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SmallSat News

You are here: Home / 2021 / Archives for October 2021

Archives for October 2021

A New CEO Is Named For Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA)

October 25, 2021 by editorial

Dr. Stefan Tweraser has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) as of October 1, 2021 — he will support RFA in driving the continued company’s growth.

Previously, Stefan Tweraser was responsible for the DACH region at Google, and worked at the music streaming service Deezer, at the startup Snapshot and at consulting firm McKinsey & Company. With a doctorate in economics, he brings a wealth of experience from various industries where he drove innovative and future-oriented developments in management positions.

Given the rapid technological advances, increased success in the market and strong growth in personnel, the Executive and Supervisory Board of RFA believe that now is the correct time to complement and broaden the Executive Board.

Dr. Stefan Tweraser said, “The commercial use of space will change fundamentally in the coming decade. New space-based business models are emerging and innovative launch vehicles – with a strong focus on cost and customer orientation – are a cornerstone of this positive dynamic. RFA has made great strides by combining cutting-edge technology with innovative manufacturing processes. The team has also already succeeded in developing a promising commercial pipeline. I am very excited to lead RFA – together with the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board – to the next stage of our exciting journey.”

Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer, said, “RFA is one of the fastest growing start-ups in the New Space scene. Stefan’s experience in leading large organizations is very valuable for our further development. He has great ideas and approaches on how we will maintain our rapid pace as a growing company and convince more investors of our vision.”

Dr. Stefan Brieschenk, Chief Operating Officer, said, “We are very excited that Stefan has decided to take on the position as CEO of RFA. Under his leadership, we will further professionalize RFA’s processes and structures. This will help us to transform our rapid technological progress into a sustainable business model.”

Rocket Factory Augsburg was founded in 2018 with the mission to significantly reduce launch costs in the space industry. The company’s goal is to develop a launch vehicle prototype by the end of 2022 which can launch satellites into LEO on a weekly basis at unmatched prices. The RFA ONE launch vehicle combines three key competitive advantages: a highly cost-efficient architecture using industrial automation and lowest-possible development costs, precise in-orbit delivery by its orbital stage, and superior propulsion systems using staged combustion.

Filed Under: News

ACCESS.SPACE Alliance’s Sobering Account Of Europe’s SmallSat Industries’ Challenges

October 25, 2021 by editorial

A sobering realistic look at the many challenges in the European small satellite industry.

ACCESS.SPACE Alliance (ASA), which represents the small satellite sector, has published a position paper on the current state of space financing in Europe. In the paper, ASA states that start-ups and SMEs often lack customers and contracts to support their business and face difficulties in finding public support and participating in large or long-term space programs at European and national levels. It also remains difficult for space business, especially for start-ups and SMEs which often do not have dedicated resources, to navigate through even the available funding opportunities.

Comparing the financing situation with other parts of the world, ASA points out that the number of space-related companies and the amounts of public and private investments are often higher than in Europe. ASA does acknowledge that very few countries have developed comprehensive directories of space-related entities, and that there is limited visibility in terms of the number of companies, employment, investments, growth and ownership and control. 

Betty Bonnardel, founder and board member of ASA, said, “It is necessary to properly finance the space ecosystem and agree on concrete actions to support space-related start-ups. This is why ACCESS.SPACE proposes a number of policy actions to tackle these issues with a sense of urgency”.

One of the recommendations that ASA makes is the adoption of an innovation strategy for New Space in Europe, encompassing access to private and public capital and continue providing all needed support for start-ups and SMEs. ASA also suggests to increase the number of funding entities (venture capital firms, private equity firms and business angels), bridge the “valley of death” and focus on the areas where Europe can lead. 

To improve access to funding, ASA also recommends the creation of an official ‘one-stop-shop’ web site granting access to all European public funding programs with digital tools to facilitate access and provide guidance.

