Archives for February 2021

OQ Technology, a Dubai/Luxembourg-based satellite 5G IoT start-up, has signed a partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), home to the UAE National Space Program.

Through the partnership, MBRSC and OQ Technology aim to develop and innovate in satellite development offering advanced communication solutions and services within the region and worldwide.

MBRSC is responsible for a number of space projects including the Emirates Mars Mission ”Hope Probe,” Mars 2117 Program, the UAE Astronaut Program, the UAE Satellite Development Program, and the UAE Space Sector Sustainability Program.

OQ Technology aims to revolutionize the satellite telecommunication industry using 5G innovative solutions to enhance connectivity, scalability, and accessibility and is building a global constellation of smallsats to extend the cellular 5G Internet-of-things and massive machine communication in remote and rural areas using its patented technology.

“The partnership with MBRSC is very strategic for our business and customers but it is also a step forward in the venture collaboration between space institutes and space startups in the region”, said Omar Qaise, Founder and CEO of OQ Technology.

Virgin Orbit has added two space industry leaders to its executive team. Kirk Pysher has joined the company as its new Vice President of Mission Assurance, Quality and Safety, and Janice Starzyk as Vice President of Government Operations.

The announcement comes on the heels of Virgin Orbit’s successful orbital launch demonstration in January, when the company’s unique air-launched LauncherOne system carried 9 smallsat missions to space in support of NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services Program. Having now fully demonstrated all elements of LauncherOne, the Virgin Orbit team is turning its full attention to serving its growing manifest of customers, and as such is expanding its executive team to better serve its growing customer base.

Kirk Pysher brings more than 30 years of experience in the design, development and operation of expendable launch vehicles. Kirk most recently served as the President of International Launch Services (ILS) where he oversaw the implementation of sweeping changes to the quality management system through the introduction of factory efficiencies and automated processes, resulting in a new run of successful Proton launches. In addition to this critical mission assurance process, Kirk also oversaw ILS product development, including performance upgrades and new capabilities intended to align with customers’ future requirements. Prior to ILS, Kirk served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Systems Engineer for the Sea Launch venture.

In her role as VP of Government Operations, Janice Starzyk will head up Virgin Orbit’s Washington, DC, office. Her extensive experience and contributions in the space industry include leading the consulting practice at Bryce Space and Technology and the commercial strategy and market intelligence for launch service providers United Launch Alliance (ULA) and International Launch Services (ILS). At Futron Corporation, Janice also worked with a range of civil, military and commercial space industry customers.

“I’m very excited to welcome Janice and Kirk to the Virgin Orbit family. Richard Branson has always said that the greatest asset of any successful business is its people, and it’s clear that we’re building the best team in the business,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “We have now brought to the world a new way to launch, and this team is ready to get more customers into orbit and completely uproot everyone’s expectations of what a launch provider can do.”

The major smallsat trade event of the year — SmallSat Symposium 2021 — will open its invaluable sessions on Monday, February 8th, with the show running through Thursday, February 11th.

Experienced subject-matter experts will be offering their knowledge and perceptive insights into the workings, products and technologies of the smallsat and related market segments…

Monday, February 8 – all times are PST

• Smallsat Industry Growth, Value and Size (8:00 a.m.)
• Timelines, Capacities and Market Differentiators (8:45 a.m)
• Earth Observation—Looking at the Market (9:00 a.m.)
• New SmallSat Regulations (10:45 a.m.)
• Cloud Services, Data Processing and Analysis (11:00 a.m.)
• Deep Space Missions (12:00 p.m.)
• Unlocking the Value of a Cloud-Enabled Ground Station (12:15 p.m.)
• Featured Expos (12:45 to 1:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, February 9 – all times are PST

• Featured Expos (7:00 to 8:00 a.m.)
• SmallSat M&A 2020: Year in Review—Trends in 2020 (8:00 a.m.)
• Market Brief: The Market for SmallSat IoT (8:45 a.m.)
• Responsive Launch Services (9:00 a.m.)
• Market Brief: Propulsion Systems for SmallSats (10:00 a.m.)
• Keynote: Major General Clinton Crosier, AWS (10:15 a.m.)
• Networked Ground Systems (10:45 a.m.)
• Tech Brief: Cyber Security Considerations (12:00 p.m.)
• Successful Finance… Hear Their Stories (12:15 p.m.)
• Tech Brief: Small Satellite Architecture for COTS Utilization (1:00 p.m.)
• Optical Inter-Satellite Links (1:15 p.m.)
• Featured Expo (1:45 to 2:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, February 10 – all times are PST

• Featured Expos (7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.)
• The Future of Space Interoperability, Defense & Commercial (8:00 a.m.)
• Tech Brief: Phased Array Antennas
• Market Dynamics of Phased Array Flat Antennas (9:00 a.m.)
• Tech Brief: Adding Another Dimension to Small Satellite Constellations (9:45 a.m.)
• Keynote: Sir Richard Branson and Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit (10:00 a.m.)
• Fostering Agility in Prime Contractors (10:45 a.m.)
• Tech Brief: 5G Connectivity from LEO (11:30 a.m.)
• Ground Systems Advances and Technologies (12:00 p.m.)
• Tech Brief: Ensuring Satellite Service Efficiency (12:45 p.m.)
• Focus: SmallSats Around the Moon (1:00 p.m.)
• Featured Expo (1:30 to 1:45 p.m.)

