Archives for August 2021

T4i and Spacety Luxembourg have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set the framework for several intended collaborations regarding Electric Propulsion and flight opportunities.

T4i (Technology for Propulsion and Innovation) is an Italian rocket company that specializes in in-space and access-to-space propulsion systems, tailored for smallsats, offering an array of technologies that match the mission’s requirements of satellite operators.

T4i conducted an extensive research on several propulsion systems and different propellants. Among them, T4i scientific research along the iodine propellant as ground-breaking source of energy in space, opens certain interesting outcomes in response to the new constellation market demand.

Spacety Luxembourg is a commercial space company involved in the design, manufacturing, launching, operation of satellites, and providing space flight services to its clients worldwide to flight test or demonstrate their technologies or science in space. Spacety has built and launched its first SAR satellite, the world’s first miniaturized C-band SAR satellite with a phased-array antenna, and plans to build, deploy, and operate a mega SAR constellation with 300+ satellites to provide near real time SAR data services to the world.

There are common fields of interests between the two companies. T4i is developing plasma thrusters in different sizes to accommodate the entire spectrum of smallsats, while Spacety Luxembourg is both offering flight opportunities for T4i IOD missions and looking for innovative, robust, and reliable iodine-based electric propulsion systems for their SAR constellation. In addition, this agreement formalizes the mutual interest in collaborating for future space missions and the possibility for T4i to capture the growing demand arising in the Chinese constellations market through this partnership with Spacety.

“Propulsion is an important subsystem of satellites for constellation. As more constellations are deployed for EO and telecommunications, the market for electric thrusters will expand rapidly. However, an electric thruster is a complicated system and it needs to be tested and verified in space before being used for any operational satellite mission. T4i has developed advanced propulsion technologies for small and micro satellites. Spacety has frequent flight opportunities and extensive experience of technology IOD/IOV missions. The collaboration of the two companies will produce innovative space products, which will be needed by many satellites, including Spacety’s,” said James Zheng, CEO of Spacety Luxembourg.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to cooperate with such a trustful partner as Spacety and eager to expand T4i’s market reach,” said Daniele Pavarin, T4i co-founder and CEO.

Satellogic has engaged in a new partnership with GeoTerraImage, a geospatial solutions provider in southern Africa. GeoTerraImage will leverage Satellogic’s high-resolution multi-spectral satellite data and low-latency hyperspectral data for large-scale agriculture management to help the continent develop new food systems and food-security solutions.

GeoTerraImage is a trusted solutions provider for customers across Africa and across the globe. By leveraging Satellogic’s high-resolution, high-frequency geospatial data and combining it with their proprietary software and algorithms, GeoTerraImage will bring differentiated and value-added products and services to their end customers. Imagery from Satellogic’s growing constellation will fuel new agricultural analysis and dashboards to be used by organizations across the continent and beyond. In addition to Satellogic’s multi-spectral data, GeoTerraImage will leverage Satellogic’s unique, low-latency hyperspectral imagery offering for large-scale agriculture applications across the globe.

GeoTerraImage is also a key player in the telecoms vertical. The opportunity to use Satellogic’s multi-spectral imaging to identify different types of architecture and building structures at high resolution enhances the quality of network planning data products, especially where propagation of high frequency bands is extremely sensitive to interferences from different architectural materials and vegetation.

Satellogic’s patented camera design uses adaptive optics to collect 10 to 20 times more data from a single satellite than any other small Earth Observation (EO) satellite. Satellogic satellites can capture images continuously when they are on top of land and are capable of collecting more than 300,000 sq. km of data per day and, according to the company, that’s significantly more than any competitor. The company continues to manufacture their own satellites and launch with SpaceX and other launch partners.

According to the 2020 Edition of African Space Industry Annual Report, demand for space data is increasing at an exponential rate in Africa. The industry, which is growing at a CAGR of 7.3%, is expected to reach $10B USD by 2024. More than $717M USD was spent on satellite projects in 2019. From 2010 to 2020 the African EO and geospatial sector grew by 96% or about 10% annually.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the African space industry. Satellogic is thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and development of the region’s geospatial capabilities,” said Thomas VanMatre, Vice President of Global Business Development, Satellogic. “By providing high-resolution, high-frequency imagery at an affordable price point, Satellogic will help GeoTerraImage solve some of the most challenging resource-allocation and food-security challenges of our time.”

