Archives for March 2022

RUAG Space has been operating on the market as Beyond Gravity since March 15, 2022, and will also legally change names as of May 1, 2022.

The new name and brand identity are intended to sharpen the focus outward, position the space unit prominently on the markets, which are profoundly changing, and make its comprehensive range of services even more well-known to customers.

Beyond Gravity, which has around 1,600 employees, will position itself even more consistently as a global player on the international aerospace market.

As part of its transition from RUAG Space to Beyond Gravity, the space supplier will launch a space incubator in the summer that will allow promising ideas and concepts to be identified at an early stage as well as to then accelerate them. Several times a year, the company will look at projects together with selected start-ups and evaluate their development potential and investment opportunities. The program offers young companies exclusive contacts in the international space industry, access to highly specialized engineers, exclusive technologies and a wide variety of means of production.

The space incubator, which will go by the name “Launchpad” will initially set up camp in Zürich- Seebach.

The IQ spacecom business division of the Berlin-based IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH will showcase its end-to-end cubesat solution with XLink and WORK Microwave’s AX-60 at SATELLITE 2022 at the booth of WORK Microwave (#1605).

The IQ spacecom product portfolio comprises state-of-the-art radio communication solutions made in Germany that enable flexible and highly efficient broadband data communication for smallsats, such as the advanced SDR (Software Defined Radio) platform XLink.

A special focus will lie on its joint end-to-end cubesat solution with WORK Microwave. In live demonstrations, visitors can experience the added value that results from the seamless connection between IQ spacecom’s XLink SDR platform and WORK Microwave’s AX-60 IP ground modem. As one of the world’s first end-to-end cubesat solutions, it supports satellite communications for both ground and space segments.

Customers benefit from a fully featured bidirectional communication system that provides Gigabit Ethernet as on-board control as well as a high-speed data interface. XLink is an advanced transceiver system for X- and S-band communication links of small satellites with a flight grade tested COTS design. The compact 0.2 U sized XLink is characterized by its robust and high-rate signal modulation techniques that provide best bandwidth efficiency: downlink/telemetry and payload of up to 100 Mbps and an uplink/telecommand of up to 256 kbps.

The highly customizable platform is equipped with a fully integrated RF front end that enables a direct connection to the antenna. The antennas for this solution are also provided by IQ spacecom. The cost-effective X- and S-band patch antennas have a flight proven design for smallsat applications.

The AX-60 of WORK Microwave is a 19-inch rack-mount modem unit and fully compatible with the CCSDS protocols of the XLink transceiver. Both platforms connect to IP networks and provide easy-to-use, straightforward connectivity.

A Ground Converter Unit (GCU) can also be provided with the solution for an easy integration into the ground segment and the connection to ground stations and antennas in various frequency bands. Both IQspacecom and WORK Microwave place great emphasis on the joint development of customer-specific projects. In order to offer the best possible technology in line with high reliability to our customers, IQ spacecom has been constantly developing its products for more than 20 years. Another focus of the presentation will be the further development steps of the highly adaptable XLink platform in terms of frequency bands, communication protocols and mechanical adaptations.

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the prime institution responsible for defense-related research in Norway, has awarded a contract to Exolaunch to launch the organization’s ARCSAT satellite aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

The teams of Exolaunch and GomSpace, the ARCSAT’s satellite manufacturer, have just completed a successful integration of the ARCSAT satellite into the satellite’s deployer at Exolaunch’s headquarters in Berlin, prior to shipment for the launch campaign at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite is scheduled for launch to SSO with Falcon 9 NET, April 2022, as part of SpaceX‘s SmallSat Rideshare Program.

ARCSAT is a 6U smallsat designed to demonstrate the use and relevance of a satellite relay for UHF communication at high latitudes. For a polar orbit above 500 km., the satellite will be able to cover any point on the Earth’s surface ranging from 4 up to 15 daily passes at higher latitudes.

Exolaunch, a global launch integrator working under a Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX, is providing launch services, satellite integration and deployment services for the FFI’s satellite aboard Transporter-4 mission. To date, Exolaunch has arranged launches for 200 satellites for NewSpace industry leaders, start-ups, space agencies and academia. FFI will benefit from Exolaunch’s proprietary deployment technologies, technical expertise, and decade-long unique flight heritage, to launch their satellite into a destined orbit.

Lars Erling Bråten, Principal Scientist at FFI, said, “We look forward to testing UHF communications in the High North via ARCSAT. The test and demonstration campaign will be important for determining the usefulness of non-geostationary TACSAT services.”

