Archives for March 2024

Interstellar Technologies Inc. has established a basic agreement, signed on March, 2024, with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), regarding the procurement of launch transport services.

This agreement is designed to select private-sector entities capable of launching satellites developed under JAXA’s small satellite missions, thereby advancing the commercialization of space transportation services by startups and other entities through launch contract procurement. Notably, the Japanese government has proposed a policy initiative (*1) to secure approximately 30 domestic launch opportunities annually, using both government and private rockets, by the early 2030s. In light of this initiative, Interstellar will continue to further autonomous domestic space access through the ongoing development of the rocket ZERO, which integrates reliability and cost competitiveness.

This agreement is established in accordance with JAXA-SMASH (JAXA – Small Satellite Rush Program), a program aimed at expanding transportation and small satellite missions. Privately selected transport services under this program will launch small satellite missions publicly solicited by JAXA(*2). Interstellar has been designated as “Launch Operator A,” receiving priority for future procurement contracts.

In line with the new Space Basic Plan approved by the Japanese Cabinet in June 2023, the Japanese government targets the launching all domestic satellites, regardless if government or private, using Japan’s flagship rockets or private rockets, starting from fiscal year 2028. This initiative also aims to capture overseas demand.

In September of 2023, Interstellar was selected for the “Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR Phase 3)” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, encouraging research and development by startups and others (*3), with governmental support to be provided for both research and development and launch contract procurement to achieve early realization of affordable, frequent private space transport services domestically.5

ZERO is a smallsat launch vehicle designed to target the growing market for small-sized satellites in recent years. Building on the knowledge gained from the successful launch of the private suborbital launch vehicle MOMO, the first of its kind in Japan’s private sector, Interstellar is progressing toward the first launch of ZERO.

ZERO’s space transportation service distinguishes itself with competitive pricing—at less than 800 million JPY per launch (in mass production)—made possible through an integrated development and manufacturing process. Another key strength is its flexibility to provide customized launches tailored to the rising needs of satellite companies. For satellite companies in Japan, Asia, and Oceania, proximity to the launch site ensures convenience, reducing launch-related time and costs and enhancing overall value.

With an eye on recent trends and the demand both locally and globally, ZERO is enhancing its capacity to launch satellites of up to 800 kilograms into LEO. This strategic contributes to the establishment of an independent domestic space transportation service. Simultaneously, it positions Interstellar to establish a firm presence in the Asia-Oceania and European markets.

Takahiro Inagawa, CEO of Interstellar Technologies, said, “Space technology’s complexity and the limited opportunities for challenges have hindered the expansion of space utilization and industrial growth. JAXA-SMASH presents an innovative opportunity for demonstrating cutting-edge technology with satellites to break through these limitations. We are honored to be part of it, bringing our space transport services to the table. Looking ahead, we anticipate a substantial increase in space transport opportunities domestically. However, we’re all hands on deck, pushing ahead with technology demonstration and business development, ready to seize the day in this new era.”

ZERO: Specifications

Height: 32m
Diameter: 2.3m
Wet mas: Weight: 71 ton
Propellant: Liquid Methane (Biomethane) Oxidizer: Liquid Oxygen
Number of Engines: 1st Stage: 9, 2nd Stage: 1
Payload Capacity: LEO 800kg / SSO 250kg (Future Maximum Capacity)

*1 Space Policy Committee 109th Meeting Agenda https://www8.cao.go.jp/space/comittee/dai109/gijisidai.html
*2 JAXA-SMASH Web Page https://aerospacebiz.jaxa.jp/jaxa-smash/launch-service/
*3 Press Release dated September 29, 2023 https://www.istellartech.com/en_news/830

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has signed an agreement with HANCOM InSpace (“Hancom”) for Sejong-2 and Sejong-3, two additional satellites, with Spire Space Services.

Under this agreement, Spire will build and operate the satellites, expanding the capabilities of HANCOM-1 (Sejong-1). Together, these satellites will form a constellation for Korea’s first three-satellite remote sensing image data service.

Hancom specializes in commercial and government applications of image analysis, including detection of vehicles, aircraft and ships, changes in roads and buildings, and pine tree death detection. The missions are focused on collecting optical imagery for applications in the agriculture sector, including landscaping applications and the expansion of its existing image analysis portfolio offerings. Hancom plans to launch and operate a constellation of up to 50 satellites.

Sejong-1, a Spire satellite carrying an optical payload for Hancom, launched in May 2022 on the SpaceX Transporter-5 Mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It was the first commercial satellite deployed for a private South Korean company.

