Archives for March 2022

Spaceflight Inc. has initiated an extended multi-launch agreement (MLA) with long-time customer and Internet of Things (IoT) constellation developer, Astrocast. This agreement will add two missions to accommodate Astrocast’s fast-growing IoT constellation which helps track assets in some of the world’s most remote regions.

In February of 2020, Astrocast and Spaceflight signed an MLA for the launch of 10 additional IoT smallsats, representing the sixth launch booked with Spaceflight. In total, Spaceflight is now set to launch a majority of the satellites that will complete the Astrocast IoT Nanosatellite Network.

Spaceflight has already managed the successful launch of 10 Astrocast spacecraft, including demonstration models on Spaceflight’s historic SSO-A mission in 2018 and PSLV-C45 in 2019. The companies most recently partnered and successfully launched an additional five smallsats on Spaceflight’s SXRS-5 in January of 2021.

The uniqueness of Astrocast’s constellation lies in a very low signal and small antenna and terminal with long battery life. The small size lets the company put the terminal on everything from fishing buoys to animals. For example, Astrocast is helping its customers track illegal fishing, endangered animal species, and heavy machinery in remote locations. By default, IoT solutions implemented in many of these situations are deployed in remote locations – from mines to farmland, ships to oil platforms. Astrocast’s solution minimizes the need for human intervention and repair, wherever possible, safeguarding the business case.

2022 promises to be a year of unprecedented innovation and leadership for Spaceflight, with approximately 20 planned missions across its diverse portfolio of launch vehicle partners. In January 2022, NASA named Spaceflight to provide launch services for the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) missions. The company also successfully executed its first launch with Astra last week and plans to debut the next two variations of its Sherpa OTV family with its much-anticipated quarter lunar slingshot mission, GEO Pathfinder.

“Flexibility is a key differentiator going forward,” said Astrocast CFO, Kjell Karlsen. “Spaceflight has already demonstrated their flexibility in launch timing and availability across multiple vehicles in our existing contract. Assured access to space is critical for Astrocast to grow our constellation and we’re looking forward to working with Spaceflight to continue to efficiently build out our constellation in orbit.”

“We’re pleased to expand our relationship with Astrocast,” said Curt Blake, president and CEO of Spaceflight. “Having a portfolio of launch options and the expertise to move quickly to accommodate changes is something we’re very proud of, and one that fast-growing constellation builders like Astrocast rely on.”

PSN Group has entered into contracts to build the Nusantara Lima Satellite that will be launched in 2023 and will augment the capacity of SATRIA-1 — with these 2 VHTS, PSN Group will be one of the biggest satellite capacity providers in Asia with approximately 330 Gbps covering Indonesia and surrounding areas.

The Nusantara Lima Satellite has a capacity exceeding 160 Gbps, which will provide primary service in Indonesia and some ASEAN countries. The satellite and its seven gateways in several cities in the regions of Indonesia, including Banda Aceh, Bengkulu, Cikarang, Gresik, Banjarmasin, Tarakan, and Kupang. The satellite will also provide satellite-based internet access all over Indonesia and to some ASEAN countries.

PSN Group also selected Kratos and Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) as part of key ground segment suppliers for Nusantara Lima network, similar to Nusantara Tiga network. Kratos will supply the gateway antenna and RF system.

Minister of Communications and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia, Johnny G. Plate, said, “I want to congratulate PSN Group for the Nusantara Lima Satellite Project. This project shows that despite the pandemic situation, the acceleration of digital transformation continues to be developed in providing connectivity across the Indonesian Archipelago. With the HBS and SATRIA-1, the Government of Indonesia will provide inclusivity and connectivity all over the nation, including some of the neighboring countries in ASEAN. The Nusantara Lima Satellite will provide 140 Gbps capacity in Indonesia, whereas the majority of the 80 Gbps will be utilized by BAKTI Kominfo for Hot Backup Satellite, 60 Gbps will be used by the national satellite operator and the balance of 20 Gbps will be serving Malaysia and the Philippines.”

