Exotrail and Isar Aerospace have signed a multiple launch services agreement — Isar Aerospace’s launch vehicle Spectrum will launch Exotrail’s spacevan vehicle on several launches to LEO and geostationary transfer orbits (GTO) from Isar Aerospace’s launch sites in Andøya, Norway, and CSG, French Guiana, between 2024 and 2029. With this combo of launchpads, Isar Aerospace provides access to all orbits.

With the demand for flexible and cost-efficient access to space continuing to rise, Exotrail and Isar Aerospace have partnered to break new ground in the delivery of satellites. This combination of both service offers enables customers to launch single satellites and satellite constellations and place them in the orbit of their choice to drive forward telecommunication, EO, space logistics and exploration.

With this agreement, Exotrail extends its manifest to continue to provide competitive solutions and to meet the market’s growing demand for precise satellite delivery in LEO, with specific orbital planes, inclinations and altitudes, as well as further to the geostationary orbit (GEO). Doing so, the company pursues the increase in the firm’s spacedrop manifest, with a stable financial framework and without compromising service flexibility. The spacevan vehicles will embark on the Spectrum launcher, with the possibility of flying from Isar Aerospace’s two launch facilities.

Exotrail’s tailored spacedrop service allows satellite operators to launch their spacecrafts into their bespoke operational orbits. Exotrail offers an integrated service by procuring access to space, integrating customers satellites onto the spacevan platform and performing the required operations in orbit.

Contrary to other solutions on the market, Exotrail’s spacevan uses space-proven, electric propulsion to increase passenger capacity and range. The versatility of Isar Aerospace’s launch offering toward specific planes and low inclinations, along with the spacevan performances, will allow Exotrail to deliver passengers’ satellites in any plane and any inclination, making new business models available and sustainable. Exotrail’s spacedrop service also helps launch service providers to extend the range of their accessible missions and optimize the filling ratio of their rocket, to increase both revenues and profitability.

Isar Aerospace underlines yet another expansion of its launch manifest and is cementing its presence as the leading private European launch service provider. Together, the two companies will further deliver on their mission to shape the European NewSpace industry.

Jean-Luc Maria, CEO of Exotrail, said, “The contract with Isar Aerospace enables us to consolidate our spacedrop service by offering more launch opportunities to customers looking for bespoke and competitive access to LEO and GEO orbits. We are looking forward to these flights and to building a long term, mutually beneficial partnership with Isar Aerospace and our respective customers.”

“Exotrail is one of the leading European NewSpace companies – we are delighted to welcome them on-board Spectrum’s flights and thank Exotrail’s team for the trust and confidence it has placed in us. We are proud to further expand our launch manifest and can look on a strong customer record,” said Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-Founder of Isar Aerospace.

About Exotrail
Exotrail is an end-to-end space mobility operator. The company offers customers the capability to define their space mobility need with the spacestudio mission analysis software, meet that need with spaceware onboard propulsion systems and spacedrop in-space mobility services, and operate the solution with the spacetower software. This complete mobility offering called mobilityhub allows satellites to optimize their deployment, increase their service performance, and reduce space pollution. Exotrail has been incorporated in 2017 and has secured over 20M€ of funding. The company has more than 20 customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Exotrail’s team is expanding quickly and consists, as of today, of +75 passionate people operating out of two locations: Toulouse and Massy (suburb of Paris) in France.

About Isar Aerospace
Isar Aerospace, based in Ottobrunn/Munich, develops and builds launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth’s orbit. The company was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Technical University Munich. Since then, it has grown to more than 300 employees from more than 40 nations with many years of hands-on rocket know-how as well as experience within other high-tech industries. The company is privately financed by former SpaceX VP Bulent Altan as well as world-leading investors including Airbus Ventures, Apeiron, Earlybird, HV Capital, Lakestar, Lombard Odier, Porsche SE, UVC Partners, and Vsquared Ventures.

Fleet Space Technologies is delighted to announce a major new contract with Core Lithium.

The contract, which comes into effect in May of 2023, will see Fleet’s pioneering, satellite-based, mineral exploration system, ExoSphere, deployed across Core’s tenements in the Northern Territory of Australia. Core was also successful in applying for the co-funding of a tenement-wide deployment of Exosphere at its Shoobridge Project in 2022, under round 15 of the Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations program. .

