Archives for January 2023

D-Orbit, the space logistics and orbital transportation company, launched Second Star to the Right, the seventh commercial mission of ION Satellite Carrier (ION), D-Orbit’s proprietary orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), and the first mission carrying to space two IONs on a single launch.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off January 3rd, 2023, at 9:56 a.m. ET (14:56 UTC) from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida. The two IONs were successfully deployed 01h 24m and 01h 26m after lift-off into a 525-kilometer Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

“We are proud of this new milestone,” said Renato Panesi, Ph.D., D-Orbit’s Chief Commercial Officer. “In just two years, we have established a reliable orbital space transportation service and in 2023, with our fleet constantly growing, we’re going to be able to offer new, advanced services, including in-orbit data storage and computing, extended hosted payload capabilities, and enhanced orbital manoeuvres”.

With the launch successfully completed, D-Orbit’s mission control team is executing the mission’s launch and early orbit phase (LEOP), performing a series of health check procedures in preparation for the operational phase.

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ION is a versatile and cost-effective OTV designed to precisely deploy satellites and perform orbital demonstrations of third-party payloads hosted onboard.

During the mission, ION SCV007 and SCV008 will deploy the following satellites:

FUTURA-1 and FUTURA-3, a 3U and a 6U satellite respectively, designed by NPC Spacemind. The satellites’ main purpose is to in-orbit demonstrate NPC Spacemind’s platforms along with ARTICA, an innovative deorbiting sail device whose aim is to highly accelerate the orbital decaying time, offering a solution to the problem of space debris. Both spacecraft will be released through NPC Spacemind’s SMPOD12XL-3X CubeSat deployer. Designed to provide quality and performance, together with the maximum handling flexibility that allows mechanism reset and rearming in a few seconds, SMPOD aims to ensure reduced lead time and strong economic competitiveness.

Four five-kg CubeSats by Astrocast. The spacecraft, equipped with onboard ADCS and propulsion capabilities for precise pointing and orbit maneuvering, will complete Astrocast’s global coverage for its IoT Service.

SHARJA-SAT-1 and TAUSAT2, respectively from the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences (SAASST) and the Tel Aviv University (TAU), onboard through a contract with ISIS Space.

Sharjah-Sat-1 is the first CubeSat mission of SAASST, in collaboration with Istanbul Technical University Space Systems Design and Test Laboratory (ITU-SSDTL) and Sabanci University (SU). The satellite’s primary payload is an improved X-Ray detector (iXRD), with the objective of detecting hard X-rays from very bright X-ray sources. The secondary payload is a dual-camera system for Earth imaging.

TAUSAT2 is a 2U CubeSat developed using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The satellite carries a science payload of Light Emitting Diodes that will be used to conduct a peaceful scientific experiment by TAU in optical tracking of miniature objects in space. In addition, the satellite includes an S-band transmitter aimed at demonstrating a novel communication protocol, suggested by TAU, in various signal-to-noise regimes. 

Kelpie 1, is a 3U EPIC CubeSat, designed and built by AAC Clyde Space. The Kelpie 1 spacecraft will deliver Automatic Identification System (AIS) data exclusively to ORBCOMM and its government and commercial customers, under an exclusive Space Data as a Service deal. The state-of-the-art satellite weighs just 4 kg and features a proprietary low-noise bus architecture, multiple SDR payload, and an advanced antenna concept developed by Oxford Space Systems, to maximize AIS detections of all message types.

This mission will also include the in-orbit demonstration of third-party hosted payloads:
DRAGO-2 (Demonstrator for Remote Analysis of Ground Observations), a compact SWIR camera developed by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) for Earth observation from space. It is the successor of DRAGO-1, which was successfully launched and commissioned as part of the ION SCV02 mission in 2021. DRAGO-2 is capable of obtaining high-quality multispectral images in the short-wave infrared and it is equipped with an on-board image processing unit, which allows it to compress, encrypt and even apply complex image processing algorithms, such as super-resolution, to the acquired images.

Genergo-2, a new type of space propulsion system developed by Genergo to test new technical specifications that will also serve for future developments. The modelling and definition of the on-orbit experiment has been carried out in conjunction with the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology of the Milan Polytechnic.

Cryptosat-2, the enhanced version of a prototype nanosatellite developed by Cryptosat for secure cryptographic applications such as electronic voting, trusted random beacon, and verifiable delay enforcement for smart contracts.