CEO of PSN Group, Adi Rahman Adiwoso, said, “We have already entered into a contract with a satellite manufacturer from the United States, Boeing Satellite Systems, to build the Nusantara Lima satellite. We also have entered into an agreement with SpaceX to launch the satellite on its Falcon 9 rocket. PSN Group has also selected its ground segment partners Hughes Network System for the broadband network and Kratos Communication to provide Satellite Spectrum Monitoring and Network Management System. The antenna and the RF gateways are provided by Kratos and PCCW Global from Hong Kong. PSN Group is proud to work together with world-class partners in bringing Nusantara Lima operational in 2023. “

Ryan Reid, President, Boeing Commercial Satellite Systems International, said, “Boeing has a rich history of serving the Asia Pacific region with our satellites and satellite services, including Superbird 4, Asiasat, and JCSAT-18. We also provided Indonesia’s first telecommunications satellite Palapa A1 in 1976 and we’re proud to continue that legacy for Indonesia and its neighbors with our customer PT Satelit Nusantara Lima (SNL), a subsidiary of Pasifik Satelit Nusantara, on the N5 Satellite. Through innovative technologies, like transient-free precision pointing and other customizations to meet SNL’s unique requirements, Boeing’s 702MP satellite will provide unprecedented and inclusive connectivity services to the diverse environments of the Asia Pacific region.“

“PSN’s selection of SpaceX to launch Nusantara Lima is a testament to our great relationship,” said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales, Tom Ochinero. “This launch will mark SpaceX’s third mission for the company, and we look forward to providing a reliable ride to orbit for this spacecraft.”

Ramesh Ramaswamy, Executive Vice President and General Manager, International Division at Hughes, said, “We are pleased to continue supporting PSN Group in its efforts to connect the unconnected throughout Indonesia and the ASEAN region. Their selection of our Hughes JUPITER System Series 3 ground components will afford PSN the scalability, management simplicity and operational efficiency to implement and manage a high-quality satellite internet service under the BAKTI initiative to bridge the digital divide, a program for which our JUPITER System is a cornerstone.“

“PSN has an ambitious, forward-looking strategy for meeting the challenges of delivering reliable connectivity to this region, and we are extremely pleased to be able to support that vision,” said Mike Smith, SVP of Sales for Kratos. “Cutting-edge gateways enabled by advanced Kratos antennas and integrated Kratos carrier and network management software will provide the advanced technology to support PSN’s space assets and service delivery goals.”

Frederick Chui, Chief Commercial Officer, PCCW Global, said, “We have been providing teleport services from Stanley Earth Station, Hong Kong, to host PSN’s gateway on the PSN-6 Nusantara Satu satellite. PCCW Global typically supports ground segment teleport gateways and terrestrial networks, and equips PSN with connectivity throughout Asia. And we are now strengthening our collaboration with PSN by supporting a critical teleport system, following the launch of a new satellite.”

Skykraft officially opened its new manufacturing facility in the center of Canberra at the UNSW Canberra City campus today. The new facility is enabling the development of the largest ever Australian manufactured space payload, weighing 300 kg., which is confirmed for launch this year with SpaceX from Florida.

Skykraft, is an Australian company that delivers services from space. Skykraft is currently focusing on the development and deployment of a space-based Air Traffic Management (ATM) service. The new Canberra manufacturing facility will produce the 200+ satellites that will form the constellation providing the ATM services, with the operating constellation launched during 2023. The upcoming launch with SpaceX will be a proof of concept for the deployment of Skykraft’s ATM services. Space-based ATM addresses the gaps in surveillance and communications for aircraft travelling across regions that are not covered by existing systems, such as oceanic or remote areas.

With a strong engineering team, based around co-founders Dr. Doug Griffin (Chief Engineer) and Dr. Craig Benson (Chief Innovation Officer), and an agile technology approach, Skykraft is positioned to offer a unique global product that will not only offer the prospect of significant job creation and onshore opportunities for the growing Space sector but also deliver the sovereign capability needed for our defence and government programs.

The new facility will have produced five satellites by June 30, 2022, and a further 12 satellites will be manufactured in the second half of 2022. Production will ramp up in 2023, with 45 satellites targeted in the first half of 2023 and then build to 120 satellites manufactured in the second half of 2023.

