Archives for 2022

The new NANOBEND cable assembly from HUBER+SUHNER enables industries operating critical operations to benefit from improved connectivity in small spaces.

Designed for applications in aerospace, defense and test and measurement markets where space, weight and performance are critical, the product is the latest addition to the award-winning MINIBEND® product line, widely-known as the original ‘bend-to-the-end’ solution and offering the smallest bending radii in the industry.

The entire cable assembly is extremely flexible and enables tight bending where the cable and connector meet, without compromising on signal strength or stability. NANOBEND is ideal for frequencies of up to 65 GHz, and ensures excellent strength and reliable connectivity in high-stress environments. It is triple shielded to minimize radio frequency leakage, further increasing its durability in extreme conditions. Ideal for close-quartered situations, NANOBEND features an outer cable diameter of only 1.62 millimeters.

Designed to meet Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA) standards , NANOBEND provides plug-and-play capability with existing market solutions, making upgrades flexible and cost-effective. In addition, specially designed connectors offer end-to-end contacts that meet common industry standards, including SMA, SMP, SK, SMPM and SMPM-T.

Raymond Miney, Senior Product Manager at HUBER+SUHNER said, “The NANOBEND cable assembly has been created for applications where footprint is extremely limited, such as small orbit satellites and military radar electronics. Despite the extreme bending capabilities of the cable, reliability in high-frequency signal distribution is ensured. This means that we can support the need of engineers to accommodate miniaturization requirements and meet strict ESA, NASA, and MIL standards.”

The new NANOBEND cable assembly from HUBER+SUHNER enables industries operating critical operations to benefit from improved connectivity in small spaces.

Designed for applications in aerospace, defense and test and measurement markets where space, weight and performance are critical, the product is the latest addition to the award-winning MINIBEND® product line, widely-known as the original ‘bend-to-the-end’ solution and offering the smallest bending radii in the industry.

The entire cable assembly is extremely flexible and enables tight bending where the cable and connector meet, without compromising on signal strength or stability. NANOBEND is ideal for frequencies of up to 65 GHz, and ensures excellent strength and reliable connectivity in high-stress environments. It is triple shielded to minimize radio frequency leakage, further increasing its durability in extreme conditions. Ideal for close-quartered situations, NANOBEND features an outer cable diameter of only 1.62 millimeters.

Designed to meet Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA) standards , NANOBEND provides plug-and-play capability with existing market solutions, making upgrades flexible and cost-effective. In addition, specially designed connectors offer end-to-end contacts that meet common industry standards, including SMA, SMP, SK, SMPM and SMPM-T.

Raymond Miney, Senior Product Manager at HUBER+SUHNER said, “The NANOBEND cable assembly has been created for applications where footprint is extremely limited, such as small orbit satellites and military radar electronics. Despite the extreme bending capabilities of the cable, reliability in high-frequency signal distribution is ensured. This means that we can support the need of engineers to accommodate miniaturization requirements and meet strict ESA, NASA, and MIL standards.”

Aliena Pte. Ltd. (Aliena), a company that enables mobility of smallsats through the firm’s core-technology — Hall thrusters — has deployed their engines on the smallest satellite on-orbit to host such a propulsion system.

The Hall thruster was integrated on a 3U smallsat — NuX-1 — made and owned by satellite IoT company NuSpace, and was brought to orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 via the Transporter-3 mission. The Hall thrusters that were developed for this mission are GEO-Hall thrusters that are sub-10 W class systems that were designed specifically to cater to meet the most demanding smallsat operations.

A constraint in the operational deployment of conventional Hall thrusters include the power consumption of such systems that make it challenging for incorporation onboard smallsats, due to the limited power generation and storage capacities available on such small platforms. The GEO-Hall thrusters were designed to operate below the 10 W regime and have demonstrated capability to fit within extremely small form-factors, thereby heralding new potential opportunities for smallsats to consider the use of such systems for emerging missions and operations.

Aliena has achieved a milestone reduction in power consumption for Hall thrusters through the use of a novel ignition and neutralization scheme that was developed internally by the company. Additionally, this novel system allows for instant-ignition of the systems without requirement for the engines to be in a hot-standby mode or for warm-up cycles prior to firing, which are common drawbacks of systems that utilize active cathode neutralizers or solid fuel.

This unique feature enables more agile operations to be executed through on-demand propulsion while not compromising on the form-factor and power budgets of the satellites, making it an extremely attractive option for smallsat operators through provision of more payload volume, and power budgets to be diverted for actual operations.

