Archives for March 2023

Ubotica Technologies has unveiled their CogniSAT-CRC solution that maximizes Earth Observation (EO) asset use using flight proven CogniSAT technology.

Using state of the art lossless image compression, and a flight-proven, AI-based, Cloud Detection and Removal algorithm, CogniSAT-CRC delivers at least a six-fold increase in useful data capture per orbit for EO satellites, thereby maximizing the areas of interest scanned during each orbit.

As more complex EO sensors (multispectral, hyperspectral, etc.) produce more and more data, and with more satellites on-orbit, there is now a data bottleneck in space. The available downlink capacity is not maintaining pace with the data generated and this results in the under-utilization of these complex, EO assets and that reduces the system return on investment (ROI). CogniSAT-CRC directly addresses this challenge with an approach that can reduce downlink data costs by 80%, while simultaneously trebling the amount of useful data gathered.

CogniSAT-CRC comes in a mechanical and power envelope compatible with smallsats, even down to CubeSats, and maximizes the use of EO assets by eliminating the impact of downlink data bottlenecks. CogniSAT-CRC is a self-contained system solution that acts as an AI coprocessor to the satellite On-Board Computer (OBC). The solution comes with an application which runs on the OBC and controls the operation of the CogniSAT-CRC solution. The system is designed to minimize the overhead requirements on the OBC.

CogniSAT-CRC will be released this year as Engineering and Flight Models. Satellite designers can also access Ubotica’s deep domain expertise to integrate their specific imager sensor with CogniSAT-CRC and to improve operational efficiency by fine tuning the space borne module. CogniSAT-CRC will fly on the Ubotica CogniSAT-6 mission announced in November of 2022.

According to John Doody, VP Product at Ubotica, “With an average of 50% cloud coverage across the Earth, it is a huge waste of valuable downlink budget to send cloudy images down to ground stations. Ubotica developed CogniSAT-CRC to address this opportunity for satellite operators to significantly increase the operational efficiency of their space assets. Our analysis shows satellites designed using CogniSAT-CRC can reduce downlink costs by up to 80%.”

Ubotica is at the heart of semi-autonomous satellite systems that provide real-time insights from flexible on-board processing and that use affordable, low energy hardware. The Ubotica CogniSAT platform was developed with deep insight of processing hardware, computer vision software and AI system integration. CogniSAT technology has already been proven in multiple space flown projects with partners in Europe and the USA, including NASA JPL and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) has received an award valued at more than $250 million to design, develop and deliver a seven-vehicle missile tracking satellite constellation, as well as support launch and ground operations by the Space Development Agency.

Once deployed, the LEO constellation of networked satellites will become the fifth plane of satellites providing missile warning and tracking for the Department of Defense (DoD). The program is a key element of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

Raytheon Technologies has been developing missile warning systems for decades. Since acquiring Blue Canyon Technologies and SEAKR Engineering, Raytheon Technologies has expanded its space payload and satellite bus capabilities and expertise, becoming a leading provider of space systems to a growing number of programs.

Raytheon will leverage existing designs, available commercial products and common components to reduce technical risk and speed delivery. The seven-vehicle satellite constellation will feature Raytheon’s Wide Field of View overhead persistent infrared sensor, Blue Canyon Technologies’ Saturn-class smallsat bus, and SEAKR Engineering’s electronics payload.

“Developing a resilient and affordable proliferated satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit will improve our ability to track emerging threats like hypersonic missiles,” said Dave Broadbent, president of Space and C2 at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. “Continuing to develop this architecture with SDA and our industry partners will be a high priority for us in the coming months.”

VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON) and OneWeb are partnering to provide extended mobile internet connectivity and digital services for emerging markets.

VEON Group’s operating companies serve a vast geography that is home to more than 510 million people, including countries that have some of the lowest population densities in the world, uneven population distribution, internal migration patterns, rich economic resources in remote areas and disaster-prone regions.

OneWeb partnership will further support VEON Group’s “4G for all” and “humanitarian connectivity” focus, which has seen VEON’s operating companies significantly increase their 4G coverage over the past 2 years, bridge the digital divide for millions of users, respond to disasters and unlock economic growth in their markets.

OneWeb’s LEO network has substantive capabilities to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to governments, businesses and communities. To-date, the business has launched 544 satellites into orbit, 80 percent of its satellite constellation, which will deliver global coverage when completed in 2023.

OneWeb’s services work seamlessly with mobile communication infrastructure to enable satellite backhaul to be integrated into mobile networks. OneWeb additionally enables operators to expand 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G networks into underserved or unconnected communities, particularly those in hard-to-reach places.

“We have always stated that our focus is ‘4G for all’ and that mobile communication is an essential service. Our partnership with OneWeb enables us to ensure that the continuity of this essential service can be secured everywhere, providing access to seamless connectivity and digital services, supporting resilience, and enabling growth,” said Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group. “We are excited to explore the possibilities this partnership will bring, from emergency connectivity in disaster response to enabling economic activity in remote regions, and to serving rural areas with mobile education, healthcare and financial services, complementing terrestrial connectivity.”

Neil Masterson, CEO of OneWeb, said, “OneWeb and VEON have a shared mission: to expand reliable, affordable and high-speed connectivity services to the places that need it most. With this partnership we can support the development of telecoms and digital infrastructure in emerging markets, working with VEON to ensure the essential roll-out of mobile connectivity. We look forward to capitalizing on the potential that this partnership has for the customers and communities we serve, while ensuring that OneWeb remains the partner of choice for telco operators globally.”