Filed Under: News

Forrester’s Digest: SES-17 Launch Delayed / EUTELSAT + UHD Importance / Intelsat’s Bankruptcy Exit Plan Hearing Delayed

October 23, 2021 by editorial

The launch of SES-17 has been delayed. Arianespace stated that investigations are ongoing in order to identify a new launch date from the Kourou spaceport.

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and spacecraft SES-17 and fellow passenger SYRACUSE 4A are in stable and safe conditions on the launch pad, according to Arianespace. SYRACUSE-4A is a military satellite for the French defence ministry. Arianespace said that the flight, when it is rescheduled, will break previous records in terms of highest height, largest cumulative mass and heaviest payload ever carried on Ariane 5 missions.

The launch was due to take place at the Guiana Space Centre on the night of 22nd October (local time). Both satellites were built by Thales Alenia Space.

Eutelsat, in the company’s latest blog written prior to the announced departure of Rodolphe Belmer, stated that Ultra-high Definition (UHD) provides many advantages for content-makers and broadcasters and is important to the satellite industry.

One extremely important benefit in the need for UHD is in viewer retention, stated the blog. “While SDTV used to be the primary home entertainment, that quickly changed when HDTV hit the market. By 2016, only 37 per cent of US households were still watching in SD, which caused advertisers to reconsider their broadcasting choices.”

“Today,” said Eutelsat, “we’re beginning to see the same trend. According to Statista, HD TVs have been steadily losing global market share to UHD TVs since 2017. While high-resolution TV sets (4K or higher) held a 45.5 per cent market share in 2018, they accounted for over half of all TV sales worldwide in 2019. Indeed, in a recent study by Gfk, UHD TVs accounted for 75% per cent of the overall TV market in Germany.”

Broadcasters who do not want to lose viewers and protect their retention rate should seriously consider adopting UHD sooner, rather than later. This will help them avoid becoming irrelevant in much the same way as the switch from SD to HD, adds Eutelsat.

“According to a recent webinar with IABM & Christiano Benzi, UHD sets are well deployed in the market – but are not yet popular among broadcasters. Despite almost 50 per cent of TV sets in Europe and over 50 per cent in the US being UHD compatible, most channels are still broadcast in SD and HD formats. There is a clear reluctance on behalf of most broadcasters who see the investment to be too costly. However, this is sure to change – as more sets become enabled, consumer demand for quality rises. As observed with HD vs SD viewing, viewers naturally gravitate towards better quality and soon avoid other channels that cannot match their standards,” writes Eutelsat.

Indeed, Eutelsat is firmly of the view that UHD viewing as the standard is simply a matter of time.

“As most broadcasters are avoiding UHD, becoming an early adopter is an excellent opportunity for broadcasters seeking a key differentiator for their channels. This will make them more appealing to viewers and advertisers alike,” suggested Eutelsat, and continued, “As far back as 2012, advertisers have begun a mass exodus from lower-quality broadcasting. Advertisers in North America are already advertising on HD channels more than SD. The same is expected to happen with UHD. Eutelsat research has shown that early adoption of HD in developing markets has directly led to an increase in revenue for broadcasters who invest in them. The early migration in developing markets towards HD increased viewership, making broadcasters who invest in HD more attractive to advertisers.

“It’s no secret that quality attracts viewers and advertisers alike. In fact, better quality has been associated with an 18% higher retention rate, with higher quality channel advertising also outperforming the same adverts on lower-quality channels. This likely indicates that advertisers will eventually migrate to UHD for greater returns than stay on HD channels. Similar to how advertisers abandoned SD for HD. UHD is an opportunity for broadcasters to get ahead of the curve and become early adopters,” added the Eutelsat blog.

An Omnibus hearing on October 20th at the Intelsat bankruptcy court, under judge Keith Phillips, which itself had to postpone adjudicating on many of the matters scheduled to be heard, was told by the judge that Intelsat’s planned confirmation of its exit plan would likely have to be delayed.