Second Star to The Right is ION’s first mission in 2023. D-Orbit launched its first ION in September 2020 aboard an Arianespace VEGA launcher, then five further missions aboard SpaceX Transporter missions. With this launch, the Company will have transported to space more than 90 payloads collectively.

Gama, a French aerospace company’s first solar sail was launched to space, with the support of the CNES and private companies including CMA CGM, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions

After two years of research and rapid development, the satellite containing the solar sail was successfully placed in orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9, on the 3rd of January 2023. A solar sail uses only sunlight for propulsion, removing the need to carry fuel and opening new scientific and commercial possibilities in our solar system and beyond. The Gama Alpha mission aims to test the deployment and control of the sail, a decisive step for the democratization of this new means of space propulsion.

Solar sails rely on photonic propulsion, using the pressure produced by photons when they bounce off a reflective surface. The force is weak, but when applied to a large surface and in the void of space, allows the spacecraft to continuously accelerate.

With continuous acceleration, a solar sail could theoretically become the fastest spacecraft made by humans. Similar to maritime sailing, it is the position of the sail in relation to the Sun’s rays that will determine the trajectory of the craft. And as with a conventional sail, it is therefore possible to move away from the Sun but also to get closer by sailing “upwind”.

“In space, the sun’s radiative pressure allows constant acceleration. The result? Missions that are 10 to 20 times less expensive and no longer limited by a fuel budget. A solar sail is poetic, inherently sustainable, and dramatically lowers the cost of access to deep space or unstable orbits,” says Andrew Nutter, Gama co-founder.

Launch of the Gama Alpha MissionGama’s first demonstrator mission, “Gama Alpha”, is a satellite placed in orbit at an altitude of 550 km by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 3rd of 2023. The 6U cubesat (the size of a large shoebox) weighs just 12 kilograms, including the packed 73.3m2 sail.

The first phase will be commissioning the satellite, establishing communications and checking all the vital signs are good. The second phase will be the sail deployment. The satellite will be put in slow rotation, initiating the release of four tungsten masses at the tip of each sail petal. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation is enough to ensure the deployment and the structural shape of the sail. Comments Jordan Culeux, Gama Lead System Engineer.

The primary objective of Gama Alpha is to deploy and control the sail, demonstrating that a very large sail can be controlled from a cubesat and receiving flight data to improve simulations and control algorithms. Demonstrating sustained navigation will be the objective of Gama’s second mission, Gama Beta.

The final phase for Alpha will be deorbiting the satellite, benefiting from the Earth’s remnant atmosphere at mission altitude. The large surface area and small mass will cause the satellite to rapidly deorbit, minimizing the risk of debris and also demonstrating a sail can be used to deorbit satellites at end of life.

The development of the satellite took two years, with many prototypes and iterations of the folding and deployment system of the sail, as well as development of simulations and software to control the spacecraft. Part of the platform (electrical systems, telecommunications, on-board cards, etc.) was supplied by the Lithuanian company NanoAvionics.

“The technology developed by Gama is unique in that the company works on the deployment and control of ever larger surfaces in space. Our ability to deploy a sail the size of a tennis court from a satellite barely larger than a shoebox opens up new perspectives,” says Thibaud Elziere, Gama co-founder.

The Gama Alpha mission will be followed Gama Beta, to demonstrate sail propulsion and navigation. While Alpha is about the sail deployment, Beta will be launched at twice the altitude and focus on “navigation”, going from A to B using only photonic propulsion and proving all key elements of the technology.

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has launched six satellites on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — these smallsats will demo advancements and new capabilities for the company’s weather and aviation solutions.

Spire’s smallsats carry nextgen Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payloads, which collect aircraft position data. The satellites will expand Spire’s existing ADS-B constellation and play an integral role in improving coverage and latency for the company’s aviation products. They will demonstrate sophisticated technology for global aircraft tracking, including an advanced antenna design based on years of on-orbit ADS-B payload experience and state-of-the-art, inter-satellite links.

These satellites are Spire’s first to have propulsion systems on board. The multipurpose satellites also carry payloads to monitor Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals for vessel tracking data and for space services customer Myriota, a provider of global Internet of Things (IoT) service from satellites.