Jeanne Allarie, VP Launch at Exolaunch, said, “We are proud to have been selected by Norway’s FFI as a launch partner to deliver the ARCSAT satellite into orbit aboard SpaceX Falcon 9. Fast access to space, flexible launch services and customer-centric approach have always been our core values and we can’t wait to start the launch campaign for ARCSAT in less than a week.”

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is the prime institution responsible for defense-related research in Norway. The Establishment is the chief adviser on defense-related science and technology to the Ministry of Defence and the Norwegian Armed Forces’ military organization. The demand for expert and flexible armed forces requires continuous renewal and Norway’s unflagging emphasis on defence technology keeps FFI busy. It is a true challenge to make significant contributions to the development of the Armed Forces – both in its principal national defence role as well as in its various roles as an effective participant in international security operations. Relevant defence research now requires international cooperation. In order to maintain a position at the forefront of science and technology within chosen sectors, FFI collaborates with national and international scientific institutions and industry. The Establishment also has a close working relationship with its partners and customers.

NearSpace Launch Inc. (NSL) has joined Astra’s S4 Crossover mission to test the company’s new EyeStar-S4 crossover — S4 Crossover Mission is the fourth launch in partnership with Spaceflight to test experimental satellite-to-satellite communication systems and tracking.

Co-founder of NSL and Chief Engineer, Jeff Dailey, said, “We are excited to partner with Astra and global launch services provider, Spaceflight Inc. in test launching the new EyeStar-S4 and build off the lineage of 180 EyeStar Comm Systems. NSL will be launching several other EyeStar-S4’s this year in partnership with Spaceflight.” S4 Crossover is a pioneering new EyeStar technology for space research. NSL’s EyeStar radios allow for 24/7 connectivity via satellites to satellite connection. EyeStar-S4 will be completing services of new test including commanding capability.“

NearSpace Launch, Inc. (NSL) has flown 700+ systems and subsystems in the past six years, with 100% mission success for all commercial and research missions. NSL manufactures and produces ThinSats, CubeSats, Black Boxes, and Sat to Sat enabled communication systems (EyeStar radios) for a variety of commercial, governmental, and educational applications. NSL was founded following the successful mission of TSAT with Sat to Sat constellation. The mission proved one could effectively connect 24/7 to an NSL EyeStar radio via the an established constellation. NSL has a heritage of 13 FastBus CubeSats, 180+ EyeStar radios, 90 ThinSat and additional sub-systems all excelling at their respective mission tasks.

Fleet Space Technologies has joined some of Australia, and the world’s major space and non-space organizations, in a bid to further the exploration of the Moon, Mars and the Earth. The ultimate purpose is to enable humanity’s exploration of new worlds. The Seven Sisters initiative represents a truly global collaboration. NASA intends to fly the rover to the lunar surface provided it meets a range of conditions during this phase of the collaboration. It is expected to launch in 2026.

The Seven Sisters is an initiative to discover abundant resources for humanity’s exploration of space through the implementation of world-leading surface exploration and construction technologies developed within Australia’s rapidly expanding space sector.

“We are proud to be part of one of the world’s great centers of excellence for the development of leading space exploration technologies. Involvement in endeavors like the Seven Sisters Project and its bold mission to support NASA’s ground-breaking Moon and Mars missions are vital to growing a sector of increasing strategic importance for our nation. Grants like the Trailblazer enable innovation and national collaboration and we are delighted to submit our bid to be part of a truly historic mission with benefits around the globe and at home in Australia.” Stated Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies.

Fleet Space is part of a consortium by establishing strategic partnerships with major leaders in their respective fields. This collective brings together highly specialized space industry competence from iSpace and Q-CTRL while drawing from best-in-class academic expertise from the

• University of Adelaide
• Australian Institute for Machine Learning
• Andy Thomas Center for Space Resources
• Monash University
• University of Sydney’s Australian Center for Field Robotics
• OZ Minerals

Among a number of other names across space, technology and aerospace innovation form part of the consortium. Microsoft also will play a role as supporting a partner. 

Fleet leads Australia’s rapidly growing space sector — an industry of key strategic importance to the development of the Australian economy. The Australia Space Agency’s stated aim is to contribute $12billion (AUS) to the economy by 2030. This is furthered by significant strategic support at a Federal and State level.