The manufacturing facility was officially opened by the Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, who said it highlighted the rapid growth of the local space sector.

“Skykraft’s space-based solution allows real-time communications between air traffic controllers and pilots, allowing for the reduction in separation between aircraft over oceanic airspace, enhancing efficiency and delivering environmental benefits. Our satellite constellation will be a world-first, proudly out of Australia.” said Skykraft’s Chairman, Air Vice Marshal (retired) Mark Skidmore.

“This facility further emphasizes the great momentum that’s been fostered since the establishment of the Australian Space Agency and why space is one of six priorities under the Australian Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy,” Mr Palermo said. “When our space sector grows, it not only creates opportunities within those space businesses but across a range of industries, which means jobs with all different skillsets.”

The French Space Agency, CNES, has selected Exotrail to complete a research and technology study to optimize the operations of mega constellations.

The study will focus on MEO and LEO, where thousands of satellites are soon expected to be operational and propelled by electric propulsion. The study will determine the best operational procedures to implement in mega constellation’s flight dynamic system, including station keeping and collision avoidance – two critical operations.

Ultimately, Exotrail will design and build algorithms able to optimize and automate mega constellation operations, improving efficiency and reducing human error.

Sébastien Duménil, Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We are very proud to have been selected by CNES for this mega constellation operations optimization study. Exotrail’s experts will leverage our core capabilities in flight dynamics and electric propulsion, key building blocks of our ExoOPS software suite, dedicated to mission simulation and constellation operations.”

Exotrail is a French-based space company that designs, develops, and operates end-to-end mobility solutions for an agile space. Our mission is to enable smallsats to move in space, optimize their deployment, increase their performance, and reduce space pollution. Thanks to this, a new world of telecommunication, earth observation and space exploration will arise. Our mobility solutions address the entire space value chain: highly flexible high-thrust propulsion systems for small satellites (ExoMG), mission simulation and operations software (ExoOPS), and In-Orbit Services (SpaceVan). Exotrail was incorporated in 2017 and has since raised over €20M from prestigious venture capital funds and public grants. Our team consists of over 55 people who are passionate about disrupting the space industry. We operate out of two locations: Toulouse and Massy (suburb of Paris) in France.

Satellite Vu, founded in 2016, recently closed the second round of their Series A, bringing total investment to £20 million.

Satellite Vu’s first funding round was led by Seraphim Space Investment Trust Plc, the world’s first, listed, SpaceTech Fund. New participants in the second close include Contrarian Ventures, as well as US investors Lockheed Martin and In-Q-Tel, Inc. The funding round highlights Satellite Vu’s rapid growth; the company raised its seed round funding of £3.6 million ($5 million) in April last year.

As well as US expansion, Satellite Vu’s new investment will be directed to ramping up its plans to launch a constellation of seven, thermal, infrared imaging satellites that will offer a resolution of 3.5 meters — this outperforms existing available resolutions of 100 meters.

Satellite Vu plans to launch the first of its constellation of satellites into orbit within the next year. The satellite will collect thermal data, day and night, of both the natural and the built environment at any location on the planet.

This constellation will be used to provide near real-time data on the green credentials of buildings anywhere on the planet. The power of Satellite Vu’s technology stretches beyond the built environment, into applications within environmental monitoring, sustainable finance, and activity-based intelligence. The company has also started measuring and disclosing its own carbon emissions in full, as the first step to reach Net Zero targets.

Satellite Vu’s full constellation will have the ability to measure the heat signature of any building multiple times a day, enabling Satellite Vu to derive new insights in near real time about building heat loss, activity, and insulation. By measuring the heat coming off a building, Satellite Vu will provide data that will be able to show if any individual building is being heated efficiently or which parts of a city are prone to urban heat islands.

The built environment accounts for 40% of global carbon emissions making it one of the largest contributors to climate change.

Satellite Vu’s data has the potential to be a game-changer for anyone involved in the construction, funding, and insuring of real estate and related infrastructure. By providing global data at a micro-local level, the technology will empower real estate market actors to make the right decisions to make building stock greener.