This follows successful results of a collaborative trial between Core Lithium and Fleet Space Technologies at the BP33 prospect. In August of 2022 the company jointly announced the successful conclusion of survey trials. In a statement, Core Lithium described the results of the trial as ‘an outstanding success,’ noting an ‘excellent correlation with the pegmatite body interpreted from drilling to depths in excess of 500m’ and stating that ‘a number of previously unknown targets have emerged – a major boost for exploration.’

Core is using ExoSphere to accelerate its lithium exploration activities, in line with its vision to provide high-grade lithium for electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy storage applications worldwide. 

The successful discovery of lithium, cobalt, copper and nickel is essential to the global transition to clean-air mobility. Global EV demand cannot be met unless the pace of discoveries dramatically increases. The World Economic Forum states that the world’s battery capacity must grow 40 times larger than what is available today to meet capacity demands. 

Developed by Fleet Space at the firm’s headquarters in Adelaide, Australia, ExoSphere is a pioneering exploration system that delivers detailed, 3D subsurface images in days, rather than months required using conventional techniques. An array of satellite-enabled geophones, called Geodes, use edge computing to analyze ambient seismic noise collected by Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT). Geodes are up to 10 times more sensitive than existing nodal geophones, increasing accuracy and depth of results. This data is then rapidly processed and transmitted through Fleet’s low power satellite network.

What ExoSphere can do for Core is enable direct detection of pegmatites to increase the probability of success in drilling. This results in less drilling, less cost, less time to discovery and less environmental disturbance. 

The contract includes the Geodes, planning and deployment support, and real-time processing and delivery of 3D shear velocity models for one year. 

About Fleet Space Technologies
Fleet Space Technologies is Australia’s leading space company. Fleet operates from a state-of-the-art HQ in Adelaide, South Australia, and has recently expanded internationally to the US, which are global centers of excellence in space and advanced aerospace technologies. At Fleet, we are Explorers with a mission to connect the Earth, Moon and Mars and our team has rapidly grown to over 80 employees in the last 6 months. Fleet designs, builds and operates a constellation of micro satellites which delivers universal connectivity across the globe. Following an oversubscribed Series B funding round, Fleet will continue to build a constellation of 288 satellites. 

Rivada Space Networks GmbH has issued a request for proposals for 600 LEO satellites, having released the RFP for the associated, heavy-lift launch services two weeks ago.

The company anticipates selecting a prime contractor for the space segment, parts of the ground segment and system integration for the LEO constellation by the end of 2022 in parallel to the selection of the launch service provider.

For the first time, Rivada Space Networks will offer access to a secure satellite network with pole-to-pole reach, offering end-to-end latencies similar or better than terrestrial fiber. The Rivada network will operate like an optical backbone in space, using lasers to interconnect satellites and deliver an ultra-secure and highly reliable global data network for business operations in the telecom, enterprise, maritime, energy and government services markets.

Since formally launching in March 2022, Rivada Space Networks has been on a fast-track mission to complete the detailed definition of the overall system architecture and provide the production and deployment framework needed to place a firm contract for the constellation and associated launch services.

The preceding phase B study concluded that the procurement plan will successfully fulfill the requirements associated with the company’s high priority ITU Ka-band filings. With a contract for manufacturing and launch in place by the end of 2022, deployment will start in 2024, with 300 satellites in orbit by mid-2026 and full constellation deployment expected by mid-2028.

Clemens Kaiser, Rivada Space Networks Chief Program Officer, said, “Following a rigorous process with a number of leading satellite manufacturers, we are delighted that today we have completed another major milestone in the specification and development of our unique constellation to enable secure, global connectivity for governments and enterprises. The key attributes of RSN’s laser-linked LEO constellation architecture include global reach, low latency, ultra-security, resilience and optional quantum key encryption. We have worked tirelessly to ensure that our system comprises the best the satellite industry has to offer. We are really looking forward to moving to the next phase of our program to manufacture and deploy our LEO constellation.”