Bankruptcy Judge Keith Phillips in Richmond, Virginia, said during a virtual hearing on Wednesday that he has “serious concerns about whether this can be accomplished in four days,” implying that the extensive evidence and testimony flowing around the case might take considerably longer that four days in front of the court.

The immediate suggestion from lawyers for Intelsat and other interested parties said they would discuss the judge’s suggested postponement of the hearing from the current November 8th start date to December 2nd. Intelsat needs approval of the plan, which is a key stage to the satellite operator wrapping up its bankruptcy, which has been ongoing since May 2020. Intelsat is looking to reduce its debt-burden of more than $15 billion to nearer $7 billion.

Filed Under: Featured, News

EXOLAUNCH Expands Their Operations Into North America + Names U.S. CEO

October 23, 2021 by editorial

EXOLAUNCH has expanded their business operations and sales in North America by opening offices in Denver, Colorado, and Washington, DC.

To lead its US operations (Exolaunch, Inc. doing business as Exolaunch USA), capture new market opportunities, and continue business growth in the region, Exolaunch USA has hired aerospace executive Chris Hearsey as its CEO. Having doubled sales globally, compared to last year, in 2022 Exolaunch is expecting to further increase sales and keep its high launch rate by sending +100 smallsats into space for the industry’s leading players.

In addition to further developing the business and establishing the US headquarters office in Denver, Hearsey will lead policy, industry outreach and government affairs in Washington, DC. He will also complement and strengthen the work produced by Exolaunch’s Berlin headquarters in Germany. Through the Denver office, Exolaunch expects to better provide tailored and reliable launch solutions to all of the firm’s customers in North America. The company, which has successfully launched satellites for multiple North American customers that include Loft Orbital, Spire Global and Kepler Communications, among others, provides its own separation systems and is developing a line of orbital transfer vehicles for precise satellite injection into custom orbits and the removal of space debris.

Chris Hearsey, CEO at Exolaunch USA (left),
Kier Fortier, Director of Launch at Exolaunch USA (right)

Hearsey has worked in the space industry at various levels in commercial, civil, and non-profit roles with a strong background in building and advising start-up organizations. Prior to joining Exolaunch, Hearsey served as director of DC operations and government affairs for Bigelow Aerospace. He was also the founder and CEO of OSA Consulting, managing a portfolio of start-up space companies in the US and in Europe. Hearsey will be supported by Kier Fortier, director of launch for Exolaunch USA, who has been leading the development of sales and partnerships to increase the visibility of Exolaunch in North America.

“Exolaunch is a fast-growing commercial space company with a distinguished NewSpace heritage, and I am excited to lead its efforts in North America. Exolaunch’s expansion into US markets will make access to space easier, regular, and more affordable for our customers,” said Chris Hearsey. “We have put together an experienced and talented team to lead Exolaunch USA’s business development from our headquarters in Denver, Colorado. This is a major step for Exolaunch, and we are in a great position to bring our one-stop-shop solutions to broader markets.”
Fortier said, “It is an excellent time to be in the launch services industry as commercial and government organizations alike are expanding into more interesting and sophisticated mission architectures. Our new office in the aerospace hub of Colorado will allow us to fully expand into the US and North American markets and focus on providing tailored launch solutions for our customers and their missions.”
Jeanne Medvedeva, VP of launch services at Exolaunch, said, “I welcome Chris to the Exolaunch team. His decade of experience in the commercial space industry will strengthen Exolaunch’s presence in the USA and its position in the North American markets as a reliable and innovative provider of rideshare launch services. With his broad skills and competence, he will help foster great relationships with our customers as well as with new and our existing launch providers.”