Fleet is seeking to draw upon this strategic support through the bidding process for the Trailblazer Program, which will provide federal funding for the Moon to Mars initiative. Its purpose is to raise funding to leverage and diversify Australia’s world leading remote operations skills and experience by developing new foundation services capabilities, encouraging investment and opportunities in the Australian space sector. Fleet is leading the consortium response and has engaged professional services firm, PwC Australia, to provide its financial and consulting capabilities.

This competitive grant opportunity provides up to $4million (AUS) in essential funding for the development of foundation services rover solutions through early mission phases to Preliminary Design Review (PDR). This benefits Australian industry in enhancing supply chain capability through the development of new sovereign technologies, enabling companies such as Fleet to develop demonstrators that showcase Australian innovation on the global stage while supporting Australia’s involvement in the NASA mission to return to the Moon and launch the first missions to Mars.

Fleet is described as one of Australia’s fastest growing technology exports. The company just completed a significantly oversubscribed funding round, securing investment domestically and from key funds in the United States. This has led to the development of the company’s first international HQ in Houston, Texas, a place in direct proximity to NASA, the world’s largest space agency.

Scottish PocketQube satellite manufacturer, Alba Orbital, has signed a rideshare agreement with Rocket Lab in which Rocket Lab will launch Alba Orbital’s cluster of small satellites designed to demonstrate innovative radio and night-time Earth observation technologies.

The four pico-satellites in Alba Orbital’s cluster will fly as part of a rideshare mission on Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle, lifting-off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula in Q2, 2022. The cluster includes Alba Orbital’s own Unicorn-2 PocketQube satellites, as well as the TRSI-2, TRSI-3, and MyRadar-1 satellites for Alba Orbital’s customers. Each small satellite carries a unique sensor designed to demonstrate innovative technologies on orbit. 

Unicorn-2 will be carrying an optical night-time imaging payload designed to monitor light pollution across the globe. Night-time satellite imagery, otherwise known as ‘Night Lights’ data, provides crucial insights into human activities. This data enables a host of applications such as tracking urbanization and socioeconomic dynamics, evaluating armed conflicts and disasters, investigating fisheries, assessing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, and analyzing light pollution and health effects.

All four PocketQubes will be deployed to a 500 km circular orbit by Electron’s Kick Stage, a nimble spacecraft that provides in-space propulsion and maneuvering capability to ensure each satellite is deployed to a precise and unique orbit defined by the customer.   

“We’re delighted to be Alba Orbital’s mission partner once again,” said Rocket Lab Founder and Chief Executive, Peter Beck. “The Alba Orbital team have proven that incredibly small satellites can be highly capable and deliver tangible insights and services back down to Earth at a fraction of traditional satellite costs. Making it faster, easier and more affordable to access space is a mission we share, so we’re excited to make it possible with Electron.”  

“It’s a pleasure to be working with Rocket Lab again on this exciting mission,” said Tom Walkinshaw, CEO and Founder of Alba Orbital. “We successfully flew six satellites on board Rocket Lab’s ‘Running out of fingers’ flight, and we are thrilled to launch the first of our imaging constellation dedicated to imaging the Earth at night on board the Electron rocket. From day one, Alba Orbital’s mission has always been to democratize access to space, and Rocket Lab has demonstrated that they are whole-heartedly committed to the same vision.”

The Alba cluster joins this mission alongside AuroraSat-1 from Aurora Propulsion Technologies, a Finnish company dedicated to the sustainable use of space. The mission is one of many scheduled to lift off on Electron from Launch Complex 1 this year, including three back-to-back dedicated launches for BlackSky Global, and the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s Artemis program.   

Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) and European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge have signed an agreement to launch the first satellite developed in Wales in the summer of 2022.

In a historic moment for UK space, the satellite will be launched as part of a broader joint UK-US mission to open the country’s first domestic space port in summer 2022 out of Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, Cornwall.

With shared values of democratizing space and pioneering responsive and responsible launch technologies, the synergy between Virgin Orbit and Cardiff-based Space Forge’s ethos makes this the ideal marriage for initial launch from the UK. This, coupled with Spaceport Cornwall’s ambitions to become a world leader in responsible launch will offer a real-world example of a global shift in environmental space practice – from sustainable on the ground operations, to horizontal, lower impact, launch technologies, to on-orbit services minimizing the environmental impacts of manufacturing.

