Techno Planet Inc. (TPI) has has worked with partner Momentus Inc. to design and build Solar Array Drive Assemblies (SADA’s) for the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV).

The Vigoride-5 OSV launched in January of 2023 and Momentus has confirmed the successful deployment and full operation of the OSV’s solar arrays and has also recently announced the successful in-space testing of the TPI pioneering propulsion system that uses water as a propellant.

TPI SADA’s have been developed for small spacecraft that require solar array pointing and power transfer. In addition to the scalable SADA designs, Techno Planet Inc. has the experience and capabilities required to design and build a range of space mechanisms including thruster gimbals, antenna positioners, sample acquisition and handling devices, and release mechanisms, along with almost any custom mechanism.

“To know our company’s hardware operate in space demonstrates the successful evolution of Techno Planet. I’m proud of our team’s achievements, and I’m energized that this is the start of a sustained flow of space-bound TPI hardware. Congratulations to our partner Momentus and I thank them for the confidence they’ve shown in us to get here. This successful launch also marks an exciting time in aerospace for small businesses like ours to provide proven engineering expertise in support of new space ventures. Plenty of our designs have flown over the years, but these are the first with our name on them.” — Scott Stanley, TPI Chief Technology Officer.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has completed preparations to launch the utility’s second smallsat for remote sensing applications this April.

The 6U nanosatellite is part of DEWA’s Space-D program. DEWA Sat-2 will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. The smallsat was designed and developed at DEWA’s Research and Development Centre, in cooperation with NanoAvionics in Lithuania.

The new satellite features a high-resolution camera (4.7 meters) that will be used for Earth Observation (EO) missions and provides continuous line-scan imaging in 7 spectral bands from an approximately 500 km orbit. The new satellite is also equipped with Infrared equipment to measure greenhouse gases.

The combined use of DEWA SAT-2 images and Internet of Things (IoT) measurements from DEWA SAT-1 will enable DEWA to improve the operational performance of power generation and water desalination plants by providing accurate estimates of seawater temperature, seawater salinity, detection of red-tide, as well as fog monitoring and forecasting.

DEWA launched DEWA-SAT1 in January of 2022. It uses LoRa IoT communication technology, a new wireless protocol designed for long-range and low-power communications, to expand the coverage of the existing terrestrial communications network. DEWA is the first utility in the world to launch nanosatellites to improve its planning, operation and maintenance activities.

Using satellite network communication, IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributes to improving the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has completed preparations to launch the utility’s second smallsat for remote sensing applications this April.

The 6U nanosatellite is part of DEWA’s Space-D program. DEWA Sat-2 will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. The smallsat was designed and developed at DEWA’s Research and Development Centre, in cooperation with NanoAvionics in Lithuania.

The new satellite features a high-resolution camera (4.7 meters) that will be used for Earth Observation (EO) missions and provides continuous line-scan imaging in 7 spectral bands from an approximately 500 km orbit. The new satellite is also equipped with Infrared equipment to measure greenhouse gases.

The combined use of DEWA SAT-2 images and Internet of Things (IoT) measurements from DEWA SAT-1 will enable DEWA to improve the operational performance of power generation and water desalination plants by providing accurate estimates of seawater temperature, seawater salinity, detection of red-tide, as well as fog monitoring and forecasting.

DEWA launched DEWA-SAT1 in January of 2022. It uses LoRa IoT communication technology, a new wireless protocol designed for long-range and low-power communications, to expand the coverage of the existing terrestrial communications network. DEWA is the first utility in the world to launch nanosatellites to improve its planning, operation and maintenance activities.

Using satellite network communication, IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributes to improving the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

Five students from the AcubeSAT team, participating in the 3rd edition of ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! program, have travelled from their home base in Thessaloniki, Greece, to the CubeSat Support Facility (CSF), in ESA ESEC, Belgium, to conduct environmental testing on their On-Board Computer/Attitude Determination & Control System (OBC-ADCS) board.

AcubeSAT is a project by SpaceDot, with a multidisciplinary team of students primarily from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with members from various Greek and European universities.

AcubeSAT is a three units CubeSat that is under development to investigate eukaryotic cells’ molecular behavior under the microgravity and radiation conditions of LEO.

The smallsat will contain many components that have been designed by the students themselves, including the OBC-ADCS. This gives students a wealth of experience but comes with the additional challenges of using in-house solutions. Hence, a series of rigorous tests need to be performed to ensure the success of the AcubeSAT mission and spot possible issues before being launched in orbit.

The tested item is the OBC-ADCS board which is responsible for controlling all basic spacecraft functions and handling the communication with all the other subsystems. The ADCS subsystem hosted on this board is responsible for stabilizing the spacecraft and controlling its orientation.

The Environmental Test Campaign is composed of a Vibration Test and a Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) Test. The key concept of the campaign can be represented by CSF testing mantra: ‘Test as you fly, fly as you test!’. Therefore, the OBC-ADCS board was subject to vibration testing, as it recreates the launch conditions, before going to the TVAC testing, simulating the on-orbit environment.

The item was first unpacked, carefully visually inspected, and functionally tested. After test sensors were installed and the board was placed into the test adapter, it was subjected to different types of vibration tests to simulate the environment of the rocket and to verify that the OBC-ADCS board can withstand such loads. Testing was performed in all three axes of the spacecraft to ensure the structural integrity of the sub-system.

With no issues spotted, the vibration testing was deemed successful granting the ticket to the next phase, the Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) test campaign.