“Collaborating with Hancom on the expansion of their satellite constellation is a testament to the innovative spirit driving advancements in the South Korean space industry,” said Frank Frulio, general manager of Space Services at Spire. “As a pioneer in deploying satellites, Hancom continues to demonstrate their leadership in the space industry, and we are thrilled to contribute to the growth of their constellation. Our Space Services team’s dedication and ingenuity shine through, ensuring an unparalleled experience for customers like Hancom, and reinforcing our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions in Earth Observation and beyond.“

“Collaborating with Spire Global underscores our commitment to advancing the capabilities of our satellite constellation. Sejong-2 and Sejong-3, alongside Sejong-1, mark a significant step forward in our mission to provide cutting-edge image analysis solutions. Sejong-2 will serve as an extension of Sejong-1, focusing on maritime, agricultural monitoring, and change detection, especially in urban areas, while Sejong-3, equipped with a hyperspectral imager, will leverage its spectral range advantages for applications such as calculating wildfire damage area, analyzing air pollution levels, and assessing river water quality,” said Dr. Myungjin Choi, the CEO of HANCOM InSpace. “With the integration of images from our own multispectral and hyperspectral imagers, drones, and high-performance ground cameras, we are poised to expand our image utilization portfolio even further. We anticipate that the image quality of both Sejong-2 and Sejong-3 will be as exceptional as that of Sejong-1.”

About Spire Global, Inc.
Spire (NYSE: SPIR) is a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, offering unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth so that organizations can make decisions with confidence in a rapidly changing world. Spire builds, owns, and operates a fully deployed satellite constellation that observes the Earth in real time using radio frequency technology. The data acquired by Spire’s satellites provides global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements, and spoofing and jamming detection to better predict how their patterns impact economies, global security, business operations and the environment. Spire also offers Space as a Service solutions that empower customers to leverage its established infrastructure to put their business in space. Spire has nine offices across the U.S., Canada, UK, Luxembourg, Germany and Singapore.

About HANCOM InSpace
HANCOM InSpace carries out its business in the satellite ground station sub-system development, image analysis service, and drone utilization service. HANCOM InSpace provides customers with services that allow them to receive, analyze, process, and distribute images of various satellites through its integrated satellite ground station system platform, “InStation Platform.” HANCOM InSpace also offers downtown, forest, and marine monitoring service using in-house developed drones and drone stations. HANCOM InSpace aims to become a leading data analysis company by collecting all space, aviation, and ground data through its satellites and cameras.

HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced the new members of the firm’s Advisory Board, forming the Class of 2024. Retired Generals H. R. McMaster and David D. Thompson, two individuals with unique perspectives and vast experience, join for the first time, while Terry McAuliffe and Joan Dempsey return for another term.

“HawkEye 360 is delighted to introduce a stellar group of advisors for 2024,” said John Serafini, Chief Executive Officer of HawkEye 360. “Their wealth of experience and knowledge, spanning government, military, intelligence, and commercial sectors, is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence. Their invaluable contributions will propel our RF-sensing satellite network forward, a crucial step in providing the U.S. Government and our international allies with timely, critical data to combat illegal and unauthorized activities.”

General David D. Thompson (Ret.) brings 38 years of experience in the Air and Space Forces to his role, highlighted by his service as the first Vice Chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force. In this capacity, he contributed to creating the Space Force and represented the Chief of Space Operations in high-level meetings, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Thompson has commanded at squadron, group, and wing levels and has held senior positions at the National Reconnaissance Office, Air Force Warfare Center, and United States Strategic Command. His education includes a Master of Science in National Security Industrial Policy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, and a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. Thompson’s career showcases his strategic planning and execution skills in national security and space operations.

Gen. Thompson said, “I was drawn to HawkEye 360 by the vision and passion of the company leadership to serve the security needs of the Nation and its Armed Forces.”

Lt. General H.R. McMaster (Ret.) is a soldier and scholar who brings a unique blend of strategic insights and global defense understanding to HawkEye 360.  McMaster served in the US Army for thirty-four years and commanded forces in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq before serving as the 25th Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.  He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina and authored two bestselling books. He is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, a lecturer at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Arizona State University.

Gen. McMaster said, “The capabilities that HawkEye 360 delivers to its clients are and will remain in high demand for governments, businesses, and any organization that needs to anticipate and respond to security threats.”

Joan Dempsey & Terry McAuliffe are welcomed back to the HawkEye 360 Advisory Board, each bringing a distinguished blend of experience and achievements to our team. Joan offers unparalleled strategic insights with her extensive background in intelligence, security, and leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton and various high-level federal positions. Terry, who was recognized for his dynamic tenure as the 72nd Governor of Virginia and his significant contributions to economic development and cybersecurity, brings a visionary approach to our mission. Together, their combined expertise and achievements will continue to guide HawkEye 360 in its strategic initiatives and further advancement in the industry.

These individuals, forming HawkEye 360 Advisory Board’s Class of 2024, will join the board’s 20 current members.

A small, shoebox-sized spacecraft delivered to ESA’s Hera mission this week promises to make a giant leap forward in planetary science. Once deployed from the Hera spacecraft at the Didymos binary asteroid system, the Juventas CubeSat will perform the first radar probe within an asteroid, peering deep into the heart of the Great-Pyramid-sized Dimorphos moonlet.

“Today’s asteroids are collisional fragments of the original building blocks of our entire Solar System, so being able to see how the interior of an asteroid is structured will give us valuable insights into the evolution of the Solar System, as well as planetary defence,” said Michael Kueppers, ESA’s Hera project scientist. “Is this asteroid a solid monolith, or a rubble pile held together by its gravity? The answer has practical consequences for how incoming asteroids might be deflected away from Earth in the future.”