Space Forge recently announced that, along with partners, it is developing a world-first service incorporating both launch and return of a new small class of vehicle – the ForgeStar – that can be deployed from conventional launchers to provide rapid, reliable and reusable in-space infrastructure. This inaugural mission will see Space Forge’s ForgeStar-0 platform launched for the first time and will test future return from space technology.

Aiming to unlock the next steps on the path to market expansion, dedicated in-space manufacturing, coupled with proof of reliable return, will allow Space Forge to leverage the benefits of the space environment, namely: microgravity, vacuum, and temperature, to create products impossible to manufacture on Earth. Their focus is on producing materials and products which offer game-changing levels of performance and efficiency in power hungry infrastructure and systems – reducing the environmental impact of production on earth to unlock new value and innovation. Research suggests that manufacturing certain materials in space could reduce CO2 emissions by 75% – the equivalent to removing all petrol cars from the UK.

“We at Virgin Orbit are delighted to have been chosen to move Space Forge forward in their space journey as we look forward to our inaugural Cornwall launch. Space Forge is joining the growing community of space innovators advancing space technologies for the betterment of our world,” said Virgin Orbit CEO, Dan Hart. “Their commitment to sustainability builds a foundation for future growth in the industry that we at Virgin Orbit are proud to be part of.”

Joshua Western, CEO, Space Forge, said, “We’re thrilled to be making UK history with our first launch. We will demonstrate the use of space for good through in-space manufacturing and reliable return and it’s brilliant that both Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall share our ambitions. This is the start of a great collaboration and we are so excited to see where it goes.”

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said, “Launch from Cornwall is the chance to set the bar for the global space industry. Leading with companies like Space Forge, who are innovating in the responsible use of space, is key to this next iteration of space exploration. It’s amazing to see our partners Virgin Orbit select customers who share our ambitions in this area and we can’t wait to show the world how this can be done.”

Dr. Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said, “The UK is set to become the first nation in Europe to offer small satellite launch, as we become one of the most attractive space economies in the world. Space Forge is an innovative, fast-growing company and their agreement with Virgin Orbit demonstrates how all regions of the UK are playing a key role in our ambition to create a thriving small satellite launch market. In-space manufacturing harnesses the benefits of the space environment to create materials far superior to those we can produce on Earth, which can be used to speed up electric car charging or improve the lifetime of aircraft engines. This is a huge moment for Space Forge to be part of the first satellite launch from the UK and I wish them all the best, along with Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit.”

Space Forge Ltd is a UK start-up on a mission to lead the clean industrial revolution by harnessing space. The company is developing fully returnable satellites that are designed for manufacturing next generation super materials in-space. In creating a reliable return, Space Forge will advance the expansion of the microgravity market for premium research and development applications by lowering the barriers to entry. The company is focused on R&D initiatives where dedicated return from the space environment can add a significant benefit, or overcome obstacles found terrestrially, to unlock new value and innovation

ACME AtronOmatic, LLC. has secured an FCC license for the upcoming launch of the firm’s first batch of prototype satellites out of New Zealand on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket — the launches are expected to start in April.

The prototype launch will validate some of the company’s key hardware components for its upcoming HORIS (Hyperspectral Orbital Remote Imaging Spectrometer) commercial constellation expected later this year. The license is part of a streamlined, experimental license program available from the FCC geared towards expediting and simplifying the application process in order to nurture domestic innovation.

The lessons learned from the prototypes will be incorporated into the company’s upcoming commercial constellation, otherwise known as HORIS. The constellation, when deployed, will provide AI and machine learning-enhanced data fusion products to the company’s federal, military and commercial customers. The satellites will also enable the company to integrate new and unique services into the company’s popular MyRadar weather app that’s in use by tens of millions of consumers today.

“We’re excited,” said Andy Green, CEO of ACME. “The team has been hard at work for over a year, and we’re looking forward to validating our efforts in April. The new FCC streamlined process has definitely helped us accelerate our plans.”

MyRadar is a free weather and environmental information app for iOS, Android, Windows and Xbox. First launched on the app store in 2008, the app has been downloaded over 50 million times, and has over 13 million monthly active users. MyRadar has been keeping the world informed of severe weather, tropical storms, earthquakes, wildfires and more for over 13 years. ACME AtronOmatic, LLC, the makers of MyRadar, has development offices in Portland, Oregon, Boulder, Colorado, and in Orlando, Florida. The app is available on the iOS App Store, Google Play, and the Windows Store. MyRadar is available online at youtube.com/myradar, twitter.com/myradarwx, facebook.com/myradar, and instagram.com/myradar