On Thursday, March 11 at 3:13 a.m., EST, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This was the sixth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 booster, which previously supported launch of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and a Starlink mission.
A video replay of this mission is available at this direct link…
Telesat has an agreement with SatixFy, giving Telesat early access to SatixFy’s second-generation Sx3099 modem chip. Under the agreement, SatixFy and Telesat will demonstrate advanced modem designs for both Landing Stations and User Terminals for Telesat Lightspeed, Telesat’s LEO satellite network.
The companies will perform a six-month requirements verification program, focused on the development and testing of evaluation boards and prototype modem units. The companies will also conduct integration work and interoperability tests with the Telesat Lightspeed satellite onboard processor.
SatixFy’s advanced Sx3099 modem chip is capable of processing multiple gigabits per second in both transmit and receive directions. The highly integrated, high-performance chip is well suited for the advanced requirements of the Telesat Lightspeed network and can support high-capacity links and beam hopping with lower power consumption, smaller cell size, and lower price points than competitive offerings.
“SatixFy is at the forefront of high capacity, high-performance SATCOM chip development, and the Sx3099 modem chip has the features and capabilities to meet the challenging enterprise-grade service delivery requirements of the Telesat Lightspeed network,” said Erwin Hudson, Vice President, LEO at Telesat. “SatixFy shares Telesat’s commitment to redefining satellite-delivered broadband connectivity and we have been impressed with SatixFy’s consistent and focused execution of their technology roadmap.”
“We are proud to make Telesat our first customer for the Sx3099,” said Yoel Gat, the CEO of SatixFy. “The technology fit between the high-performing Sx3099 modem chip and the Telesat Lightspeed ground segment infrastructure is excellent. We are excited to partner with Telesat to redefine broadband connectivity and to support the early deployment of Telesat Lightspeed services.”
Redwire has been selected by PlanetiQ to supply solar arrays for their HD GPS-RO weather satellites — the contract will include delivery of a 130-watt solar array for PlanetiQ’s spacecraft.
This agreement marks PlanetiQ’s third flight contract for Redwire’s solar arrays. Previously, Redwire’s subsidiary Roccor delivered two sets of solar arrays to PlanetiQ, dating back to 2018.
In June of 2021, PlanetiQ will launch their next GNSS Navigation and Occultation Measurement Satellite (GNOMES) on the SpaceX Transporter 2 launch from Cape Canaveral. The satellite is designed to provide radio occultation data to improve weather forecasting and climate research and to help monitor space weather.
The company is building additional satellites to launch within the next two years as it builds out a full constellation of 20 LEO smallsats that will gather near real-time, high-quality weather, climate and space weather data.
“We are proud to partner with PlanetiQ as a trusted solar array provider to enable their important mission to improve weather forecasting and climate monitoring,” said Al Tadros, Chief Growth Officer and Executive Vice President of Space Infrastructure for Redwire. “Our cost-effective solar array solutions are enabling greater power generation for small satellites that is driving new innovation.”
“We are very pleased to continue to work with Redwire as one of our primary spacecraft component supplier base,” said Chris McCormick, Chairman of PlanetiQ. “Their space-based expertise on deployable structures and solar arrays has been invaluable to our mission.”
Expect the next SpaceX Starlink launch to occur on Thursday, March 11, for launch of 60 satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous window is at 3:13 a.m. EST, or 8:13 UTC.
The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this mission previously supported launch of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and a Starlink mission.
Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean. One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously flew on the ANASIS-II and SXM-7 missions, and the other half previously supported launch of Sentinel-6A.
A live webcast of this mission will start about 15 minutes prior to liftoff at this direct link…
With another Starlink satellite launch expected this evening (March 9, 2021), there is now a move underway by SpaceX in their latest request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to bring all manner of moving vehicles into the communications delivery fold via a blanket license.
Currently, there are 1,122 LEO satellites serving the needs of communities in six countries. With antennas mounted to vehicles — from cars to ships to planes to RVs — these dishes will be quite similar to the current antennas used for home and business connectivity. However, due to their large size, these antennas will not be installed on Musk’s Tesla vehicles.
The Starlink constellation is planning to have as many as 42,000 satellites on-orbit by the middle of 2027. Currently, there some 10,000 users of this SpaceX constellation.
David Goldman, who is the Director of Satellite Policy for SpaceX, explained to the FCC that these Starlink antennas for mobile connectivity would certainly serve the public interest and will enable increased productivity, and such comms are now expected, regardless if the user is stationary or mobile.
Intellian has entered into a $73 million contract with LEO satellite network provider OneWeb to develop and supply affordable compact user terminals.
Artistic rendition of the OneWeb constellation.
These easily-installed antennas will use next-generation technology to provide high bandwidth, low latency connectivity to OneWeb’s global satellite service, delivering to multiple markets, including enterprise and government services.
OneWeb is launching a constellation of 648 LEO satellites which, when complete, will deliver affordable, fast, high bandwidth and low latency Ku-band connectivity to every corner of the world.