“Together, as a result of this partnership, GeoTerraImage and Satellogic are bringing an unmatched capability to market,” said Pieter Sevenhuysen, Director at GeoTerraImage. “Using Satellogic’s low-latency hyperspectral imagery, GeoTerra’s comprehensive agriculture offering will provide unmatched value in the agriculture vertical.”

“For telecoms, Satellogic’s high frequency update is an advantage both in terms of the likelihood of acquiring cloud free, usable imagery when it is needed, as well as ensuring up-to-date relevance of image content,” said Mark Thompson, Director at GeoTerraImage.

Hanwha, the South Korean Fortune 500 global technology and manufacturing company, has announced a $300 million equity investment by Hanwha Systems (“Hanwha”) in OneWeb — Hanwha brings further defence capabilities and the latest antenna technologies to OneWeb, alongside relationships to new government customers and an expanded geographical reach. 

This investment brings OneWeb’s total equity investment since November 2020 to $2.7 billion with no debt issuance. 

OneWeb’s first-generation fleet of 648 satellites that will deliver global coverage in 2022 is fully funded. To date, the company has launched 254 satellites into orbit, with another launch planned this August from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

OneWeb’s network will be ready to offer connectivity services from the 50th parallel and above by the end of 2021 to fully fixed energy rigs operating onshore and offshore in the 50N and above region. Longer term, the development will potentially unlock new, untapped commercial fishing and merchant shipping operations in the Asia-Pacific region as well as enabling improved environmental monitoring. 

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said, “We welcome Hanwha to OneWeb. These are exciting and fast-paced times in the space sector. With Hanwha alongside, we will be able to access the highest quality of technological thinking and development. They are a powerful partner in our global mission to connect the world.”

Youn Chul KIM, President, CEO & Director, Hanwha Systems, said, “We are pleased to join hands with OneWeb, which has strength in the LEO communication area, the core of space business. To OneWeb‘s vision of connecting all the people across the globe, Hanwha Systems satellite and antenna technology will bring more advantages.”

Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Business Secretary, said, “Today’s $300 million investment in OneWeb by Hanwha is the latest in a series of votes of confidence in the company from the market. It’s clear that leading global investors see a promising future for this ground-breaking company and a robust commercial case for investment. The Government’s equity stake in OneWeb not only allows the UK to capitalize on our first-mover advantage to deploy LEO technology but will put our country at the forefront of the smallsat market, which is set to rapidly expand over the years ahead.”

Neil Masterson, CEO, OneWeb, said, “Hanwha brings advanced defence and antenna technology development to the OneWeb line-up. We are all delighted that they have chosen to join us on this journey of innovation, shaping a global service to connect the most remote locations and to provide a critical digital pathway from space to our interconnected world.”

On completion, OneWeb will appoint a Board Director to represent Hanwha’s share in the Company.

A new, locally-made, smallsat developed by the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) has been completed and sent to Japan for launch into orbit.

On August 11, the VNSC announced that their NanoDragon satellite was transported from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi to Narita Airport in Tokyo that day, before being transferred to the Uchinoura Space Centre launch site in Kagoshima Prefecture and handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for launch preparations.

The 3U cubesat NanoDragon weighs approximately 4 kg and is comprised of multiple 10×10×34 cm (3U) modules. The entire process of researching, designing, integrating and testing the satellite’s functions was carried out in Vietnam.

The smallsat was developed by the VNSC (under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) as the result of the nano-class satellite development, launch and trial operation project, under the National Science and Technology Programme on space technology, from 2016 to 2020.

NanoDragon is tasked with using smallsat beam technology to receive automatic identification signals of ships for the purpose of tracking and monitoring vehicles at sea. In addition, the satellite has also been designed to verify the quality of the satellite posture and control system and a newly-developed, advanced, on-board computer designed specifically for small satellites. NanoDragon will be working from SSO at 560 km above the Earth’s surface.

In parallel with the satellite development, a ground station to operate the satellite after launch has been developed and installed at the VNSC at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi.