Thursday, February 11 – all times are PST

• Featured Expos (7:30 a.m to 8:00 a.m.)
• Network Management: The Role of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (8:00 a.m.)
• Market Brief: A Synopsis of SmallSat Science Missions (8:45 a.m.)
• Cellular Service from LEO (9:00 a.m.)
• Keynote: Dr. Tournear, SDA (10:00 a.m.)
• Market Brief: Insurance Products for SmallSats (10:30 a.m.)
• Military Use of Commercial Observation Services (10:45 a.m.)
• Tech Brief: Using Swarms of Small Satellites for In-Space Manufacturing (11:30 a.m.)
• Featured Expo (11:45 a.m.)
• Tracking and Removal of Orbital Debris (12:00 p.m.)
• Tech Brief: CubeSat Confusion: Technical and Regulatory Considerations (12:45 p.m.)
• Featured Expo (1:00 p.m.)
• Focus: Networks of the Future… How Digital Transformation is Fueling Ground and Space Integration (1:15 p.m.)

Seeing is believing when the term “subject-matter experts” is used… this is not simply a promotional term to attract attendees to the SmallSat Symposium 2021… see for yourself the amazing list of speakers at this direct infolink…

As noted, there are few hours remaining for you to register to attend this smallsat trade event of the year… register at https://satnews.regfox.com/smallsat-symposium-2021 — before its too late and you miss out on absorbing crucial information to assist you with experiencing business success.

See you at SmallSat Symposium 2021.

HawkEye 360 Inc. has introduced the HawkEye RF Data Explorer, an add-in for Esri‘s leading geographic information system (GIS) ArcGIS Pro desktop software. 

HawkEye RF Data Explorer simplifies the experience of using the company’s RF data and analytics by streamlining the process of ingesting, visualizing, and analyzing information. Users can manipulate RF data by area of interest, timeframe, and signal type to identify patterns of life and associated abnormalities necessary to proactively impact targeted outcomes.

The ArcGIS add-in integrates a variety of maritime geolocated RF signals and associated metadata to provide critical context on actors and activities. For example, users can view information related to a vessel’s identity, activities (such as past sanctions violations) and voyage history. Vessels can be added to a watch list for automated monitoring.

“RF Data Explorer ingests HawkEye 360’s data directly from cloud data stores into our flagship analysis product, ArcGIS Pro, offering unique and valuable insights to data analysts from a variety of subject areas, said Robert Laudati, Director, Global Partners and Alliances, Esri. “We look forward to building on this innovative partnership with HawkEye 360 and providing users with powerful and integrated tools.” 

“HawkEye RF Data Explorer provides a powerful capability for our customers to integrate RF geospatial intelligence into fused, multi-intelligence analysis on the world’s leading GIS platform,” said Alex Fox, Executive Vice President, HawkEye 360. “By integrating the add-in into the ArcGIS ecosystem, analysts will significantly improve their ability to use and interpret RF data and analytics to enhance their understanding of global activity. This new dimension of information provides critical insights needed to effectively understand activity using a comprehensive set of intelligence sources.”

HawkEye 360 is a leading commercial provider of space-based RF data and analytics. After successfully deploying a pioneering cluster of RF satellites in 2019, the company will commission six additional satellite clusters with enhanced data collection and processing capabilities in 2021 and 2022. On January 24, 2021, the first of these next-generation clusters, Cluster 2, was successfully launched and is undergoing testing to transition into operations. HawkEye 360’s RF signal data and analytics delivers actionable insights and a unique layer of knowledge for national security operations, maritime domain awareness, environmental protection, and a wide range of additional applications.

Orbital Sidekick (OSK) has finalized plans to deploy their Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation, known as GHOSt. The hyperspectral imaging (HSI) constellation consists of six, 100 kg, ESPA class satellites designed and manufactured by Astro Digital, with Maverick Space Systems providing mission integration and management services for the launches on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The custom hyperspectral imaging payload is provided by OSK.

GHOSt leverages OSK’s previous experience collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data with its HEIST mission on the International Space Station in 2019. The custom payload will produce the highest resolution commercial hyperspectral imagery launched to-date with a GSD of approximately 8 meters. The payload will be integrated into Astro Digital’s Corvus-XL satellite platform and will take advantage of its industry leading Ka-band data downlink capability.