Exolaunch GmbH was founded by scientists and engineers from the Department of Space Technology at the Technical University of Berlin in 2010. It started as one of the global pioneers of the NewSpace era. After delivering its first rideshare cluster to orbit in 2013, Exolaunch was recognized and honored by TU Berlin as a ‘Startup of Excellence’. Since then, the company has expanded to become a global leader in providing both launch services and small satellite deployment technologies having launched satellites for over 30 customers to date. In 2021, Exolaunch completed one of the largest and most diverse rideshare missions with SpaceX Transporter-1 and its largest mission of one ton of smallsats onboard Transporter-2. Exolaunch deployment technologies are fully qualified for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches, with total flight heritage of 170 satellites deployed into orbit, and 59 small satellites launched via Falcon 9 in 2021. The company has partnerships with the most trusted and reliable launch vehicle providers, being recognized as an authorized integrator for smallsat clusters. Exolaunch also has a strong history of quality and reliability in its products and services, and relentlessly pursues innovation, seeking solutions to some of the most challenging problems of rendering space accessible for the benefit of humanity.

Filed Under: News

D-Orbit’s Nebula Cloud Platform Offering Is Successfully Demo’d In Space

October 21, 2021 by editorial

D-Orbit has successfully completed the orbital testing of Nebula, a cloud platform designed to provide distributed, high-performance, data analytics computing and storage capabilities in space.

Nebula is a hardware-software environment that enables end-users to uplink and run software and AI/ML apps in a way similar to conventional, terrestrial cloud environments. This first iteration of the system has been built in collaboration with Swedish-based AI company Unibap on top of their radiation-tolerant iX5-100 SpaceCloud® platform, which features a combination of central processing unit (CPU), graphical process unit (GPU), and vision processing unit (VPU) chips, solid-state storage, and an optimized Linux-based operating system running SpaceCloud framework API.

The system was integrated into an ION Satellite Carrier using D-Orbit’s propriety plug-and-play interfaces. ION is a space tug designed, manufactured and operated by D-Orbit to transport satellites into orbit and release them individually into distinct and precise orbital slots. ION can also accommodate multiple third-party payloads such as innovative technologies developed by startups, experiments from research entities and instruments from traditional space companies requiring a test in orbit.

Photo of D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier, courtesy of the company.

The testing on Nebula was performed in space as part of the WILD RIDE mission, which is still ongoing. A major bottleneck for satellite applications is the limited bandwidth of the downlink channel. A typical imaging application requires several hours to produce usable information. The real-time ML processing of imaging data in orbit, on the other hand, produces immediate results, while reducing at the same time the volume of information that needs to be downlinked by several orders of magnitude, enabling a much faster presentation of the final result to the user.

The test campaign successfully executed 23 separate SpaceCloud compatible applications from a variety of partners, including WorldFloods, an ML payload developed by the Frontier Development Lab (FDL), a partnership led by UK-based Trillium Technologies with the University of Oxford and ESA’s Phi-lab. For this test, the applications used a combination of preloaded data from a variety of satellites, such as Copernicus Sentinel-2, and raw data collected by ION Satellite Carrier’s multi-instrument sensor D-Sense.

D-Orbit’s D-Sense.

All mission objectives have been accomplished, validating the approach of an advanced in-orbit computing platform capable of performing advanced computations on raw data directly in space, turning them into actionable information optimized for downlink.

The next iteration of Nebula, which is scheduled to fly onboard ION’s next mission in January of 2022, will feature an advanced electro-optical instrument and will enable third parties to upload and execute applications.

“This is an important step toward D-Orbit’s vision of a comprehensive space infrastructure that will provide all kind of services to vehicles in Earth’s orbit,” said Simon Reid, COO of the UK branch of D-Orbit. “While this batch of tests used mainly pre-loaded images, our follow-on mission, which will be ready for commercial use, will provide real-time access to instrument data. Everyone with programming knowledge can easily write apps to process all kind of data directly in space.We completed this project in less than a year, demonstrating the incredible versatility of the ION platform and the opportunity it provides to develop space technology in a new, agile way. While significant, this orbital test only scratches the surface of what is possible with a platform that is scalable by adding nodes, integrating sensor types, and organizing data transfer via inter-satellite links.” 
According to Dr. Fredrik Bruhn, Chief Evangelist in digital transformation and board director at Unibap, “We are currently seeing a fast global change in the space service market and the Nebula – SpaceCloud solution orbital success demonstrates a leap in the way business models around data can be implemented going forward. We are thrilled that extremely low-latency information products can be created in orbit. Going further, it is now possible to create flexible data management and user-on-demand on-orbit application services. It is great to see how our combined efforts and partnership with ESA has come together in the Nebula service and given important feedback to Unibap’s next generational SpaceCloud products and solutions.” 