Prior to NanoDragon, the first made-in-Vietnam satellite, PicoDragon (weighing 1 kg), was successfully launched with signals received in 2013. MicroDragon (50 kg), developed by a group of 36 young VNSC researchers under Japanese experts’ supervision, was also sent into orbit on January 18, 2019 and has successfully sent pictures from space to its ground station in Japan.

Estonian space start-up Spaceit, which offers an end-to-end infrastructure for satellite operations and space cybersecurity solutions, has secured €1 million in pre-seed funding to expand their activities. The round was led by Icebreaker.vc from Finland and included UG Investments from Estonia.

Spaceit has developed a cloud-based mission control platform with pre-integrated access to a worldwide network of ground stations and provides satellite operations simulators to strengthen the rapidly growing space sector against cyberattacks.

As for the business’ expansion, the space industry has shown a fast increase in recent years, with an all time high 1,300 satellites launched already in 2021 (as a comparison, in 2020 the total of launches was about 1,100). The operation of any satellite requires secure communication with terrestrial operators, with reliable software as a precondition. Many existing solutions are costly or not scalable. They often do not offer extensive radio communications, do not support satellite constellations, or show deficits in cyber security – Spaceit is aiming to remedy this situation.

“Our goal is to reduce satellite missions budgets over 80% by offering mission control as-a-service, combined with wide and secure communication with satellites. We are delighted to have the new investors with a good know-how on space, technology and infrastructure onboard who will support us developing our solution further,” said Silver Lodi, CEO of Spaceit.

Riku Seppälä, General Partner and Co-Founder of Icebreaker.vc, added, “The Spaceit team has a deep understanding of the requirements of modern space operations. They have developed a strong technology that provides an essential service at a fraction of the cost of alternatives as well as providing better radio coverage. We’re thrilled to be onboard to support the team in creating a winning software and space technology company.”

“Space technology is no longer a domain of superpowers, and Spaceit is a good example of how this rapidly developing field offers good opportunities for Estonian companies. With a clear focus and a dedicated team, Spaceit has great potential and UG Investments is happy to support the company’s product development,” said Valdur Laid, Management Board Member of UG Investments.

“The focus of the Estonian space policy is primarily on cyber security, AI and innovation. Spaceit is a vivid example of how an Estonian company can contribute to the development of the rapidly growing space sector in these focus areas,” said Paul Liias, Head of the Space Division of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia.

Spaceit was founded in 2015 by Silver Lodi, Lauri Kimmel and Mihkel Jalakas, all long time friends since high school. Lodi’s experience includes corporate banking and sales. Kimmel was a team member of the ESTCube-1, the first Estonian satellite that was launched in 2013. He and Jalakas have been engaged in software development since the early 2000s. Spaceit is an alumnus of ESA Business Incubation Centre in Estonia and Starburst Accelerator. Icebreaker.vc is an early-stage VC focused on idea and pre-seed stage teams in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Icebreaker invests €150-800K in teams with deep domain expertise and ambition to build globally competitive tech companies. UG Investments is a holding company that invests mainly into sustainable and export-oriented companies in the energy, industrial, infrastructure and utility sectors.

On the Spaceit team photo (from the left): Lauri Kimmel, Silver Lodi, Mihkel Jalakas, Ivalo Pajumets https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZQnoT9tlf3tZSCdRmj3ly_1WEhBx8LCr/view?usp=sharing,
photo by Kalle Veesaar (kalleveesaar.com)

Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) In-space Upgrade Satellite System (LINUSS) completed environmental testing and is ready for launch later this year, demonstrating how small cubesats can regularly upgrade satellite constellations to add timely new capabilities and extend spacecraft design lives.

LINUSS is a pair of LM 50 12U cubesats — each about the size of a four-slice toaster — designed to demonstrate how smallsats can serve an essential role in sustaining critical space architectures in any orbit. Developed using internal funding, LINUSS will be two of the most capable cubesats in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).

LINUSS’ mission is to validate essential maneuvering capabilities for Lockheed Martin’s future space upgrade and servicing missions, as well as to showcase miniaturized Space Domain Awareness capabilities. LINUSS also will demonstrate new, mature, onboard high-performance processing by Innoflight; low-toxicity propulsion by VACCO; and inertial measurement units, machine vision, 3-D printed components and SmartSat (transformational on-orbit software upgrade architecture) technologies by Lockheed Martin.