Aliena also has microsatellite-class engines (MUSIC) that will be first deployed on a 12U smallsat platform in 2023 with Orbital Astronautic’s ORB-12 Strider mission, and has since secured separate orders from an undisclosed customer. Aliena is currently taking sales inquiries and orders from interested parties.

“As the space industry continues to grow exponentially and rapidly, Aliena aims to address a growing demand for in-space mobility through our plasma engines., said Dr. Lim Jian Wei Mark, CEO of Aliena. “Once a nascent market, we have seen a sudden surge in the number of space-tech companies being incorporated to capitalize on the cost effectiveness of small satellites and accessibility to space to deploy their own constellations that will impact terrestrial and extra-terrestrial businesses. We want to enable these emerging operations and to help catalyse new business opportunities in space through the provision of unprecedented mobility to spacecrafts and allow for them to execute the most challenging of missions.”

Syrlinks has debuted their EWC15-NG Transceiver product, a new generation of the company’s transceivers to implement high performance Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT&C) service.

The hardware design is based and inherits from the EWC15 and EWC15-C Syrlinks products that have been used over the last decade in key space projects such as ROSETTA, DEEP IMPACT, PARASOL, MICROSCOPE, and so on.

The EWC15-NG has been especially designed to achieve top class of performances in term of Tx/Rx communication links (fully CCSDS compliant), low power consumption and radiation tolerance. Its very compact and optimized form factor and its built-in DC-DC converter will contribute to the global satellite integration optimization and address natively any implementation within smallsats.

This Product Assurance subclass perfectly meets the requirements of smallsat missions, targeting a typical seven year lifetime at LEO with a total ionized radiation Dose of 16 krad.

“We are very proud to release this new generation of high-performance S-Band Transceiver,
twenty-five years after the design of the first generation that has been successfully used
in several renown space missions.” said Eric Pinson, Director of Space activity at Syrlinks. "One of the key challenges has been the hardware cost optimization while keeping the high level of performances of the product as well as maximizing the protection against radiation. It is a great awareness of Syrlinks’ team capability and know-how in the design of NewSpace products.” 

AAC Clyde Space recently received an order from Space Forge to provide space products for a demonstration spacecraft designed to leverage the space environment for production and experiments, capable of performing multiple trips to space.

The order follows an order in December of 2020 to contribute to the design of a satellite platform for the same purpose. The reusable spacecraft is intended to deorbit in a controlled maneuver to deliver its products and results back to Earth after six months on-orbit, thereby enabling efficient production and revolutionary experiments by leveraging the micro gravity on-orbit. The design will benefit from AAC Clyde Space’s standard satellite platform heritage, adjusted for re-entry into the atmosphere and landing on Earth. Back on Earth the satellites will be recovered, refurbished and eventually re-launched.

Among the space products that AAC will provide to the project in this second phase are an integrated attitude determination and control system from AAC Hyperion in Delft, a Kryten Command & Data Handling unit and communications components from AAC Clyde Space in Glasgow. The project is supported by the European Space Agency‘s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support program.

The ultimate goal of the project is to establish a continuous space-based production by a monthly satellite launch. A test campaign of several satellites is planned to bring the service to commercialization and shall be supported by AAC Clyde Space.

"AAC is proud to be part of this revolutionary project that truly leverages the unique conditions in space for the benefit of humanity. The whole team looks forward to making space-based production a reality in the foreseeable future," said AAC Clyde Space CEO, Luis Gomes.

"We are pleased to be partnering with AAC Clyde on this World-First mission. Their spacecraft heritage is a significant asset to achieving our objectives at Space Forge in building the first returnable satellite platform, the ForgeStar," said Space Forge CEO and Co-Founder, Joshua Western.

One of the more excellent announcements any company can broadcast is when they have surpassed a previous record or set a new milestone or completed a project with better than expected results.

Such has now occurred for the annual SmallSat Symposium — event organizers have revealed that this major, industry proceeding will be hosting more exhibitors than have been experienced at any previous event.

According to SatNews Publisher, CEO, Silvano Payne, “We have seen an increase in sponsorship and exhibition presence of more than 35 percent over our February 2020 event.“

Plan your visit to the SmallSat Symposium as quickly as you can — the event is in session from February 8th through February 10th at Silicon Valley’s Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

Leading organizations in the SmallSat Industry will be exhibiting at, and sponsoring, this first, major, SmallSat event in two years. The energy and enthusiasm for this industry trade event reflects a feeling that all are now able to finally ‘come home.’

The SmallSat industry is booming and major actors are coming out of the lockdown shadows to showcase their capabilities… unlike ever before witnessed.

The dates to remember are: February 8th through 10th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California… the 7th Annual SmallSat Symposium… “Defining What’s Next for the SmallSat Industry.”