Filed Under: News

Fourth Kleos Space Smallsat Cluster Contracts Signed

October 20, 2021 by editorial

Kleos Space S.A (ASX:KSS, Frankfurt:KS1) has signed new contracts with satellite builder Innovative Solutions in Space B.V. (ISISPACE) and global launch services provider Spaceflight Inc. to build and manage the launch of the company’s fourth satellite cluster of four satellites — the Observer Mission (KSF3) scheduled for orbit in mid-2022.

Kleos’ fourth satellite cluster complements the 37-degree orbit of the ‘Scouting Mission’ and SSO of the ‘Vigilance Mission’ and ‘Patrol Mission’ satellites, with up to a further 119 million km2 data collection capacity per day (Vigilance and Patrol Missions each have similar data collect capacity).

Netherlands-based ISISPACE will provide Kleos with a turnkey solution for the four Observer Mission satellites, including design, development, production, testing, launch integration services, and support for checkout and commissioning”. ISISPACE has more than 15 years’ smallsat experience, successfully built Kleos’ ‘Vigilance Mission’ (KSF1) and is currently building the ‘Patrol Mission’ (KSF2) satellites.

Spaceflight provided the integration, mission management, and launch services for the successful launch of the Vigilance Mission satellites on its SXRS-5 mission in June of 2021 and has already been engaged by Kleos for the upcoming Patrol Mission launch.

Kleos successfully launched its Scouting Mission and Vigilance Mission satellites in November of 2020 and June of 2021 respectively. The company’s Patrol Mission satellites are progressing through the build process and on track for an expected January 2022 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Identical to the upcoming Patrol Mission satellites (KSF2), the Observer Mission will provide increased capacity and more frequent revisit times.

Each new cluster increases Kleos’ sensing and intelligence gathering capacity, generating potential for higher-value data products and tiered subscription licenses. Kleos’ satellites detect and geolocate radio frequency transmissions to improve the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of governments and commercial entities. The firm’s independent geolocation data enhances the detection of illegal activity, including piracy, drug and people smuggling, border security challenges and illegal fishing, and is available to qualified subscribers as-a-service. Final mission costs incurred are anticipated to be comparable with publicly available satellite build and space rideshare costs and within the envelope of the cost of a launch advised within the prospectus.

Kleos Space CEO, Andy Bowyer, said, “We are rapidly building our constellation, using funds from our recent capital raise to commit to our fourth satellite cluster build and launch. Each new launch enables us to improve satellite data collection and increase revisits over key areas of interest for our customers. The Observer Mission increases the revenue opportunity from existing subscribers and caters to the needs of our growing global pipeline. Spaceflight and ISISPACE have proven to be effective partners for both our Vigilance Mission and upcoming Patrol Mission launch. We are leveraging their experience to accelerate the build and launch of our Observer Mission.”
Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO of ISISPACE, said, “We are proud to be expanding our strategic partnership with Kleos to build and support the launch of their fourth satellite cluster. Our extensive nanosatellite experience spans design, manufacturing and operation complementing Kleos’ in-house engineering Kleos Space S.A.- 26, rue des Gaulois - L-1618 Luxembourg - ARBN 625 668 733 / RCS B215591 2 expertise. We look forward to continuing to work with Kleos to increase satellite capability, leveraging learnings from earlier launches.”

