, JAXA. From Japan, the satellite will be sent to the United States, where it will “hitch a ride” on a NASA and Northrop Grumman resupply spacecraft destined for the International Space Station in the first quarter of 2021. Once at the station, a robotic arm will release TAU-SAT1 into LEO approximately 400 km above the Earth.

TAU-SAT1 is a research satellite, and will conduct several experiments while on-orbit. Among other things, Tel Aviv University’s satellite will measure cosmic radiation in space.

A challenge that presented itself was how to extract the data collected by the TAU-SAT1 satellite. At an altitude of 400 km above sea level, the nanosatellite will orbit the earth at 27,600 km per hour, or 7.6 km per second. At this speed, the satellite will complete an orbit around the Earth every 90 minutes.

And this is just the beginning…

But launching the TAU-SAT1 nanosatellite is only Tel Aviv University’s first step on its way to joining the “new space” revolution. The idea behind the new space revolution is to open space up to civilians as well. Our satellite was built and tested with the help of a team of students and researchers. Moreover, we built the infrastructure on our own – from the cleanrooms, to the various testing facilities such as the thermal vacuum chamber, to the receiving and transmission station we placed on the roof.

Now that the infrastructure is ready, the university will begin to develop TAU-SAT2. The idea is that any researcher and any student, from any faculty at Tel Aviv University, or outside of it, will be able to plan and launch experiments into space in the future – even without being an expert in the field.

It will have been only two years from the moment that we began all of the above-mentioned activities until the satellite is launched – this is an achievement that would not have been possible without the involvement of many people: the university administration, who supported the project and the setting up of the infrastructure on campus, Prof. Yossi Rosenwaks, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professors Sivan Toledoand Haim Suchowski from the Faculty of Exact Sciences, and, most importantly, the project team that dealt with R&D around the clock: Elad Sagi, Dolev Bashi, Tomer Nahum, Idan Finkelstein, Dr. Diana Laufer, Eitan Shlisel, Eran Levin, David Greenberg, Sharon Mishal, and Orly Blumberg.

Executive Comments

“This is a nanosatellite, or miniature satellite, of the ‘cubesSat’ variety,” explained Dr. Ofer Amrani, head of Tel Aviv University’s smallsat lab. “The satellite’s dimensions are 10 by 10 by 30 cm, the size of a shoebox and it weighs less than 2.5 kg. TAU-SAT1 is the first nanosatellite designed, built and tested independently in academia in Israel. In order to collect data, we built a satellite station on the roof of the engineering building. Our station, which also serves as an amateur radio station, includes a number of antennas and an automated control system.

“When TAU-SAT1 passes ‘over’ the State of Israel, that is, within a few thousand kilometer radius from the ground station’s receiving range, the antennas will track the satellite’s orbit and a process of data transmission will occur between the satellite and the station. Such transmissions will take place about four times a day, with each one lasting less than 10 minutes. In addition to its scientific mission, the satellite will also serve as a space relay station for amateur radio communities around the world. In total, the satellite is expected to be active for several months. Because it has no engine, its trajectory will fade over time as the result of atmospheric drag – it will burn up in the atmosphere and come back to us as stardust.“

In the last few years, Tel Aviv University has been working on establishing a Nanosatellite Center to build small “shoebox” size satellites for launch into space. “We are seeing a revolution in the field of civilian space,” explained Professor Colin Price, one of the academic heads of the new center. “We call this new space as opposed to the old space where only giant companies with huge budgets and large teams of engineers could build satellites. As a result of miniaturization and modulation of many technologies, today universities are building small satellites that can be developed and launched in less than 2 years, and at a fraction of the budget in the old space. We have just completed the building of Tel Aviv University’s first nano-satellite, and it is ready for launch.”

“We know that that there are high-energy particles moving through space that originate from cosmic radiation,” stated Dr. Meir Ariel, Director of the university’s Nanosatellite Center. “Our scientific task is to monitor this radiation, and to measure the flux of these particles and their products. It should be understood that space is a hostile environment, not only for humans but also for electronic systems. When these particles hit astronauts or electronic equipment in space, they can cause significant damage. The scientific information collected by our satellite will make it possible to design means of protection for astronauts and space systems. To this end, we incorporated a number of experiments into the satellite, which were developed by the Space Environment Department at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center.”

EnduroSat and Orbital Space have announced a collaborative partnership that aims to enhance the growth and development of smallsat services and technologies in the Middle East.

The two space companies have agreed to share technological, legal, market and business insights that will help them drive innovation, productivity and revenue. The main focus of the cooperation is to introduce innovative space technologies and services for business and science programs.