Maverick Space Systems will provide mission integration hardware and services to launch GHOSt on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 starting in December 2021 and continuing into 2022.

GHOSt will capture more than 400 spectral bands in the visible to shortwave infrared range of 400 – 2500 nm to feed OSK’s Spectral Intelligence Global Monitoring Application (SIGMATM) platform.

“We’re excited to partner with Astro Digital and Maverick Space for this initial constellation. Both companies bring a high degree of agility with proven execution to our mission, allowing OSK to focus on the payload and extracting information from our unique hyperspectral data,” said Pete Friedhoff, Director of Space Systems for Orbital Sidekick.

“Persistent, hyperspectral imaging is a critical new capability in remote sensing,” said Chris Biddy, Co-founder and CEO of Astro Digital. “We are very pleased to be supporting Orbital Sidekick’s mission with our proven satellite technology and capabilities.”

“Taking advantage of frequent low-cost launch opportunities is critical to achieve Orbital Sidekick’s constellation. We are excited to partner with them and further reduce their per-satellite launch costs by aggregating two GHOSt satellites per ESPA port,” said Roland Coelho, CEO of Maverick Space.

SpaceX has launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this mission previously flew on four missions: the launches of GPS III Space Vehicle 03 and Turksat 5A and two Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, SpaceX landed the Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship which was located in the Atlantic Ocean.

One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously flew on the SAOCOM-1B mission, and the other previously flew in support of the GPS III Space Vehicle 03 mission.

Astra and Holicity Inc. (NASDAQ: HOL) (“Holicity”) have announced a definitive business combination agreement that will result in Astra becoming a publicly-traded company.

This transaction reflects an implied pro forma enterprise value for Astra of approximately $2.1 billion. Upon closing, the transaction is expected to provide up to $500 million in cash proceeds, including up to $300 million of cash held in the trust account of Holicity and an upsized $200 million PIPE led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.

In December of 2020, Astra joined a small group of companies that have made it to space. With more than 50 launches in manifest across more than 10 private and public customers, including NASA and DoD, Astra has booked more than $150 million of contracted launch revenue. Astra will begin delivering customer payloads this summer and begin monthly launches by the end of this year.

Following the closing of the transaction, the combined company will continue to be led by Founder and CEO, Chris Kemp and the expectation is that Craig McCaw will join Astra’s board of directors.

The proposed transaction, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2021, has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Astra and Holicity and remains subject to approval by Holicity’s stockholders. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named Astra and will be listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “ASTR.”

“This transaction takes us a step closer to our mission of improving life on Earth from space by fully funding our plan to provide daily access to low Earth orbit from anywhere on the planet,” said Chris Kemp, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Astra.

“I have long believed space provides an unmatched opportunity to benefit and enrich society,” said Craig McCaw, Chairman, and CEO of Holicity. “Astra’s space platform will further improve our communications, help us protect our planet, and unleash entrepreneurs to launch a new generation of services to enhance our lives.”

In December of 2018, Swarm Technologies was hit with a $900,000 fine by the FCC for an unlawful and unauthorized launch of four tiny, sandwich-sized satellites.

Swarm might now be having a winning smile on its face as its network of Internet of Things (IoT) global coverage with 72 commercial satellites is already providing 100 percent global coverage. Swarm stated the firm will have extended its orbital fleet to a total of 150 satellites by the end of this year.

Swarm has integrated user-terminals from Semtech for its connectivity solutions which enables two-way communications with its LEO satellites.

The Semtech modems communicate with the satellites enabling reliable data transfer anywhere on Earth, at all times, said a joint release from Swarm and Semtech.

“Because Semtech’s LoRa technology is well suited for long-distance, low power, and wide-area coverage applications, it has opened up new Internet of Things (IoT) use cases for Swarm in areas such as logistics, agriculture, connected cars, and energy,” said Ben Longmier, CTO and Co-Founder of Swarm. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Semtech by utilizing LoRa to help us provide affordable global connectivity for IoT devices at an unprecedented scale.”

“Semtech and Swarm are working jointly to pursue commercial IoT applications that require less data-intensive communications and fill in the gaps of the existing satellite market,” said Marc Pegulu, Vice President of IoT Product Marketing for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “The combination of our technologies helps provide reliable and affordable connectivity that keep sensors, equipment, and assets connected across land and sea.”

Also of note is that the UK government has changed how it looks after its embryonic space activity. The government has decided to remove responsibility for the development of rocket sites, space policy and strategy from the UK Space Agency and to bring the controls and supervision into its Department for Business.