Satellite Vu’s data can address many of the pressing problems faced by governments in terms of security and climate change. The data offers opportunities to identify and characterise small ocean vessels that may otherwise be invisible from other space sensors and can also monitor productivity and security of global supply chains and commodities. Furthermore, near real time infrared video and images can be used for unfolding and dynamic events to inform first responders around wildfires and disaster relief.

The latest round follows the news that Satellite Vu has made its carbon emissions data available to the public, to raise awareness and promote accountability towards business sustainability.

Satellite Vu has become one of the first major space companies to share its carbon emissions data publicly in a drive toward achieving the goals set out in the recent COP 26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Satellite Vu hopes its transparency will encourage other businesses to follow suit and take accountability and action against climate change.

The satellites can also be tasked to monitor thermal water pollution across the globe. Monitoring could detail thermal variations caused by oil refineries, wastewater treatment works and nuclear power plants. In addition to monitoring productivity and illegal activity, the satellites will also be able to validate Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) credentials, creating opportunities to link pollution events to a company’s “Environmental”, or “E” factor.

Anthony Baker, CEO of Satellite Vu, said, “We are thrilled to have raised further funding to propel our expansion into the US market. Our advanced thermal infrared camera will be able to offer unique, previously unseen insights into human activity and the full constellation will enable up to twenty revisits per day of a single location anywhere on the planet. The funding supports the development of new applications and enables closer collaboration on proof of concepts with our customers. This investment further demonstrates that our technology offers potential benefits for national security capabilities, and we look forward to building and expanding our relationship with partners overseas, particularly the US.”

The performance, versatility and availability of QinetiQ‘s P200 smallsat platform has helped the company to secure a new contractual agreement as part of NASA’s Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid IV) program. Confirmation of the new contract will enable the US government to place firm and fixed price delivery orders for the P200 and related services up to the end of August 2025.

The announcement of the new agreement with NASA follows continued investment into QinetiQ’s space research and production facilities at Kruibeke in Belgium. This takes infrastructure investment at the site to 4 million euros and is in direct response to the growing demand for QinetiQ’s spacecraft manufacturing and systems integration expertise with a new clean room facility that is due for completion in May (2022). The new resource will provide a 250m² additional cleanroom production area and support facilities for the company’s growing workforce and will also double QinetiQ’s satellite production capacity.

The P200 is the latest generation of the PROBA satellite platform that has become synonymous with small and high-performance satellites, having accumulated more than 41 successful years on-orbit without failure. Incorporating new propulsion and avionics systems, the P200 has been designed to maximize flexibility in configuration for a diverse range of payloads and missions as well as compatibility for a wide range of launch rockets.

One of the latest satellites to capitalize on this high level of versatility is a new specialist encryption company who have signed up to use the P200 platform. Once on-orbit, this new commercial satellite will help to transform the resilience and security of telecommunications systems.

Significantly, complete qualification of the deployment mechanism for the modular solar array of the P200 has recently been confirmed. Such progressive developments are helping to consolidate the platform’s reputation as a readily available, cost-effective, and adaptable solution for increasingly diverse missions and even the most power-hungry payload and equipment.

Now confirmed as a Rapid IV spacecraft vendor, QinetiQ is able to provide NASA and other federal agencies with the opportunity to capitalize on the success and performance benefits of the P200 smallsat platform. The new agreement has been confirmed under the on-ramp feature of the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid IV) contract which provides new vendors with the opportunity to put forward flight-proven spacecraft designs. The Rapid IV contracts have a combined potential maximum value of $6 billion and serve as a rapid and flexible means for the US government to acquire spacecraft and related components, equipment and services in support of NASA missions and/or other federal government agencies.

“We’re delighted to be part of NASA’s Rapid IV program,” said Jim Graham, Managing Director of QinetiQ’s space business. “Our P200 is not only continuing to demonstrate its performance and reliability as a highly versatile and cost-effective spacecraft, but is also showing the very real value of our commitment to deliver effective mission-led solutions for our customers. I believe the new contractual agreement with NASA represents the start of an exciting new chapter in the long and enduring PROBA success story.”