Marcy Mabry, Spaceflight’s Mission Manager added, “We are delighted to be working with Kleos again to launch its small satellite payload into a 500-600km Sun Synchronous orbit. Our portfolio of frequent launch options provides unmatched flexibility and reliability, ensuring Kleos’ growing constellation gets to orbit when and where they want. Kleos’ satellite technology addresses a real-world need, providing precision geolocation data to improve situational awareness and disrupt illegal activity.”

Filed Under: News

A New, Compact, Hyperspectral Instrument From AMOS Is Destined For Smallsats

October 20, 2021 by editorial

AMOS s.a., a Belgian company specializing in the design and manufacture of advanced optical instruments, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a contract to build and qualify a first flight model of an advanced compact hyperspectral imager designed by AMOS and called ELOIS.

AMOS’ ELOIS hyperspectral imager.

Thanks to the financial support of the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), this co-funded project will deliver the payload to be integrated on an InnoSat platform by OHB Sweden AB for a launch in 2024.

Both companies have been selected for an In Orbit Demonstration mission as part of the EU Horizon 2020 IOD/IOV Initiative. This program provides to the European industry opportunities to demonstrate and validate, in space, their most promising technologies and products. Such missions are essential for fostering innovation and expanding space capabilities and shows the European Commission’s commitment to maximize European competitiveness, independence and service sustainability in the space sector.

AMOS, leveraging its extensive experience in optical design and free form optics manufacturing, has developed a compact and lightweight, hyperspectral instrument that is dedicated to smallsats and offers a unique combination of large swath (70 km), broad spectral range (VIS-NIR-SWIR), high spectral and spatial resolutions and excellent radiometry. This high performance is achieved thanks to the integration of several technological innovations such as the company’s multi-blazed free form grating.

AMOS’ unique expertise developed in the ELOIS program has also been rewarded through the firm’s selection as member of the Core Team, led by OHB System AG (Germany), in charge of the development of the future CHIME instrument (Sentinel 10). This flagship hyperspectral mission is part of the EU Copernicus Expansion programme.

Philippe GILSON, AMOS’ CEO, said, “AMOS has a long track record in delivering advanced space hardware to large system integrators, from complex mirrors to complete opto-mechanical sub-systems. Our ELOIS is the best of both worlds: large-scale institutional mission capabilities blended in a smallsat payload suitable for the kind of remote sensing constellations considered by New Space startups as well as emerging space-faring nations. With this first IOD, we are paving the way towards our future range of high-end Earth Observation cameras that will be AMOS’ contribution to better seeing, understanding and reacting to the multiple changes affecting our planet.”

Filed Under: News

Rocket Lab’s Upcoming Launch Of BlackSky Constellation Smallsats To Also Attempt 1st Stage Electron Rocket Ocean Recovery

October 20, 2021 by editorial

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. will attempt a controlled, ocean splashdown and recovery of the first stage of an Electron rocket during the company’s next launch in November.

The mission will be Rocket Lab’s third ocean recovery of an Electron stage; however, it will be the first time a helicopter will be stationed in the recovery zone around 200 nautical miles offshore to track and visually observe a descending stage in preparation for future aerial capture attempts. The helicopter will not attempt a mid-air capture for this mission but will test communications and tracking to refine the concept of operations (CONOPS) for future Electron aerial capture.

The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission is scheduled to lift-off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand during a 14-day launch window that opens on November 11, 2021, UTC. The mission’s primary objective is to deploy two Earth Observation (EO) satellites for global monitoring company BlackSky, with the secondary objective to splash down and recover Electron’s first stage to further validate Rocket Lab’s recovery operations and hardware.

Rocket Lab will be tracking the stage’s descent from space and as it approaches 19,000 ft (5.7 km) from the ocean surface, a helicopter will be dispatched to conduct reconnaissance of the returning booster. The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission will also include new recovery hardware developments to Electron including an advanced parachute to be deployed from the first stage at a higher-altitude, allowing for a slower drift back to Earth to test communications and tracking for future aerial recovery.