The move may be unconnected, however, the Space Agency’s CEO Graham Turnock announced on January 13th that he would be stepping down after four years at the Agency. The Agency employs some 200 staff and enjoys a budget of £577 million annually. Part of the restructuring is supervision of the UK’s rocket launching, which is being handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Turnock’s departure – no replacement has yet been announced – leaves a number of key questions outstanding for the new Secretary of State at the Dept. for Business, Kwasi Kwarteng, not least the UK’s stake and development of OneWeb (with India’s Bharti) as well as how the UK will create its own rival system to Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system.

Then there’s Nilesat, whose latest commercial geostationary satellite, Nilesat 301, will be launched by SpaceX next year.

Nilesat 301 is being built by Thales Alenia Space and follows on from a long relationship with Arab satellite operators. The very first Arabsat (Arabsat-1A) was built by Alcatel Alenia in 1985 which was eventually absorbed by Thales Alenia.

Nilesat 301 is being built at Thales Alenia’s facility at Mandelieu, near Cannes on the Cote d’Azur, and will be the latest Spacebus 4000-B2 version. Nilesat 201 was also a Spacebus 4000-B2 craft and launched in 2010.

The new Nilesat 301 satellite will carry Ku- and Ka-band transponders.

No hesitation on Sunday, January 24, as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted 133 commercial and government payloads to space. A feat worthy of note, as this is the largest number of satellites to be launched, all seated firmly within the rocket’s fairing.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle attained supersonic speeds at 59 seconds after launch and, at approximately 07:58 into the launch, three of nine Merlin first stage engines ignited to return the the unit to the recovery vessel, Ms. Chief, awaiting the landing, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.

This return was accomplished without any apparent anomalies at 07:22 minutes post-launch. Note the honeycomb appearing devices at the base of the first stage… those assist with the first stage’s navigation to the recovery vessel.

This launch was the fifth launch of 2021 by SpaceX and the 73rd recovery by the company of an orbital class rocket.

All imagery is courtesy of SpaceX’s live webcast of the launch via screen capture…

Update #1 info…

Due to surface electrical fields, today’s launch of the SpaceX Transporter-1 mission has been scrubbed. The 70 m tall Falcon 9 rocket is sound and no anomalies have been reported for any of the launch elements.

This first Smallsat Rideshare Mission for SpaceX has another launch opportunity on Sunday, January 24, with the launch window at 10:00 EST. The honeycomb looking devices that are shown in the below graphic help the first stage steer back to “Mischief,” the company’s recovery vessel positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.

Original launch information…

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, January 23, for launch of Transporter-1, SpaceX’s first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida — the 42-minute launch window opens at 9:40 a.m. EST, or 14:40 UTC.

Falcon 9’s first stage booster previously supported launch of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration mission, the ANASIS-II mission, a Starlink mission, and launch of Dragon’s 21st cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the Ms. Chief droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

On board this launch are 133 commercial and government spacecraft (including cubesats, microsats, and orbital transfer vehicles) plus 10 Starlink satellites – the most spacecraft ever deployed on a single mission. The Starlink satellites aboard this mission will be the first in the constellation to deploy to a polar orbit.

Watch this SpaceX launch starting about 15 minutes before liftoff at this direct link…

Orbital Space announced that the QMR-KWT satellite is continuing to pass functional testing — these tests verify the satellite’s ability to perform all tasks as expected, including power management, attitude determination & control, communications, and error recovery.

During functional testing, a hardware-in-the-loop simulation was carried out to emulate in-orbit conditions both virtually and physically. QMR-KWT is a 1U cubesat and will be Kuwait’s first satellite.

“QMR-KWT space mission is to empower students to contribute to the advancement of satellite communication technology, and to prepare them as future professionals to operate the next generation of communication satellites,” said Nada Alshammari, Director of Educational Programs at Orbital Space. “Orbital Space is undertaking this pioneering mission in order to create educational opportunities for students from around the world to learn more about satellite communications. We are already seeing engagement from students with our QMR-KWT educational program ‘Code in Space. Code in Space is an opportunity for students to develop and test new software solutions by writing software code to be uploaded and executed on the satellite’s onboard computer. We are currently accepting student proposals for this out of the world opportunity.”

“Our goal is to make space accessible to all, and we are excited and honored to be working with our partner, Endurosat, in achieving this,” said Bassam Alfeeli, Founder and General Manager of Orbital Space. He added, “QMR-KWT’s functional testing is being done at EnduroSat facilities and in the coming months it will be integrated with Momentus Vigoride spacecraft as part of the plan to put it in orbit.”

“EnduroSat is a leading company in cubesat technology and we are thrilled to see our technology enabling more people to access space. We value our partnership with Orbital Space and we hope, together, to democratize space around the world,” said Raycho Raychev, Founder and CEO of EnduroSat.

“QMR-KWT completed its space qualification tests in September 2020 at CIRA – Italian Aerospace Research Centre. We will continue to do functional testing until it is time to hand over QMR-KWT to Momentus,” added Victor Danchev, Mission Manager at EnduroSat.