The foundation for this Bulgarian-Kuwaiti partnership was laid during the work on Kuwait’s first satellite mission “QMR-KWT” (from Arabic, meaning: “Moon of Kuwait”). The 1U cubesat mission will allow students worldwide to send their own programming code that will be executed by the satellite’s onboard computer and tested in a true space environment. The “Moon of Kuwait” is set to launch in Q2 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Executive Comments

“The increased number of space missions worldwide requires a new approach to satellites and space services. Our goal is to streamline space operations and to simplify the access to space data. Through our newly formed partnership, we’ll be able to support commercial, science and exploration teams from the Gulf region in their ambitious space development plans. We hope to bring value to the Gulf space ecosystem in its fantastic effort to grow and expand,” said Raycho Raychev, Founder and CEO of EnduroSat.

“We are thrilled and honored to partner with EnduroSat in opening up new opportunities and encourage solutions that will bring space closer to the Middle East,” added Dr. Bassam Al-feeli, Founder and CEO of Orbital Space.

Lacuna Space has added their latest satellite to the firm’s demonstration constellation for the Internet-of-Things (IoT) — the company completed on-orbit tests on November 3 after the satellite was launched on the September 28 into LEO at about 500 km above Earth.

The satellite payload and mission is essentially a modified IoT Gateway in space, built by Lacuna Space. The IoT Gateway allows to connect ‘things,’ such as sensors, with the internet in remote areas where conventional connectivity is not commercially viable.

Lacuna Space recognizes that satellites can play an essential role in extending the connectivity of ‘things’ to remote areas where conventional connectivity is not commercially viable and power is a scarce resource. Using specially adapted Low-Power Wide Area Network protocols (LPWAN), Lacuna sensors are smaller than the palm of a hand, and can connect over satellite for several years off a single battery charge.

Lacuna Space started to lead the way when developing its concept during its period in the ESA Business Incubation Centre at Harwell in the UK, followed by developing low-cost satellites to demonstrate its capability and viability, with support from the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.

The satellite platform and initial operations have been supplied by smallsat integrator NanoAvionics and the antenna by Oxford Space Systems, also located in Harwell.

Executive Comments

According to Lacuna Space CEO, Rob Spurrett, this satellite will greatly boost the Lacuna network capacity and extend customer trials to additional market segments. Examples for applications include predictive maintenance and tracking of heavy machinery in remote areas. Automating the dispatch of replacement parts, scheduling resources where needed and minimizing down time. He said, “We now have various demonstrations for using our services from wildlife management in remote areas of New Zealand and national parks in Kenya, to managing the environmental impact of construction sites in the UK. It is great to announce another successfully commissioned satellite on our path to the full constellation. Our plans have been somewhat delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but despite the challenging times, we were able to proceed and this latest mission entered the network in under 10 months from Lacuna Space placing the satellite order. Now, as the launch back-log is flowing again, we are expecting several additions to the demonstration network in the near future.”

Carlo Elia, head of the telecommunications technologies, products and systems department at ESA, said, “ESA is proud to help European companies to develop innovative satellites, technologies and services for the global commercial market, particularly in the NewSpace domain. The ESA telecommunications directorate has supported Lacuna Space since it started in the ESA business incubator centre in Harwell, during which time Lacuna Space has demonstrated the capability of small cubesats to support internet-of-things services. It is great to see the company going from strength to strength with this latest launch and start of operations.”

Catherine Mealing-Jones, Director of growth at the UK Space Agency, said, “Space is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. The UK space sector is leading the way in putting pioneering technologies – from satellite communications to 5G – at the heart of the essential products and services we all rely on. This exciting venture is yet another example of the success stories that have been made possible by the support mechanisms that exist around the cluster of excellence at Harwell – bringing together companies that can work together to unleash the potential of the UK space sector.”

Fleet Space Technologies has announced the deployment of their Smart Sign Technology for Continuous Easement Interference Monitoring project with high pressure transmission pipeline operator, SEA Gas.

Fleet Space, in collaboration with the Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and the University of Woolongong, will deliver a scalable, end-to-end, remote IoT monitoring solution for SEA Gas, whose 700km+ pipeline asset runs throughout South Australia and Victoria. The collaboration will position SEA Gas as a world leader in pipeline management with the roll-out of Fleet Space’s “Smart Post Technology,” enabling rapid and reliable response to potential threats near to their linear asset.

The expectation is that this smart ‘always on” surveillance system will prove to be an even more efficient means of monitoring activity in the vicinity of the underground pipeline and improve the detection of possible threats from human, machinery and vehicle activity, improving on the current periodic human-based pipeline air and ground patrols currently in use.

The collaborative Network Lifecycle Management research program is partly funded by Future Fuels CRC, who are enabling the decarbonization of Australia’s energy networks, and brings together the University of Wollongong’s Smart surveillance sensor and IP Management research, with the IoT infrastructure and network validation provided by Fleet Space Technologies.