Electron also features improvements to the first stage heat shield which protects the rocket’s nine Rutherford engines while they endure up to 2200 °C heat and incredible pressure on the descent back to Earth. A team of Rocket Lab engineers and technicians will again be stationed at sea with their purpose-built Ocean Recovery and Capture Apparatus (ORCA) to retrieve the stage from the ocean and return it to Rocket Lab’s production complex in New Zealand for analysis and inspection.

The rocket engine, named Rutherford after the famous New Zealand scientist Ernest Rutherford, is a Lox/Kerosene regenerative cooled pump fed engine that is intended to be the future workhorse for Rocket Lab orbital launcher program. Rutherford test firing photo is courtesy of the company.

“As one of only two companies to recover an orbital-class booster from space, we’ve proven it’s possible to make Electron the world’s first orbital-class reusable small launch vehicle,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. “We’ve perfected Electron’s controlled descent, demonstrated flawless parachute deployment, and successfully plucked stages from the ocean. Now we’re gearing up for the next stage – preparing to use a helicopter to catch a rocket as it descends to Earth from space. It’s ambitious, but with each recovery mission we’ve iterated and refined the hardware and processes to make the impossible ordinary. I’m excited to take what we learn from this launch and put it into practice with aerial capture missions in future.”

The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission follows two previous ocean splashdown recovery missions; the ‘Return to Sender’ mission in November 2020, and the ‘Running Out of Toes’ mission in May 2021. A live stream of the launch and real-time updates of recovery operations for ‘Love At First Insight’ will be available on Rocket Lab’s social media channels and website.

Approximately two and a half minutes after lift-off, the nine Rutherford engines on Electron’s first stage will shut down and Electron’s first and second stages will separate. Electron’s second stage will continue with the customer’s payload to space, where the Kick Stage will separate and deploy the satellites. Following stage separation, Electron’s first stage will begin its descent. A cold-gas reaction control system will position the stage on an ideal angle to re-enter the atmosphere.

While descending, Electron’s first stage is expected to experience intense heat and pressure while traveling up to eight times the speed of sound before significantly decelerating to enable a drogue parachute to be deployed. At approximately seven and a half minutes into the mission, Electron’s drogue parachute will be deployed at around 43,000 ft (13 km) altitude. This drogue parachute both increases the booster’s drag and stabilizes its descent as it approaches the ocean.

Earlier and higher than on previous flights, the large main parachute will be deployed less than a minute after the drogue, at an altitude of 19,000 ft (5.7 km) to further slow the stage and enable a controlled splashdown. A key objective of this mission is to increase the drift-time of Electron’s first stage to test communications and tracking for future aerial recovery efforts.

Upon receiving the all-clear from the recovery team stationed at sea, a nearby helicopter will be deployed to sight the returning stage and observe its descent to record data that will help refine Electron aerial capture CONOPS. Once in the ocean, Rocket Lab engineers will attempt to retrieve the stage onboard their vessel with their purpose-built Ocean Recovery and Capture Apparatus (ORCA), a specialised cradle and winch system manufactured to Electron specifications and dimensions, before transporting the stage back to Rocket Lab’s production complex for analysis and inspection.

The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission is the latest in a multi-launch agreement signed earlier this year for BlackSky between Rocket Lab and Spaceflight Inc., which is providing integration and mission management services for BlackSky. This mission will deploy the eighth and ninth satellites of BlackSky’s planned constellation as part of that rapid-launch agreement, with another four Gen-2 smallsats across the two additional Electron dedicated missions to follow.

Filed Under: Featured, News

The First Commercial Order For Creotech’s HyperSat Smallsat Platform Is Received

October 20, 2021 by editorial

Creotech Instruments S.A., in cooperation with the Military University of Technology in Poland, recently initiated the process of building a constellation of three satellites.

