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Archives for June 2023

LeoStella manufactures + delivers their 20th smallsat

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LeoStella has delivered their third satellite to Loft Orbital Solutions which also happens to be the 20th satellite manufactured by the company since formation in 2019.

This latest satellite was modeled on LeoStella’s LS-100 bus platform and delivered to Loft Orbital who extended their production agreement with LeoStella to secure additional satellites in support of their mission to provide a reliable path to orbit for any payload for customers.

LeoStella satellites have a cumulative on-orbit heritage of more than 31 years, reinforcing the firm’s reputation for providing high-mission availability to commercial and government customers.

The standardization of LeoStella’s smallsat bus enables the company to reduce production costs and timelines to deliver spacecraft efficiently and economically. LeoStella’s satellite buses are known for their ability to support multiple types of payloads without any added time required for mission-specific configurations.

“LeoStella is a trusted and proven satellite-bus provider. LeoStella’s commercial-off-the-shelf satellite buses help streamline our production timeline. Coupled with our technologies, we’re able to provide our customers with a fast and simple path to orbit.”
— Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO of Loft Orbital

“We’re proud of our ongoing relationship with Loft Orbital and their strategy of partnering with best-in-class bus providers. Our team manufactured and delivered another spacecraft in less than 13 months from the time of contract extension. Our production line’s efficiency and commitment to on-time delivery are significant for Loft Orbital in meeting their customers’ needs.”
— Tim Kienberger, CEO of LeoStella

ESA’s CubeMAP mission development terminated

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After very careful consideration, ESA’s Earth Observation Program Board has taken the decision to terminate the development of CubeMAP as a Scout satellite mission. This decision is based on the development path exceeding the programmatic constraints related to the timeline and budgetary boundaries allocated for this category of New Space mission.

Complementing ESA’s series of Earth Explorer research missions, Scout missions are a new element in ESA’s Earth Observation FutureEO Program.

Scouts aim to demonstrate the capability of small satellites to deliver value-added science, either by the miniaturization of existing technologies or by demonstrating new sensing techniques.

From kick-off to launch this must be achieved within three years and all within a strict budget of €30 million.

ESA selected CubeMAP, the first Scout mission, in December 2020. The industrial consortium comprised GomSpace (DK) as prime contractor, with RAL Space (UK), GomSpace (LU), GomSpace (SE) and Enpulsion (AT) as sub-contractors.

The mission was planned as a trio of small satellites to help quantify processes in the upper-atmosphere to understand how they affect our climate.

The constellation was to measure water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide and aerosols — all of which play a key role in the greenhouse effect and climate change.

The three satellites would have each carried three miniaturized ultra-high spectral resolution laser heterodyne spectro-radiometers and one miniaturized hyperspectral solar disk imager.

ESA is committed to adhering to the programmatic constraints set by its Member States. However, CubeMAP has been facing challenges related to meeting target costs and development time.

Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programs, said, “By its very nature the New Space approach carries more risks. With the Scouts we are having to adapt to implementing missions twice as fast and 10 times cheaper than our traditional satellite missions, and of course this is not easy.

“It is crucial to ‘fail successfully’ and take tough decisions as soon as we know that boundary conditions cannot be met.

“However, what has been achieved with the development of CubeMAP is not lost. We and our industrial partners will have a lessons learned process, and of course the technology developed so far will undoubtedly be applied to future satellite missions.”

ESA’s Project Manager for the Scout missions, Jean-Pascal Lejault, added, “The development of CubeMAP so far has demonstrated the potential of a new sensing technique to capture atmospheric profiles and study the chemistry of the upper-atmosphere with miniaturized payloads that are compatible with a 12U satellite.

“The decision to halt CubeMAP does not at all invalidate the mission concept or the interest that it has received, particularly in the relevance of the two instruments (HIROS and HSDI). A credible technical baseline has been defined, as well as the associated development plan. Other avenues will be sought to bring these efforts to full fruition, outside of the Scout framework.