QinetiQ QinetiQ is a global integrated defence and security company focused on mission-led innovation for defence, security and civil customers around the world. We are 6000 people creating new ways of protecting what matters most; testing technologies, systems, and processes to make sure they work as expected; and enabling customers to deploy new and enhanced-existing capabilities with the assurance they will deliver the outcomes required. From our sites in Belgium and the UK, QinetiQ’s space team enables the most demanding space missions. We are constantly breaking new ground in the application of cutting-edge technology and delivering pioneering solutions to push the boundaries of space.

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.’s first MicroGEO satellite is ready for launch after the successful completion of final testing.

Astranis has now completed all major tests necessary for its first MicroGEO spacecraft to be ready to ship to the launch site, including vibration and vibroacoustic tests, final solar array and antenna deployment tests, propulsion system tests, software tests, and electrical checkouts. This follows a successful thermal-vacuum, or TVAC, test campaign that was concluded late last year.

Vibration and vibroacoustic tests, collectively known as the vibe test campaign, are some of the most intense tests of structural and mechanical endurance for any spacecraft. During vibe, the vehicle was subjected to low-to-mid frequency mechanical vibrations and mid-to-high frequency acoustic vibrations simulating the extreme forces it must withstand during launch. Afterward, Astranis engineers performed a final series of software and hardware checks to ensure the payload is fully functional and the satellite remains mission-ready.

When the satellite enters service later this year, with capacity leased exclusively to Alaskan satellite, middle-mile provider, Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI), it will have an immediate impact on bridging the state’s digital divide. The compact but powerful MicroGEO satellite is expected to triple the state’s currently available satellite bandwidth while providing true broadband speeds and reliability to consumers at roughly one-half the cost of existing services.

Astranis MicroGEO satellites are 1/20 the size and cost of traditional GEO communications satellites. With a lower price tag and much shorter build times when compared to legacy satellites, Astranis provides dedicated satellite bandwidth as a service, allowing customers such as PDI to connect people in places that have been overlooked, underserved, or priced-out of the market for fast, reliable broadband internet.

“Having passed this final sequence of tests, our first commercial satellite is now officially ready for launch,” said John Gedmark, CEO and co-founder, Astranis. “Passing these checks is always something to celebrate, but this time it’s especially meaningful because we’re building something new the world has never seen before and sending it to space for the very first time.”

“Complete and ubiquitous coverage of Alaska has been our primary mission from the start and Astranis is helping us achieve that,” said Chuck Schumann, CEO, Pacific Dataport Inc. “Alaska is the largest state with the lowest population density so naturally we hear from people every day who live in very isolated places, telling us how hungry they are for fast, reliable broadband internet service. Imagine a village with few roads that is only accessible by a small airstrip. There are no cell towers, no cable, and no fiber. Affordable, reliable broadband is a generational change for a community like that and this satellite is going to help us bring this change for our entire state.”

SCOUT Inc. has successfully closed a bridge round that will enable significant growth of their capabilities in 2022. This funding round strategically positions SCOUT to better capitalize on opportunities in early 2022 and hit key milestones, including SCOUT-Vision production readiness and the launch of SCOUT’s first OVER-Sat mission in 2023. SCOUT is looking forward to connecting with more investors on the next fundraising Seed round, which opened earlier this month.

Decisive Point, a venture capital firm that invests in dual-use technology startups, led the round with follow-on participation from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation and Geospatial Alpha.

Over the past year, SCOUT has made significant progress in terms of technology development and business expansion. Since June of 2021, SCOUT has been successfully operating in space, following the launch of their SCOUT-Vision proximity operation system. In December of 2021, Momentus selected SCOUT to deliver spacecraft vision capabilities for its upcoming missions.

Most recently, SCOUT announced their Autonomy Software for spacecraft, which includes computer vision and guidance software to make navigation safer and less complex for space operators. These offerings include software-hardware integration providing: next-generation AI/ML-based autonomy, hybrid data fusion from various sensors and closed-loop optical navigation control algorithms.

SCOUT, to date, has raised $1.5 million in venture capital.