The cooperation takes place as part of the PIAST project, which is an element of the plan to create a national system for the Polish Armed Forces EO needs. This will be the first commercial implementation of the HyperSat satellite platform that was developed by the Company.

PIAST (Polish ImAging SaTellites) is a project conducted as part of the Szafir program, the main task of which is an even better use of the potential for cooperation between scientific institutions and private entrepreneurs in the field of developing modern and innovative solutions key to the safety and defence of the state. Financed from resources of the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) the project is realized by a consortium of companies and research institutions (Creotech Instruments S.A., the PAN Centre for Space Research, Scanway Sp. z o.o., the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation, PCO S.A. (a company owned by the Polish Armaments Group)) under the leadership of the Military University of Technology.

Thanks to this synergy, they will be able to construct a complete satellite system of imagery intelligence that consists of satellites, a ground segment for control and obtaining data and a data processing segment. During the realization of the project, a group of technologies that will allow the building of considerably larger satellite constellations will be developed. At the same time, the creation of critical components in Poland will allow for complete control over the imagery acquisition process.

As part of the PIAST project, the company will build and deliver three satellite platforms, fully based on the firm’s original HyperSat standard. The task at hand will also consist in integrating the function of the satellites with optical telescopes and a propulsion system developed specifically for use in this undertaking.

This will be the first commercial implementation of the firm’s platform and directly from the start as a constellation. The end recipient of this project will be the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland.

Completion of the project will take roughly 48 months. The satellites – each weighing around 10 kg – will be placed in space in the year 2024 and will be the first Polish satellites, with the end recipient being the Polish military.

Creotech Instruments is the largest Polish company manufacturing and delivering space technology and specialized electronics and devices, for use in, among other areas, quantum computers, quantum cryptography, or quantum physics or high energy laboratories to the world market. Devices created by the Company have been part of 26 space sector projects, including 10 space missions – 4 of which have been realized for the European Space Agency (ESA). One of the most important Creotech projects now in development is the HyperSat satellite platform, which positions the Company among only around a dozen of companies in the world capable of offering smallsats and entire constellations of smallsats adapted to the client’s needs. In April of this year the company successfully launched its initial public offering, which raised PLN 11,285,000. The funds have been dedicated to continuing development of the EagleEye EOsatellite and raising the technological development of the HyperSat smallsat platform to the highest, technology readiness level. The company plans to create its own offer of modular satellite platforms as well as purchase a third electronics assembly line, which will allow the firm to scale up this activity. Creotech Instruments S.A. is planning to debut on the New Connect market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, which is to occur on the verge of the 3rd and 4th quarter of this year.

Filed Under: News

Fly Your Satellite! ESA’s Call for CubeSat Proposals Now Open To Uni Students

October 18, 2021 by editorial

University students can now get ready to fly their satellite by applying to the European Space Agency now.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is encouraging CubeSat student teams, who are working on one, two or three-unit CubeSats with educational scope, to apply for the fourth edition of the Fly Your Satellite! program.

This opportunity is open to University teams, composed of bachelor, master and PhD students from eligible states, who are close to integrating their satellite*.

Selected teams will have the unique opportunity of turning their spacecraft system into an operating CubeSat launched to space by receiving direct professional support from ESA, dedicated training sessions, and access to dedicated state-of-the-art facilities.

The ESA encourages students to join the list of other Fly Your Satellite! teams who have had the chance to learn from their participation in this unique hands-on spacecraft program and apply working methods from professional space programs to your own space project.

*Note: New opportunities are expected to open in spring 2022 for CubeSat student teams who would like to benefit from the support in the consolidation of their design, or to get access to the CubeSat Support Facility.

Proposal Submission Deadline: February 6, 2022, 23:59 CET

A shortlist of teams will be invited to the Selection Workshop expected to take place in March 2022, at ESA-ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Filed Under: Featured, News

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