ESA’s HydroGNSS mission will now comprise two identical satellites to halve the time it takes to revisit the same place on Earth’s surface and re-measure various climate variables such soil moisture.

“I want to thank everyone that has been involved in CubeMAP for their unwavering support and we are all taking the lessons learnt forward for better success in the future.”

In the meantime, ESA’s other Scout mission, HydroGNSS, is on track for liftoff next year.

World’s 1st hacking testbed in space to launch on the SpaceX CRS-28 mission on June 5th

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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands ready for liftoff at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on June 4, 2023, ahead of the company’s 28th resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:12 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA

Six cubesats are set to launch on SpaceX’s 28th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the International Space Station (ISS), where they will be deployed — among these smallsats, the Aerospace Corporation will launch Moonlighter, the world’s first and only hacking sandbox in space.

A hacking sandbox is a form of cyber security technology that allows hackers to perform tests that could identify methods for preventing the hacking of satellite systems in space. Through this project, which is sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory and supported by Nanoracks, Aerospace will introduce the nation’s top cyber professionals to Moonlighter and its ability to fill gaps in cyber security testing in space.

Developed in partnership with U.S. Space Systems Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory, Moonlighter, a mid-size 3U smallsat, will enable real-time cyber security testing on-orbit for the first time. Moonlighter will allow cyber security professionals and some of the world’s best hackers to do space-based cyber experiments that are repeatable, realistic, and secure.

Moonlighter is a 3U cubesat developed to enable real-time cyber security testing on-orbit.
Image is courtesy of The Aerospace Corporation

Moonlighter will be part of Hack-A-Sat 4, an annual challenge supported by the Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Space Force, where finalists will get the chance to hack the CubeSat in orbit during DEF CON, a convention for hackers held in August. With a growing space-based economy and increasing competition in the space environment, Myrick said Moonlighter is a critical tool for strengthening cyber security in space.

In addition to Moonlighter, five student-developed CubeSats are also launching on SpaceX CRS-28. These CubeSats are part of the Canadian CubeSat Project, which was created to increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and prepare the future space industry workforce.

SpaceX CRS-28 is targeted for launch no earlier than June 5 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. This mission will include multiple ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads.

“We wanted to build something new from the ground up to fill gaps in cyber activities in space, where the vehicles to do cyber security testing in orbit have not existed,” said . “When we say it’s a sandbox, Moonlighter is like a playground where we provide the space and the tools for professional hackers to perform cyber exercises and test out new technology. We hope this will lead to more cyber-resilient architectures for future space missions.”
— Aaron Myrick, project leader for Aerospace

Greece’s Polembros Shipping’s hybrid digital network improves with Marlink’s service using Starlink

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Marlink,a digital solutions company, will install the Starlink LEO service for Athens-based ship manager Polembros Shipping which has been a Marlink partner for many years. Polembros will extend its digital toolset to include the new LEO service on a trial basis to support crew welfare and remote technology.

The Standard Starlink is designed for portable use at any destination where Starlink has active coverage.

Polembros is already a user of Marlink’s hybrid network, including guaranteed throughput VSAT services across its fleet. The deployment of the SeaLink NextGen service will bring much faster throughput and lower latency to the company’s business and crew communications, enabling the deployment of digital solutions and crew welfare services.

Sealink NextGen combines GEO VSAT and MSS back-up with customers’ required mix of LEO or MEO connectivity, 5G and digital solutions, all controlled and managed via Marlink’s smart platform XChange. This hybrid solution integrates and protects critical maritime connectivity, powering new applications for business and crew.

Polembros Shipping has been in existence since 1974, though the shareholders’ family traces its shipping connections back to the 19th century. The company currently manages a fleet of Aframax and Suezmax tankers and sister operation Polembros Bulkers manages vessels ranging in size from Handysize to Newcastlemax.

A Marlink partner for many years, Polembros will extend its digital toolset to include the new LEO service on a trial basis to support crew welfare and remote technology.