Severin Meister, Rivada Space Networks CEO, said, “RSN is a German ‘NewSpace’ innovator and disruptor. I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in such a short time frame. Over the course of the past eight months we have completed the design of our satellite system and grown our teams in Munich and Berlin to further develop the technical, commercial and regulatory competencies of the company. With over 60 people today, we anticipate expanding further to over 100 people by the end of Q1 2023 and are on track to execute our vision of providing the first truly global point-to-point low latency connectivity network.” Meister added: “Initial customers are showing great interest, which confirms that we will occupy a much-needed niche. This is the German NewSpace company to watch!“

Rivada Space Networks Founder, Declan Ganley, said, “I am thrilled that we have completed this important milestone. This is a unique satellite network in terms of security, speed and global reach.. Our constellation in combination with our patented Open Access Wireless Market Platform allows us to offer a network with unprecedented flexibility. It will be instrumental in driving the next leg of the ongoing communications revolution. Having recently joined the ITU Partner2Connect digital inclusion initiative and the EU’s multi-stakeholder Secure Connectivity Program, we are committed to providing a secure communications infrastructure like no other for Government and Enterprise.“

Rivada Space Networks GmbH is a disruptive new company set to establish and operate the first, truly global, low latency, point-to-point connectivity network of LEO satellites. By connecting its satellites with lasers, Rivada Space Networks will provide resellers and B2B customers with the ability to securely connect any two points on the globe with low latency and high bandwidth. The constellation of 600 low-earth-orbit communications satellites will represent a fundamental change in the availability of secure, global, end-to-end enterprise-grade connectivity for Telecom, Enterprise, Maritime, Energy and Government Services markets. Rivada Space Networks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rivada Networks, Inc.

Rocket Lab USA Inc. has successfully launched its 32^nd Electron mission to deploy the firm’s 152^nd satellite to orbit, a science payload for the Swedish National Space Agency. The MATS satellite was deployed to its 585 km. circular orbit by Electron following lift-off at 17:27 UTC.

The company’s attempt to capture the Electron rocket with a helicopter as it descended to Earth from space was not successful; however, the ocean recovery of the rocket was successful and will be returned to the Rocket Lab’s Auckland Production Complex to be processed and assessed by engineers and technicians for possible re-use.

This science research satellite was built by space systems provider OHB Sweden. The Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy (MATS) satellite is the basis for the SNSA’s science mission to investigate atmospheric waves and better understand how the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere interacts with wind and weather patterns closer to the ground.

MATS was originally due to fly on a Russian launch service before the mission was manifested on Rocket Lab’s Electron. The MATS payload continued to its orbit onboard the rocket’s second stage while Electron’s first stage descended back to Earth.

The “Catch Me If You Can” mission also resulted in a successful ocean splashdown of the Electron rocket’s first stage. Rocket Lab had planned to attempt amid-air capture of Electron’s first stage with a helicopter if conditions allowed, however not all requirements were met to ensure a successful capture. Due to a brief telemetry loss with Electron’s first stage during its atmospheric re-entry, the helicopter was moved out of the capture zone per standard safety procedure. The Electron first stage completed a safe splashdown and Rocket Lab’s recovery vessel is now alongside the stage to bring it onboard and back to Rocket Lab’s production facility for inspection and analysis.

“Congratulations to the teams at OHB Sweden and the Swedish National Space Agency on their mission,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “It’s been a long journey for MATS, so I’m proud of the Rocket Lab team for doing their part to support this mission with a fast contract-to-orbit turnaround of just four months.”

Catch Me If You Can was Rocket Lab’s ninth mission of the year, adding to an already-record year of successful orbital launches for the Company. Rocket Lab remains on track to launch its first Electron mission from Virginia before the end of the year, on a mission for HawkEye360 that is scheduled to launch in December.

“Bringing a rocket back from space is a challenging task and capturing it mid-air with a helicopter is as complex as it sounds,” said Peter Beck. “The chances for success are much smaller than that of failure because many complex factors must perfectly align. We are proud to have successfully recovered our fifth rocket from the ocean now and we look forward to another mid-air capture attempt in future as we work toward making Electron a reusable rocket.”

A Scottish rocket manufacturer and orbital launch services provider is to build and operate the first vertical launch site for satellites on the UK mainland.

Orbex, based in Forres, Moray, Scotland, has signed a lease with development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the spaceport location on community-owned land on the A’ Mhoine peninsula in north-west Sutherland.