Register today at this direct link…

On Tuesday, January 18, at 9:02 p.m. EST, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 49 Starlink satellites to LEO from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This was the tenth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which has previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and now seven Starlink missions.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced the launch window for the firm’s first Electron mission in 2022, a dedicated mission for BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY) through global launch services provider Spaceflight Inc.

Electron is scheduled to launch the “Without Mission A Beat” mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand during a launch window that opens February 4, 2022 UTC. The “Without Mission A Beat” launch will be the fifth and sixth satellites delivered to space for BlackSky by Rocket Lab in the past three months. This dedicated mission will be Rocket Lab’s 24th Electron launch and first mission of 2022. Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron for this mission.

While this next mission was due to be the final launch in a series of back-to-back missions for the company as part of a multi-launch deal actioned last year, Spaceflight has since commissioned an additional sixth launch for BlackSky on Electron to take place in 2022. That dedicated mission will continue BlackSky’s rapid business expansion by deploying another pair of Gen-2 Earth-imaging satellites to a precise location in LEO for its growing satellite constellation.

These upcoming BlackSky missions initiate a busy year of Electron launches for Rocket Lab, including more bulk dedicated launches for government and commercial satellite operators, other singular dedicated and rideshare missions, and Rocket Lab’s mission to the Moon for NASA on the upcoming CAPSTONE mission scheduled to launch from New Zealand in the first half of the year.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said, “This next mission is part of the largest number of satellites BlackSky have committed in a single deal to a launch provider, and we’re proud to be their trusted partner to help grow their constellation. BlackSky adding another mission to the Rocket Lab manifest is further confirmation of Electron’s status as the dedicated small launch champion, and we’re ready and eager to deliver these missions for BlackSky in the weeks to come.” 

Airbus has been contracted to supply space start-up Loft Orbital with more than 15 satellite platforms derived from the Airbus Arrow platform, the foundational satellite platform of the OneWeb constellation.

There are 394 Airbus Arrow platforms on-orbit for the OneWeb constellation and a further 254 are being produced to complete the 648 spacecraft required by OneWeb. With this acquisition, Loft Orbital confirms its intention to make the Airbus Arrow platform a true workhorse enabling its service business model.

Loft Orbital offers a true end-to-end service enabling customers to rapidly deploy and operate their payloads on reliable high-performance satellites at an unprecedented simplicity and affordability. Loft Orbital has also contracted Airbus to modify the Arrow platform to make it suitable for a wider range of longer lifetime missions and applications.

Loft Orbital has offices both in the USA and France, being based in the heart of Silicon Valley in San Francisco, and in the European space capital Toulouse, and intends to continue rapidly growing its French presence following this contract relationship with Airbus.

Airbus previously benefited from public support to develop the Arrow platform and OneWeb pilot line in Toulouse.

The improvements to the Arrow platform, including all the engineering, qualification, test, and production of the first few spacecraft will be performed by Airbus in Toulouse. The production at scale of the remaining Arrow-derived platforms will be performed by Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS).

Bruno Le Maire, French minister for the Economy, Finances and the Recovery, said, “This groundbreaking contract between start up Loft Orbital and global space leader Airbus is a very good news. It demonstrates the uptake of New Space companies in France and the synergy across the space ecosystem for developing industry wide innovation. It also testifies the speed at which the French space ecosystem is growing, with start-ups, SMEs, and large groups working together to provide world-class solutions, and fully validates the ongoing government strategy and initiatives to develop a vibrant and growing next space innovation ecosystem. I am very pleased that the project presented by Loft with the support of Airbus relies on French suppliers, more than 60% of the value being created in France.”

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems, said, “This sale of our small LEO platform Arrow to Loft Orbital is a ringing endorsement of our strategy to develop mass manufacturing for the next space era. Our reliable platform is already proving its worth in orbit for OneWeb who have more than 60% of their fleet in orbit. We look forward to working with Loft Orbital to provide them with the best space technology possible – combining industrially-proven know-how with disruptive innovations – to serve their customers.”

Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO of Loft Orbital, said. “We are beyond excited about this procurement agreement with Airbus that is an industry first. Leveraging Airbus engineering experience and Airbus OneWeb Satellites production capabilities is enabling us to truly bring Loft's vision to life. While we are using this initial procurement to deliver to our customers who have ordered services based on a few tens of satellites, we see this as an opportunity to offer much larger constellation services to governments and companies worldwide. In addition, the level of support we have received in France, and the quality of the engineering talent, is simply unmatched and we are looking forward to growing the company here in Toulouse.”