One of the satellites on the launch is flying a polarimetric radio occultation (PRO) payload that collects data on precipitation profiles and patterns. The mission will validate PRO sensitivity to precipitation using several global navigation satellite systems as signals of opportunity.

This is the first step toward the assimilation of PRO data into weather models, which will enhance the value and accuracy of global weather forecasts along with the weather variables currently gathered by Spire’s constellation. The PRO payload, which was the first launched by a private company, was designed as part of the ESA InCubed Program, a co-funding program focused on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of EO imagery and dataset.

This activity is supported by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA). Spire is the largest producer of radio occultation data, which is leveraged by government agencies such as NOAA, NASA, ECMWF, and EUMETSAT to drive global weather predictions.

The company also launched three satellites to replenish the firm’s fully deployed constellation of more than 100 multipurpose satellites. Spire designs and builds their satellites entirely in house at its manufacturing facility in Glasgow, Scotland. The company has built and launched more than 150 satellites, carrying over 500 years of spaceflight heritage across its fleet.

The satellites were manifested on the mission through a multi-launch agreement between Spire and Exolaunch, which includes access to the Transporter missions through Exolaunch’s long-term launch arrangements with SpaceX. Exolaunch, a global provider of launch, in-space logistics and deployment services, also provides Spire with deployment and integration services.

“We at ESA are very happy with the efficiency, focus, and speed of implementation of this activity, and if we can see it resulting in measurement data and processing results for systematic evaluation of their assimilation into numerical weather prediction, that will be a rewarding completion,” said Thomas Burger, ESA Technical Officer for Spire.

“Satellites and payloads are continuing to get smaller and more powerful,” said Jeroen Cappaert, Spire CTO and Co-founder. “We’re capitalizing on this rapid pace of innovation and miniaturization to continue to enhance our constellation with cutting-edge technology that drives new applications of satellite data. The applications we’re demonstrating for aviation tracking and precipitation data will play a crucial role in solving some of the greatest challenges we face on Earth, such as overcoming climate change with more accurate weather forecasting and bringing transparency to the supply chain.”

Space Systems Command successfully launched the organization’s Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Weather Systems (EWS) cubesat technical demonstration onboard the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission at 9:56 a.m. (Eastern, 6:56 a.m. Pacific) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida on January 3, 2023.

This one-year EWS cubesat tech demo will prove out emerging, space-based, EO/IR radiometric imaging technology, using a smaller sensor to provide timely weather imagery data from LEO.

In February of 2002, the EWS program competitively selected two vendors to develop and launch two separate, sensor prototypes. Orion Space Solutions, a non-traditional government contractor, delivered the cubesat for this demonstration. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group will deliver the second prototype by 2025.

This launch satisfies the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Congressional mandate to launch a weather EO/IR pathfinder prototype by FY23. The program expects the first transmittal of data early in 2023.

“The EWS cubesat technical demonstration effort represents SSC’s continued commitment to working with non-traditional partners to broaden the competitive industrial base. If successful, this will provide an innovative option to deliver Space-Based Environmental Monitoring data to the warfighter at an operationally relevant speed,” said Lt. Col. Joe Maguadog, EWS Materiel Leader and Program Manager. “This demonstration will inform our transition toward a more affordable, scalable, and resilient EO/IR weather constellation.”

BeetleSat, formerly known as NSLComm, has announced the successful launch of their second smallsat from Cape Canaveral, Florida onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Now in SSO at 550 km altitude, this nanosatellite will provide BeetleSat’s public sector customer with store and forward, very high throughput satellite communication services. This launch is another step forward in the firm’s creation of a LEO constellation that will enable secure, low-latency, high-throughput, and cost-effective point-to-point communications from anywhere on Earth.

With a payload designed by BeetleSat, the fully-digital smallsat weighs approximately 9 kg and transmits data at up to 2 Gbps. Using innovative Software Defined Radio (SDR) and a deployable antenna communication payload, the smallsat delivers a bit-rate performance level equal to a much larger satellite at a substantially lower capital expenditure.

BeetleSat’s LEO constellation will provide global and regional satellite operators, mobile network operators, and internet service providers high-quality, global, Ka-band connectivity for commercial and government applications, including point-to-point secure communications, mobility, and cellular backhaul/trunking services.