On the third day, the preparation for TVAC testing started with a cleaning process and the installation of thermocouples on both OBC and ADCS side. Due to some anomalies, and despite the best effort of the teams, only a limited test could be performed. The students were able to adjust admirably to performing lab work and responded excellently under pressure, without losing heart in the face of unexpected events, but instead being always proactive in seeking a solution.

Following the travel back to Thessaloniki, the team will investigate and correct the issues in view of a future re-qualification at the CSF in the near future.

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has been awarded a contract by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for commercial radio frequency (RF) remote sensing.

Spire won a contract as part of the NRO’s Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) program in September of 2022. The company also exercised two options that extend the performance period through March 1, 2025.

The agency will continue to use Spire’s data to evaluate how commercial radio frequency (RF) will be integrated into its overhead architecture. The contract demonstrates the agency’s commitment to expand the acquisition and integration of commercial space-based data for situational awareness and to address new intelligence challenges.

Spire’s fully deployed constellation of more than 100 satellites monitors RF signals to provide data and analytics on global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements, and spoofing and jamming detection to better predict how their patterns impact global security, economies, and human potential. The Company operates over 40 satellites that help detect and geolocate signal interference, jamming, and spoofing. These satellites can identify the power, location, and directionality of such events.

“The NRO has continued to show its commitment to innovation by recognizing the value of RF data in providing situational awareness and strengthening global security. In a rapidly changing world, we at Spire aim to provide government organizations the competitive advantage they need to solve some of the world’s toughest problems with insights from space.” — Chuck Cash, Vice President of Federal Sales, Spire

AAC Clyde Space has received orders for the company’s Starbuck power system and Sirius computers from several customers amounting to a total of approximately SEK 20.1 million. The orders are scheduled for delivery from Q4 2023 until mid-2024.

AAC Clyde Space’s SmallSat PCDU (Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit) solutions and Sirius computers have demonstrated impressive capabilities in space, gaining a market reputation for reliability, resiliency and performance. With their modular design, the solutions can be used and adapted for an array of different applications stretching from lunar exploratory and deep space scientific missions to military and commercial constellation applications.

“We are proud to continue to win orders for our Starbuck power systems and Sirius computers. Their proven reliability, modular design, and flexibility are key characteristics for their popularity among our customers. We have had a great start first quarter of 2023 with press released orders amounting to SEK 80.5 million. ” — AAC Clyde Space CEO, Luis Gomes

Fleet Space Technologies is engaging with Atlantic Lithium to provide its technology to enable accurate sourcing of lithium pegmatites at the Ewoyaa Lithium Project in Ghana, West Africa — the survey will use Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution to search for potential, concealed pegmatites within the Ewoyaa footprint.

Atlantic Lithium has already commenced auger drilling as part of its 2023 exploration and resource drilling program in Ghana, and is targeting to start the survey during Q2 2023. The company has also initiated a 100 x 100m grid soil geochemistry survey over the Cape Coast license ahead of target definition. The survey is expected to provide additional insights into the potential of the project area and the broader 560km-square Cape Coast Lithium portfolio.

Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution has been successfully deployed on lithium pegmatite targeting with Core Lithium, based at their Finnis Project in the Northern Territory, Australia. The company’s ExoSphere solution is expected to provide valuable data for Atlantic Lithium’s exploration efforts in Ghana.

“We are thrilled to be working with Atlantic Lithium to provide our cutting-edge ExoSphere solution for their Ewoyaa Lithium Project. Our technology has a proven track record in successful lithium pegmatite targeting, and we are confident that it will deliver valuable insights to Atlantic Lithium’s exploration efforts in Ghana. As we strive to reach net-zero goals, the sourcing of critical minerals like lithium becomes increasingly important, and we are proud to be part of the solution by providing advanced technologies that help unlock these valuable resources.” — Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO & Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies

“The objectives of these significant 2023 exploration and resource drilling programs are to test for concealed pegmatites within the immediate Resource footprint, improve Resource confidence, add potential tonnes to the current MRE and expand the regional exploration pipeline of targets. We are excited to have engaged Fleet Space Technologies to complete a passive seismic geophysical survey, using the ExoSphere solution, over the Ewoyaa footprint looking for potential concealed pegmatites.” — Atlantic Lithium Interim CEO, Lennard Kolff

Unseenlabs, a world radio frequency data and solutions provider for Maritime Domain Awareness, is announcing the coming launch of BRO-9, the 9th satellite of the company’s constellation that is dedicated to the geolocation of all the vessels at sea.

BRO-9 will be launched in April of 2023 as part of the SpaceX Transporter-7 Mission aboard Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. This launch is a step forward for the development of Unseenlabs.

Unseenlabs provides solutions for maritime surveillance, based on exclusive RF data to allow the geolocation and characterization of any type of vessel anywhere around the globe. Many public and private customers (French Navy, NGOs, marine insurers, etc.) are already using these solutions.

“The launch of BRO-9 is an important milestone for Unseenlabs and our solutions’ ongoing development, the most advanced in the industry. Our one-of-a-kind technology allows our customers to make informed strategic decisions to protect their assets and preserve ocean biodiversity.” — Jonathan Galic, CTO and co-founder of Unseenlabs

“BRO-9 will strengthen our capabilities to detect and track vessels — including uncooperative ones — and to fight against unlawful activities at sea (IUU fishing, smuggling, piracy, marine pollution, etc.). Unlike conventional maritime surveillance systems, our technology is limitless: at any time of the day or night, anywhere on the globe, and in any weather conditions, we can detect all the vessels navigating at sea, even those willing to go uncovered. We are convinced that our solutions offer significant added value to our customers, and contribute to creating safer oceans and seas for all.” — Clément Galic, CEO and co-founder of Unseenlabs