SpaceX is targeting Friday, March 3 at 10:38 a.m. PT (18:38 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff.

AAC Clyde Space, a leading new space company, has shipped the first of three satellites that are set to deliver hyperspectral imagery data to Canadian company, Wyvern. The satellites will continue the transformation of AAC Clyde Space into a space-based data company over the coming years.

The launch is planned for April on SpaceX‘s Transporter 7 mission from California onboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite is expected to start delivering data during the second quarter of 2023. The other two satellites under the contract are also expected to be delivered and launched in 2023. AAC Clyde Space will own the three satellites, while Wyvern Inc. has committed to subscribe to the data service for an initial four-year period, for GBP 8.4m (approx. SEK 105m). The contract can be extended on an annual basis thereafter.

In November 2022, AAC Clyde Space delivered the first of two 3U satellites that will deliver data to the U.S. company ORBCOMM Inc, a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. The group also owns and operates a constellation of satellites dedicated to SDaaS which is also under expansion. By the end of 2023, AAC Clyde Space is expected to own a total of 11 satellites dedicated to delivering data from space, a number that is planned to increase further over the coming years.

“This satellite delivery marks a milestone for our Space Data as a Service model that is set to transform not only our business, but also the way other companies access data from space-based assets. Space Data as a Service will enable businesses to access high quality data that will improve their operations. Over the coming years, it will also transform AAC Clyde Space from a hardware company into a space-based information technology business”, says AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.

The 6U EPIC VIEW satellites dedicated to Wyvern are designed as ‘application specific’ and feature increased data downlink and enhanced control capabilities and will deliver hyperspectral data, a method for capturing images of Earth across multiple bands, providing much more information than the three main colour bands that the human eye captures. Wyvern, specializing in Earth observation, will first offer the data to the agricultural sector where it will help optimize yields, and detect invasive plants, pests and changes in soil makeup.

constelIr and Exolaunch have signed a multi-launch agreement (MLA) for the former’s high precision versatile ecosphere monitoring (HiVE) smallsat constellation.

The HiVE constellation is designed to provide advanced warning to AgTech companies of plant stress from temperature-induced evapotranspiration. This data enables farmers and the AgTech industry at large to achieve “more crop per drop,” minimizing water waste while maximizing crop output.

The first two operational and commercial satellites of the HiVE constellation are planned to launch to SSO in 2024. Both microsats feature constelIr’s state-of-the-art, cryocooled, long-wave infrared (LWIR) instruments, which are capable of mapping Earth’s land surface temperature with unprecedented precision. These missions mark the first time a cryocooled LWIR sensor will be deployed into space aboard a smallsat.

With a proven track of 18 successful missions and 269 satellites flown, constellr regards Exolaunch as the ideal launch partner to oversee the entire launch mission management, including integration and Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP). Exolaunch’s innovative separation system CarboNIX, flown on 11 missions so far with a record of 49 smallsats launched, guarantees low-shock separation and smooth orbit injection for both of constellr’s microsats.

“Our entire team is excited to move forward with the launch preparation activities and this multi-launch agreement marks a big milestone in our constellation development and deployment,” says Dr. Riccardo Benvenuto, HiVE Programme Director at constellr. “We couldn’t feel safer with Exolaunch as our partner. We already have a great relationship and given their expertise and long-track record of successful launches, we trust them to deploy our HiVE microsatellites smoothly and safely into orbit.”

“We are honored to be awarded a launch contract by constellr and assist a leader in a field as important to 21st century agriculture and society as global land surface temperature monitoring,” said Connor Pollock, Mission Director at Exolaunch. “Moreover, this MLA demonstrates the increasing synergy of the German NewSpace industry.”

Spaceflight Inc. will launch two BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY) satellites aboard Rocket Lab’s next mission called “The Beat Goes On,” from Mahia, New Zealand. The spacecraft, now in New Zealand for the final stage of integration, were manufactured by U.S.-based satellite maker LeoStella and co-engineered with BlackSky. The two spacecraft onboard the mission will be the 15th and 16th satellites in BlackSky’s growing constellation. (Read additional information regarding this launch at this direct infolink…)

Spaceflight and LeoStella both offer services and expertise that enable a streamlined process of comprehensive, end-to-end support for BlackSky’s constellation. Everything from the satellite design and manufacturing to integration, mission management, and logistics occurred within a several-mile radius, minimizing the complexities and timeline required to support the mission.

“We are excited to support another mission with our long-standing customer BlackSky in the development of its rapidly growing constellation,” said Tiphaine Louradour, CEO of Spaceflight. “Spaceflight has managed the launch services and missions for all of BlackSky’s satellites to date and we are pleased to continue this trusted partnership to achieve another successful mission.”

“Rapid access to space is critical for our customers, including BlackSky. It requires efficient smallsat design and production and effective launch services and integration, as provided by Spaceflight,” said Tim Kienberger, CEO of LeoStella. “We greatly value the ongoing collaboration with Spaceflight and Rocket Lab. LeoStella is proud to have manufactured the last 16 satellites in BlackSky’s constellation, securing more than 29 years of on-orbit heritage and delivering 99% mission availability.”

This represents Spaceflight’s second mission of 2023. The company plans to support up to 10 launches throughout the year, leveraging its vast global network of launch vehicle providers. In addition to traditional rideshare launches, Spaceflight continues to develop its Sherpa OTV program, preparing for the debut of the next variation in its OTV – Sherpa-ES, a higher energy variant with a bipropellant, high delta-V OTV that enables smallsat delivery anywhere in cislunar space.