The new low cost compact terminals will be unveiled later in the year and are scheduled to become available in 2022.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with our trusted partner OneWeb to design and produce this game-changing terminal, which is set to transform satellite communications by delivering cost-effective connectivity and enhanced user experience to multiple markets,” said Eric Sung, CEO, Intellian Technologies. “This is another significant milestone for Intellian: we believe that innovation and ease of use are key to empowering connectivity, and the work jointly announced today by Intellian and OneWeb is fundamental to our goal to enable a globally connected world.”
Michele Franci, Chief of System Delivery at OneWeb, said, “We have a clear ambition to be a leader in the transformation of Space communications technology. We are delighted to continue our work with Intellian to develop a range of User Terminals that meet the needs of our customers in many different sectors including: small, medium and large enterprises; and major vertical sectors such as Enterprise, Maritime and Governments with mission critical applications.”
Kleos Space S.A. (ASX:KSS, Frankfurt:KS1, Kleos or Company) has signed a new contract with rideshare provider Spaceflight Inc. to launch the company’s third satellite cluster, (KSF2), in December of 2021 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to further grow the firm’s constellation.
The four KSF2 Polar Patrol Mission satellites will launch into a 500- to 600 km SSO, further complementing Kleos’ first and second satellite clusters and increasing cover over key maritime areas of interest (e.g., double the coverage over both the North and South Poles).
Kleos’ second satellite cluster — the Polar Vigilance Mission — has recently completed a key development milestone and remains on track for a mid-2021 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Commissioning and data collection from Kleos’ initial Scouting Mission satellites, which launched from India into a 37-degree inclination in November of 2020, is nearing completion.
Kleos Space CEO Andy Bowyer said, “The launch of our third satellite cluster will further improve the frequency and value of Kleos’ radio frequency intelligence data, generating higher-value data sets and further tiered subscription licence options. While Kleos is targeting a constellation of as many as 20 satellite clusters, each cluster will increase the volume of data that can be sold and provide further insights as to activity in key areas of interest for our customers.”
Andy added, “While we progress our constellation roll out with the launch of our second and third satellite clusters, we continue to focus on securing and building a new subscriber base. Data delivery from the Scouting Mission satellites allows us to commence revenue generation from early adopter and test contracts. Final costs incurred are anticipated to be comparable with publicly available space rideshare costs and within the envelope of the cost of a launch advised within the prospectus.”
D-Orbit S.p.A. and Marubeni Corporation have signed a commercial partnership that will enable D-Orbit to expand the firm’s sales network worldwide.
According to the agreement, Marubeni will promote and sell the entire catalog of D-Orbit’s solutions in Japan and other strategic markets where the space company aims to broaden its reach.
D-Orbit’s flagship service is InOrbit NOW, a launch and deployment solution that leverages ION Satellite Carrier, a cargo spacecraft designed, manufactured, and operated by the company. ION can host several satellites during launch, transport them to space, and release them into individual, customized orbital slots, while at the same time operating multiple hosted payloads during a single mission.
The agreement with Marubeni Corporation is a major deal that will enable D-Orbit to broaden its commercial presence and offer InOrbit NOW and all its other product and services through the extensive and wide-reaching network of the global trading corporation.
“We are honored to join forces with Marubeni, one of the major general trading companies of Japan,” said Renato Panesi, D-Orbit CCO. “Their widespread business network and overall capabilities make them an ideal partner to enter new markets.”
“Through this strong partnership with D-Orbit, we are confident that our team can offer valuable services to a wide range of satellite operators,” commented Michimoto Asano, General Manager, Aviation, Space & Defense Department, Marubeni Corporation. “This partnership will make a significant contribution to the advancement of the space industry.”
On Thursday, March 4, at 3:24 a.m,. EST, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This was the eighth launch of this Falcon 9 booster, which previously supported Iridium-8, Telstar 18 VANTAGE and five Starlink missions.
Starlink can deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable or completely unavailable without traditional ground structure. At a time when more people are working from home and more students are participating in virtual learning, internet connectivity is more important than ever. With Starlink, the company states they are able to deploy quickly to areas that need it most.
In December, the Wise County Public School District in rural Virginia, where approximately 40% of teachers and students do not have internet access at home, announced it would provide some families in the area with Starlink to support remote learning. Starlink units were deployed in January and more than 40 homes are now connected with high-speed internet.
Replay the launch at this direct link to the captured video…
ALE Co., Ltd. (ALE), led by CEO Lena Okajima, has allocated new shares to third parties that are underwritten by the Space Frontier Fund (operated by SPARX Innovation for Future Co., Ltd.), Horizons Ventures, THVP No.2 Investment Limited Partnership (operated by Tohoku University Venture Partners Co., Ltd.) and private investors.
In addition to its series A financing, announced on September 5, 2019, ALE will secure a total of approximately $21 million by April of 2022 with participation from existing and new investors. The total amount of funding including series A will be approximately $47 million.
This additional financing will help the company further develop its third satellite for man-made shooting stars (on-orbit demonstration in 2023 and commercialization subsequently), the space debris prevention component using an ElectroDynamic Tether* (on-orbit demonstration is planned for FY 2021), and the component technology for atmospheric data acquisition as well as establishing an organizational structure for the Atmospheric Data business development.
*Space debris prevention component using EDT (ElectroDynamic Tether)