“Today’s successful launch provides important communication services to one of our public sector clients and marks a meaningful step forward in our mission to become a top LEO constellation operator delivering the highest-quality and most cost-effective satellite-based communication services,” said BeetleSat Executive President, Patricio Northland. “We’re excited to explore new insights from all the data we’ll collect from this mission, but equally important, we’re eager to hear directly from our client how we can further enhance their experience with our company and technology.”

BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm, is a fast-growing, satellite technology startup building a new LEO constellation that delivers exceptionally low-latency, high-throughput and cost-effective point-to-point secure communications, cellular backhaul/trunking, mobility and other services. Comprised of approximately 250 communication satellites, equipped with BeetleSat’s proprietary Ka-band deployable antennas, the groundbreaking constellation promises to revolutionize the way satellite communication networks are designed and operated, providing commercial and public sector customers with truly global Ka-band connectivity, better performance and increased flexibility at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. Deployed in partnership with ARQUIMEA, and with service to commence in 2026, BeetleSat’s constellation will provide a premium complementary LEO layer for terrestrial and MEO/GEO networks suitable for global and regional operators and telecom service providers looking to enhance their existing solutions.

The STAR VIBE mission, which is the product of a collaboration between the Wrocław-based company Scanway Space and the German company German Orbital Systems, was launched into orbit on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during the Transporter 6 mission.

This a demo mission of two proprietary systems — a small EO telescope called STAR and a system for self-inspection of satellite status called VIBE. The objective of the mission is to test the STAR telescope and the VIBE technology under space conditions, as well as to raise the level of technological readiness level to the highest, ninth level. To this purpose, the impact of space conditions (vacuum, temperature fluctuations, high radiation and microgravity) on the telescope’s components, on-board electronics and on the quality of the data collected will be tested.

The STAR telescope is a telescope operating in the visible light spectrum. Its sensor allows images to be taken at a resolution of 25 meters per pixel and provides a large field of view (102.4 x 76.8 km). This allows rapid data collection for many purposes, e.g., on climate change, natural disasters or data supporting efficient agriculture.

VIBE is an optical system that is one configuration of Scanway’s SHS system — Spacecraft Health Scanner — a system used for autonomous smallsat diagnostics. VIBE is a vision system located on a deployable beam. The camera is connected to the spacecraft’s onboard computer, which, by collecting images in its database, allows the data to be analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI), which is able to detect various defects, such as damage to the solar panels.

Prior to the integration of the satellite into the Falcon 9, the STAR and VIBE systems were tested several times to verify correct functionality. The tests were carried out in the company’s laboratory and at an independent scientific institution in Germany; among other things, vibration tests and tests in a thermal vacuum chamber were performed.

In addition, Scanway carried out stratospheric balloon tests, in which the test payload (on-board computer, STAR telescope and VIBE system) was hooked up to the balloon’s nacelle and sent to an altitude of about 35 km. Stratospheric testing allows payload be tested in conditions of low pressure, low temperature and elevated cosmic radiation, which can very much affect the performance of electronic systems.

The STAR VIBE mission is exceptional for the Polish space sector, primarily due to the dispatch of the VIBE instrument which is the first Polish optical instrument for auto-inspection of orbital infrastructure, which is equipped with an algorithm based on AI. Operational duration of the mission — a minimum of three months, but can be extended, depending on the demand for images from the STAR telescope.

Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) launched their 2nd demo flight of the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV) to LEO aboard the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission on January 3rd, 2023.

Momentus established contact with the Vigoride vehicle on the spacecraft’s first orbital pass and confirmed that both of the solar arrays are deployed and the vehicle is generating power and charging its batteries.

The Vigoride OSV is designed to support a range of transportation and in-space infrastructure services. A key part of the Vigoride spacecraft is the Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) that is designed to use water as a propellant. The MET is designed to produce thrust by expelling extremely hot gases through a rocket nozzle.

Unlike a conventional chemical rocket engine, which creates thrust through a chemical reaction, the MET is designed to create a plasma and thrust using microwave energy. Using the MET, Momentus aims to offer cost-effective, efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly propulsion to meet the demands for in-space transportation and infrastructure services.

Priorities for this flight include hosting Caltech’s Space-based Solar Power Project payload, deploying a satellite with the Qosmosys Zeus-1 payload, and testing Vigoride’s performance in space, including its MET system.