“Being a dual-use technology company, it’s important to have strategic investors that can help us better speak the language of the Defense and greater Intelligence Community, and to help us navigate the intricacies of those organizations, all of which Decisive Point has tremendous expertise in,” said Eric Ingram, Co-founder and CEO of SCOUT. “This round helps us build critical programs and infrastructure for SCOUT-Vision’s market readiness and accelerates us towards OVER-Sat’s launch scheduled for next year. Decisive Point recognizes the value SCOUT is bringing to the space and national defense segments, and the impending need for more verification and validation capabilities in orbit.”

“In recent years, we have seen incredible growth in the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) commercial and defense market. Space Traffic will only continue to become more congested (projected to grow by more than 40x by 2023) and existing ground-based sensors cannot keep up with the growing defense and commercial space population,” said Thomas Hendrix, Managing Partner of Decisive Point. “SCOUT is changing the way space operations are executed by building vision-based autonomy solutions for Earth and space, enabling systems to better identify and avoid risks and failures through their SCOUT-Vision product. SCOUT’s technology solution has already demonstrated 1000x better resolution compared to current capabilities and is poised to disrupt the SDA market.”

“Support and validation from our incredible investors have enabled SCOUT’s rapid execution over the past years,” Sergio Gallucci, Co-founder and CTO of SCOUT, said. “In the last nine months, we successfully demonstrated SCOUT-Vision, and this is only the start of a period of hyper-growth where we’re bringing SCOUT-Vision to the aerospace marketplace and building a strong foundation for deploying our solutions.”

SCOUT was founded in 2019 with the mission to enable a new era of space safety and transparency. SCOUT’s in-space products and services, first launched in June 2021, allow spacecraft to see and understand things around them. The orbital distributed sensor network developed by SCOUT will significantly improve Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and ensure responsible use of the space environment. The company is a Techstars, MassChallenge, and venture-backed startup with ongoing government contracts and commercial paid pilots. SCOUT holds the Established® 2021 Startup of the Year® title. For more information, visit www.scout.space.

Terran Orbital Corporation (“Terran Orbital”), a vertically integrated provider of end-to-end satellite solutions, announced that its wholly-owned, Tyvak Nano Satellite Systems, Inc., was awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin to build 42 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer, the Initial Warfighting Capability Tranche of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). 

“Terran Orbital is excited to build upon our Transport Layer contracts with Lockheed Martin,” said Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Terran Orbital. “This contract for Tranche 1, along with our previous contract for Tranche 0, not only affirms confidence in our industry-leading spacecraft designs but also validates our ability to deliver game-changing capability in partnership with Lockheed Martin. We are honored and very proud to participate in this important award in support of U.S. military forces around the world.”

“Partners like Terran Orbital are critical to delivering national defense space capabilities for the Space Development Agency,” says Lockheed Martin Space Protected Communications Mission Area Leader Erik Daehler. “We see our work with them as a prime example of how to work hand-in-hand with our mission partners to build a strong marketplace that enables us to quickly deliver.” 

The NDSA’s operational utility depends on ubiquitous data and communications from a constellation of relatively small, mass-producible space vehicles in the Transport Layer of low Earth orbit. Spacevehicles in Tranche 1 of the Transport Layer will be similar to those currently under development for Tranche 0 with targeted technology enhancements, mission-focused payload configurations, increased integration, and greater production efficiencies. Tranche 1 will provide global communications access and deliver persistent regional encrypted connectivity in support of warfighter missions around the globe by serving as the backbone for the Department of Defense’s Joint All Domain Command and Control built on low-latency data transport, sensor-to-shooter connectivity, and direct-to-weapon connectivity.

On February 15, 2022, Terran Orbital announced a record $170+ million in new contracts and awards since September 30, 2021. That record number is inclusive of today’s announcement and the announcement made by Terran Orbital on February 17, 2022, that it was awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to build and support three microsatellite class satellites. 

Terran Orbital has previously announced that it entered into a business combination agreement with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: TWNT), (“Tailwind Two”), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), pursuant to which Terran Orbital will combine with Tailwind Two.