Part of Lockheed Martin’s LM 50 family of smallsats, both LINUSS spacecraft — measuring roughly 8x8x12 inches — are the collaborative integration of the company’s mission electro-optical payload deck with a next-generation 12U bus from Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a Terran Orbital Company.

In addition to LINUSS, some other recent Lockheed Martin smallsat projects include: DARPA’s Mandrake, integration for DARPA’s Blackjack constellation, Pony Express, LunIR and La Jument. In Europe, the company also is involved in developing a 6U smallsat with GomSpace and Orbital Microsystems, as well as supporting the U.K.’s ambitions to launch smallsats through the UK Spaceflight program.

“Space is a dynamic domain and our customers are demanding the ability to rapidly upgrade spacecraft on orbit – to provide greater capabilities and more mission flexibility,” said Chris Crawford, vice president of advanced program development for Lockheed Martin Military Space. “LINUSS will be the first step flight-qualifying this technology. The ultimate near-term goal is supporting upgradeable LM 2100 satellite bus platforms, starting with GPS IIIF Space Vehicle 13.”

“Given we are well known for our systems integration work on large satellite systems, some people are surprised to learn Lockheed Martin has launched over 150 small satellites since 1997,” said Dr. David J. Barnhart, LINUSS Program Director. “LINUSS has higher bus density, payload accommodation, and on-orbit processing than any other cubesat, enabling revolutionary mission capabilities in the future. Early customer community feedback has called LINUSS ‘the most capable cubesat pair off the planet.’”

The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) has selected Dawn Aerospace‘s green propulsion for a new satellite constellation used for the early detection of Tsunamis.

Indonesia, located along the Pacific Ocean’s Circum-Pacific belt, or “Ring of Fire,” is geographically prone to tsunamis; several tectonic plates meet and frequently cause volcanic and seismic activity. As a result, around 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur in the area.

With Indonesia’s history of earthquakes and tsunamis, a new Tsunami Warning System (TWS) is expected to save countless lives and result in economic benefits for the nation.

A TWS uses buoys and satellites to measure wave heights after an earthquake. It can provide warnings of up to several hours, depending on the quake’s location.

After receiving a signal of unusual activity from sea bed sensors, the buoys then transmit data to satellites, sending warnings to ground stations and tsunami warning centers. The public is then informed to evacuate via sirens or text messages. The planned constellation is for nine satellites in an equatorial orbit, providing constant coverage for the nation.

“Our industry often talks about going to space to improve life on Earth,” said Jeroen Wink, Dawn Co-founder. “We are incredibly proud to be part of a project designed to save lives.”

Dawn has recently announced contracts with customers ALE Co., Ltd. Japan and UARX Space. The companies will use Dawn’s new, smallsat propulsion architecture.

The U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program Office, a part of the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has announced the award of the first on ramp of the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to ABL Space Systems Corp., Astra Space, Inc. and Relativity Space, Inc.

OSP-4 allows for the rapid acquisition of launch services to meet mission requirements for payloads greater than 400 pounds, enabling launch to any orbit within 12-24 months from task order award. The RSLP will compete each mission among the IDIQ awardees.

The addition of these emerging providers preserves, stimulates and enhances the small launch industrial base and yields the Space Force a diverse vendor pool in support of the nation’s defense.

The SMC Launch Enterprise initially awarded the OSP-4 contract in October 2019 to Aevum, Firefly Black, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Rocket Lab USA, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., United Launch Alliance, VOX Space, and X-Bow Launch Systems. This on ramp will add additional emerging launch providers to the group eligible to compete for future USSF OSP-4 Task Order awards.

The U.S. Space Force previously awarded two missions on OSP-4 with the Space Test Program-S28 mission to VOX Space and Tactically Responsive Launch-2 mission to Northrop Grumman and expects to procure approximately 20 missions over the nine-year ordering period. The Launch Enterprise projects awarding the next task order supporting the Space Test Program’s USSF-46S mission later this summer.

“This program utilizes a low-barrier-to-entry to mature launch providers and those emerging companies that are approximately one year from being launch capable,” said Lt. Col. Justin Beltz, chief of Launch Enterprise’s Small Launch and Targets division. “We use this IDIQ contract to continue to introduce speed, agility, and flexibility into the launch enterprise and continue to cultivate a resilient and affordable launch market.”