Momentus launched the company’s inaugural mission in May of 2022. The Company deployed eight customer satellites during that mission for FOSSA Systems, Orbit NTNU and Bronco Space at the California State Polytechnic University.

“Today’s mission marks the second Vigoride launch to orbit and is the first of four missions slated for 2023,” said Momentus Chief Executive Officer, John Rood. “I’m proud of the substantial progress our talented team of engineers continues to make in maturing our technology. On this flight, in addition to meeting our commitments to our customers, we’ll put Vigoride through a series of tests to establish its performance in space. We’re particularly interested in testing the MET as our propulsion system aims to provide greater efficiency than a chemical system while generating a higher thrust than electric propulsion. The outcomes of this mission will continue to inform our approach as we look toward advancing our service offerings and tackling the complex in-space infrastructure needs of government, civil and commercial customers.”

Additional info regarding the Momentus Vigoride is available at this direct SatNews.com link…

Planet Labs PBC launched 36 of their SuperDove satellites, Flock 4y, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 3, 2023, at 9:56 a.m., ET (14:56 UTC), on SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (SFS), Florida.

These 36 SuperDoves will replenish Planet’s current fleet of approximately 200 satellites on-orbit, working to provide a continuous, and complete view of the world from above every day. Each Planet SuperDove is equipped with eight spectral-bands and improved on-orbit capacity that helps to quickly deliver sharp, analysis-ready data to Planet’s customers. The data collected by Planet’s SuperDoves allows organizations in agriculture, government — both intelligence and civilian agencies — forestry, sustainability, and other industries to make informed, timely decisions.

Further, a select number of these Planet SuperDoves are adorned with artwork and quotes that celebrate the legacy of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, as a part of Planet’s collaboration with The Roddenberry Foundation’s Boldly Go Campaign. The Roddenberry Foundation launched this campaign in 2021 to celebrate Gene’s hopeful vision of humanity’s future — one of inclusion, scientific progress, and cooperation. Five of the Planet SuperDoves on this mission will have artwork laser-etched onto their side panels that is inspired by the more than 1,500 submissions to the Boldly Go campaign, which asked the world to share what gives them hope for humanity’s future.

This was Planet’s eighth overall launch with SpaceX. Since its founding, Planet has launched more than 500 imaging satellites, more than any commercial company in history. Follow along at Planet’s Twitter account as the company gears up for the launch of its 36 SuperDoves.

“We’re excited to again work with SpaceX to bring 36 SuperDoves to orbit, our eighth overall launch with the launch provider,” said Planet’s Vice President of Launch, Mike Safyan. “Once in orbit, these satellites will join our current fleet and work to deliver cutting-edge geospatial solutions to our global customer base.”

Stanford Student Space Initiative (SSI), an undergraduate student group at Stanford University, will launch the Sapling Sempervirens (Sapling-1) satellite on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The launch is planned for Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023. Sapling-1 will be deployed from Launcher Space’s Launcher Orbiter vehicle approximately one week after the launch. SpaceX will host a livestream of the launch at this direct link.

The successful launch and operation of Sapling will mark the start of open source, scientific satellite missions designed and built by undergraduate students at Stanford. Such missions will seek to advance humanity’s understanding of Earth and our place in the universe while expanding space’s accessibility for those without significant experience and financial resources.

The Sapling spacecraft’s specific mission is to demonstrate autonomous cloud filtering and smart downlinking of images using a Google Coral payload camera and Google Coral Edge TPU coprocessor. The satellite, which uses silicon solar cells, employs this highly efficient computing platform for performance without relying on higher priced GaAS cells.

The Sapling project leverages the novel opportunities available in space today. Recent rapid growth in the private space sector has generated accessible launch pricing and reliable launch opportunities, including the SpaceX rideshare mission series. SSI students have developed satellite manufacturing processes achievable in a collegiate lab setting.

Sapling makes use of the novel PyCubed SmallSat framework; as a result, the satellite is completely programmable in CircuitPython. All project files are open-source and published through GitHub. With these resources, mission-driven students can develop space-based capabilities, handle flight hardware, and take engineering skills from the classroom into orbit.

Sapling Sempervirens takes its name from sequoia sempervirens, or the coast redwood, a nod to Stanford’s mascot, the Tree. SSI’s next satellite is named for sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia, and will launch on the SpaceX Transporter 7 mission no earlier than April of 2023.