Both Polembros companies are continuously improving their service and ensuring their ships are operated safely and efficiently with knowledgeable marine personnel using their expertise ashore and at sea as well as their innovative technologies while focusing on the future.

Greek shipping companies are increasingly following a trend towards higher throughput communications, enjoying access to a new family of applications enabled by Starlink’s very low latency global service. This includes video streaming services, instant data transfer tools and remote access technology for maintenance and compliance.

“Polembros Shipping and Polembros Bulkers are companies with a reputation built up over many years for dedication to safety and quality; we value innovations like Starlink as a contributor to our performance,” said Vasilis Kottas, IT Manager, Polembros Shipping. “Our partnership with Marlink is a factor in our success as a company which delivers the high standard of communications required by our fleet managers and our shipboard teams.”

“Marlink is proud to help Polembros Shipping take this next step in its journey with new digital services that enable a new generation of applications and tools to support fleet performance and safety,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink. “Adding the Starlink LEO service to the Marlink hybrid network is a further strengthening of our valued and longstanding relationship that positions Polembros as a future-focused company.”

Telesat selects Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) to manufacture LEO 3 demo satellite

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Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) has contracted Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) to manufacture a LEO demo satellite for the company.

The demonstration satellite, named LEO 3, will provide continuity for customer and ecosystem vendor testing campaigns following the decommissioning of Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite. Once successfully launched and on-station, LEO 3 will operate under an existing ITU network filing for Telesat Lightspeed, the company’s enterprise-class, LEO constellation.

SFL is developing LEO 3 on the company’s DEFIANT smallsat platform, a cost-effective design that supports demanding missions without sacrificing performance. The completed LEO 3 will be a compact microsatellite measuring 30x30x45 cm with a mass of 30 kg. More than a dozen DEFIANT satellites developed for SFL clients are now on-orbit and serving applications that range from maritime ship tracking to radio frequency signal mapping.

LEO 3 is nearing completion at SFL following a relatively aggressive development schedule. SFL has integrated the communications payload with the LEO 3 bus and successfully completed vibration and electromagnetic compatibility testing of the spacecraft. Additional tests are ongoing.

“We’re excited to partner with SFL, who has as a proven track record for building high-performing satellite platforms – on time and within budget. LEO 3 will serve an important role for low-latency customer applications testing, and for supporting LEO antenna and modem development efforts in advance of our Telesat Lightspeed satellite deployment.”
— Dave Wendling, Telesat’s Chief Technical Officer

“DEFIANT is a scalable platform with the power capabilities and versatility to support a variety of mission objectives, yet it is compact enough to keep launch costs at a manageable level for commercial programs. SFL is pleased that our microspace technology can be the enabler for Telesat to achieve its demonstration goals for high bandwidth operations in LEO.”
— Dr. Robert E. Zee, Director, SFL

BeetleSat’s 2-way data comms using proprietary expandable antenna are successful

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BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm, recently announced the successful, software-defined radio (SDR), two-way, data communication using the company’s lightweight, very high data rate, expandable antenna.

Artistic rendition of the BeetleSat smallsat LEO constellation.

BeetleSat’s NSLSAT-2 satellite, a 6U CubeSat, was launched in January 2023 via a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. The Company’s high-performance Ka-band antenna, made of proprietary lightweight shape memory material, was folded at launch, allowing for low volume and mass, and successfully deployed when the satellite reached its orbit. This on-orbit deployment of BeetleSat’s 60 cm expandable antenna from a 6U CubeSat was an industry first and proved the viability of its proprietary technology.

“Successful data transmission between our satellite and ground segment is a significant step forward in the build-out of our LEO constellation and I am proud of our team and grateful for all the work that has gone into reaching this important milestone. BeetleSat’s technology is shifting the satellite communication paradigm by unlocking premium, cost-effective, and flexible solutions that enable our customers to succeed. We’re excited to build the first LEO constellation that is truly designed to meet their needs.”
— Patricio Northland, CEO, BeetleSat

About the company
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 264 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. With service to commence in 2027, 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.