HIE has been developing launch plans for several years and leases the site from Melness Crofters’ Estate. The sub-lease with Orbex will run for 50 years, with an option to extend for a further 25 years.

Orbex will oversee the construction and assume full operational management of the new facility. The 10-acre launch site will become the long-term ‘home’ spaceport of Orbex and will see the launch of as many as 12 orbital rockets per year, carrying satellites into LEO.

Orbex’s role in the spaceport will stimulate significant private investment that will benefit the local community through job creation, supply chain opportunities and other associated economic benefits. Total private investment over the initial three-year period is expected to reach £20 million.

In addition to increased opportunities for local businesses and contractors as part of the spaceport’s construction, Orbex expects to create up to 40 technical and non-technical FTE jobs to support the operation and maintenance of the site. The roles will span a number of areas including facilities and operational management, security, general administration and finance, marketing, stakeholder engagement and launch campaign-related roles. Employment opportunities will be advertised locally when recruitment commences.

HIE identified the potential for the Highlands and Islands to play a significant role in the UK’s growing space sector several years ago, recognizing that rural locations that are close to coasts and have a northern latitude can make ideal satellite launch sites.

With the backing of the UK Space Agency, HIE set to work developing plans for the Sutherland spaceport in 2018, with specialist input from architects NORR and construction consultants Gardiner and Theobald. At the same time, HIE commissioned detailed environmental studies to inform a broad range of protection measures around the site.

Planning permission was granted by the Highland Council in August of 2020. A separate development application to the Scottish Land Court – which was required as the launch site is on crofting land – was also successful.

Following its recent participation in Orbex’s Series C funding round, it has been confirmed that global technology-forward solutions company, Jacobs, will assume the role of prime construction contractor on behalf of Orbex. Jacobs will collaborate with Orbex to provide spaceport operations support, operations consultancy, and engineering services, drawing on its experience of managing and operating complex, highly regulated sites such as Cape Canaveral in the United States. Jacobs is NASA’s largest services provider, delivering mission-tailored solutions and full lifecycle aerospace capabilities including the Mars Perseverance Rover and the Artemis deep space human exploration program.

Overseeing the construction and operational management of the new spaceport will allow Orbex to streamline the development of the state-of-the-art facility, drafting in industry experts such as Jacobs to help meet its objectives. Sutherland Spaceport is intended to become the world’s greenest spaceport, both in terms of its construction and its operation. One illustration of this is how peat lifted during the construction will be re-used to repair large areas of peatland that have degraded over centuries.

Uniquely, the new Orbex Prime rocket is powered by a renewable biofuel, Futuria Liquid Gas, supplied by Calor. This fuel allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to other similarly sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world.

A study by the University of Exeter showed that a single launch of the Orbex Prime rocket will produce 96 percent lower carbon emissions than comparable space launch systems using fossil fuels. Prime is also a re-usable rocket which has been engineered to leave zero debris on Earth and on-orbit. Orbex has already received a great deal of interest from commercial satellite manufacturers and has signed launch contracts with a number of customers.

Chris Larmour, the CEO of Orbex, said, “We are very grateful for the work that HIE and the Melness Crofters Estate have done, in getting us to the point where we can take the baton and start construction. We have collaborated closely with them over the past few years, and we are completely aligned in our vision of delivering a sustainable spaceport that will bring jobs and prosperity to the region. Orbex is the first European launcher company to also manage a dedicated spaceport. It is an important competitive advantage to the company, which will make it really easy for us to work with customers as we scale up our operations.”

David Oxley, Director of Strategic Projects, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said, “The space industry represents a huge economic opportunity for the Highlands and Islands and for Scotland. The steps we’ve taken to establish launch capability in Sutherland have already delivered a significant economic impact as a key factor in attracting Orbex to establish their manufacturing facility and test site in Moray, creating dozens of skilled jobs, with many more in the pipeline. We believe the spaceport has the capacity to generate around 250 jobs in our region, including 40 on site, plus opportunities in manufacturing, supply chain, research and service provision. With Orbex now set to build and operate the spaceport, we’ve reached a key stage in our partnership that will not only see launches happening from Sutherland but a whole range of wider economic benefits delivered for the Highlands and Islands.”