The Fleet Space solution involves the deployment of hundreds of “Smart Posts” along the pipeline network, creating a terrestrial wireless network of low-cost ruggedized IoT devices – cameras the size of an index finger – that will talk to the Fleet Portal Gateways through the LoRa network. The smart image recognition cameras will be taught to identify any unwanted activity along the pipeline including people, animals, and vehicles, through machine learning algorithms. This data is then fused with Earth Observation (EO) mapping visualization, transmitted over the low cost Fleet Space smallsat network, enabling SEA Gas to seamlessly receive reliable, actionable insights throughout their pipeline network 24/7.

As one of the most significant risks to the pipeline industry, successful management of external interference will ensure reliability and continuity of supply for SEA Gas and their stakeholders, while also guaranteeing the safety of the community and the environment.

Projected savings through automated monitoring are potentially upward of $200,000 per annum, through the redeployment of labour currently dedicated to pipeline patrol activities. In addition to immediate alerts to potential emergencies, there is the added benefit of eliminating the safety risks associated with manual worker inspections.

Once Fleet Space’s scalable network is in place, SEA Gas has the opportunity to significantly expand its monitoring capabilities to include leakage detection and remote cathodic protection data logging.

This ground-breaking technology has the ability to be adopted by any industry with a linear asset base, driving decreased costs for the company and increased safety for workers.

Stage 1 of the project will begin rolling out in Murray Bridge, with the installation of Smart Posts along 13km of pipeline, with the end goal to achieve total visibility of SEA Gas’ entire 800km asset base in order to optimise operations, saving time and money and reducing risk.

Executive Comments

Fleet Space Co-founder and CEO Flavia Tata Nardini said, “The most significant learning for utilities from this project will be the value of 24×7 digital monitoring across a vast network of linear assets. Manually monitoring at this scale would usually cost in the order of millions of dollars per year to achieve the same result. Fleet Space combines next-generation terrestrial IoT comms with the latest space technologies to provide low-cost industrial connectivity anywhere on the planet. This hybrid communications system will give SEA Gas the best of both worlds – low power devices, connected anywhere they’re needed, with a solution built for truly massive IoT deployments.”

David Norman, CEO of Future Fuels CRC, said, “Maintaining the excellent safety record of Australia’s gas pipelines needs constant innovation and development. Pipelines are very strong but can be damaged by mechanical earth moving or by vehicles. Future Fuels CRC’s research is finding new ways to enhance the protection of pipelines by developing sensors and associated algorithms that can detect and warn of the presence of earthmoving equipment in real time. These sensors will actively search for these potential threats and raise the alarm before damage can occur.”

SEA Gas’ Head of Operations, Eric Bardy, predicts a smart network of this nature could, in practise, not only act as a reliable control but also offer an enhanced method of risk mitigation as part of Safety Management Study assessments. He noted, “More efficient surveillance of our pipeline system, utilising a combination of technologies will continue to reduce the existing low risk of our operation. The promise of releasing workers for higher value add activities provides added incentive to pursue this initiative both within SEA Gas and through the greater pipeline industry.”

Elon Musk is inviting consumers in rural America to install his Starlink satellite broadband system at a cost of $99 a month. They also have to pay $499 for the antenna and its associated kit. However, it is widely accepted that Musk’s SpaceX is swallowing some of the antenna’s costs.

As recently reported, the search for a low-cost antenna is crucial if satellite-based broadband is to reach the mass-market. Now, Dan Goldberg, President/CEO at Ottawa-based Telesat, has said he agrees with the outlook.

Telesat has plans to order at least 117 new satellites to go into a LEO constellation (and will likely announce the prime contractor later this year). But he admits he has serious doubts about a low-cost antenna emerging.

“We are still skeptical that the antenna that would go on a consumer’s home is going to be low-cost enough and high-performing enough for that to make sense,” he said on a conference call with analysts.

Worse, perhaps, Goldberg admitted that such a low-cost antenna was not on Telesat’s near-term or even medium-term roadmap, although he was optimistic that something would emerge eventually.

As to plans for Telesat’s LEO constellation, Goldberg told analysts that the company would be concentrating on business-to-business and government customers, and that these markets would be sufficient to justify the investment.

Saudi Arabia says the nation will invest an initial $2.1 billion over the next few years in space-related activity to help create economic diversification plan to attract inward investment and create “thousands of jobs” for its young citizens.

A report from Reuters says the investment would be made during the next nine years (until 2030) and will be handled by the Saudi Space Commission (SSC) set up in late 2018. The full plan, with specific projects outlined, will be unveiled later this year.

“In the time where we live now, space is becoming a fundamental sector of the global economy, touching every aspect of our lives on Earth. Space business and space economy are expected to grow into the trillions of riyals as we go forward,” Prince Sultan, the son of Saudi monarch King Salman, told Reuters in an interview.

Prince Sultan was the first Arab to fly on a Space Shuttle (Discovery) in 1985. Reuters says that his aim is to see Saudi Arabia become a global player in the space industry. Saudi Arabia is already a major (37 percent) investor in the Arabsat satellite constellation.

SSC reportedly has pending agreements with major international agencies including the US, Russia, China, India and the UAE.