Measuring just 37x23x10 cm in size, the Juventas CubeSat has been overseen for ESA by Luxembourg’s GomSpace company with spacecraft integration taking place at GomSpace’s head office in Denmark. The company specializes in CubeSats – small, low-budget satellites assembled from standardized 10 cm boxes – though usually these are destined for Earth orbit.

Building for deep space
Jan Persson leads the Juventas project for GomSpace and he said, “This is a very different mission compared to the usual CubeSats that we manufacture and fly. Going beyond Earth orbit and out into deep space is a rare opportunity, requiring extremely precise attention to detail. Juventas also needs a sufficiently agile navigation system to fly itself around an asteroid.”

Hera’s CubeSat deployment process — Access the video at this direct link…

ESA’s Hera asteroid mission is Europe’s contribution to an international planetary defence experiment. Following the DART mission’s impact with the Dimorphos asteroid, a moon of the larger asteroid Didymos, in 2022 – modifying its orbit around Didymos and sending a plume of debris thousands of kilometres out into space – Hera will return to Dimorphos to perform a close-up survey of the crater left by DART. The mission will also measure Dimorphos’ mass and make-up, along with that of Didymos.

Hera is due for launch in October of 2024, and aboard it will be two CubeSats for close-up observations of the asteroid pair: Juventas will be joined by the Milani hyperspectral mission. The trio will stay connected around the asteroids via an innovative inter-satellite link system.

Smallest radar to be flown in space
Named for the Roman name for the daughter of Hera, Juventas might be small, but it has a wide technical footprint. Its low-frequency radar instrument – the smallest radar system flown in space – was designed by France’s Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble at the Université Grenoble Alpes and Technical University Dresden, with electronics coming from EmTroniX in Luxembourg. Its radar signals will be transmitted from a quartet of 1.5 m-long antennas, longer than the Juventas spacecraft itself, which have been contributed by Astronika in Poland.

“The Juventas Radar – or JuRa – instrument is unique, and will give the science community a rare insight into the making of an asteroid,” said Jan Persson. “It has been highly miniaturized to fit into the CubeSat envelope. The main challenge has been that the instrument generates a lot of heat inside the spacecraft, which our thermal design team at GomSpace has worked hard to take care of.”

Hera system engineer Franco Perez Lissi said, “To fly itself, Juventas also embarks a visible light camera, lidar, startrackers for navigation and a cold gas propulsion system, plus the inter-satellite radio link to share its position and data back with Hera.”

In order to perform its radar survey of the smaller asteroid, Juventas will go into a unique ‘Self-stabilized Terminator Orbit’ around Didymos. This involves orbiting in parallel with the asteroid’s day-night terminator line, balancing the weak gravitational pull of the asteroid with the faint but steady push of sunlight itself – solar radiation pressure. In fact, Didymos’s gravity is so low that Juventas will be orbiting at a rate of just centimeters per second, and JuRa will take advantage of that low speed to send the same coded signal down to the asteroid multiple times, boosting the instrument’s overall signal to noise ratio. The reflected signals will be decoded and converted into a 3D picture back on Earth.

 Coming in for landing
Once Juventas completes its radar survey, it will switch into orbit around Dimorphos to begin the next phase of its mission: landing on the smaller asteroid.

Jan Persson noted, “We’re still analyzing the best way to do this, but our speed should be low enough – on the order of centimeters per second – that Juventas will come down without bouncing right the way up into space again. Onboard accelerometers and gyros will gather data from this moment to learn more about the surface properties. When Juventas finally comes to rest we want it to be in stable configuration to operate the spacecraft’s second science payload, the GRASS gravimeter.”

The first instrument to directly measure gravity on the surface of an asteroid, the Gravimeter for Small Solar System Objects, GRASS, has been developed by the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) with Spain’s EMXYS company. The plan is for it to record how the gravity levels on Dimorphos change over the course of its orbit around Didymos.

Both the Juventas and Milani CubeSats have now joined their Hera mothership for testing at ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands, the largest spacecraft test facility in Europe. The trio will be placed in the Maxwell electromagnetic compatibility chamber to check their inter-satellite links work as planned.

Following the December 22, 2023, press release, concerning the contract for 20 satellites for Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs & Fisheries, with a value of approx. 650 MSEK, discussions on government-to-government financing are still pending — further updates are anticipated in Q2 2024.

On March 6, 2024, Indonesia unveiled their plan to launch a satellite network for maritime monitoring, with the satellites from Denmark and the first satellite flying in July 2024. Link: Indonesia unveils plan to launch a satellite network for maritime monitoring (mongabay.com). In anticipation of this timeframe, GomSpace is concurrently undertaking essential satellite and launch preparations.

The Indonesian maritime surveillance program is linked to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Government, ratified on June 14, 2023. The MoU outlines a potential 1 billion Euro infrastructure project financing from Denmark to Indonesia. Link: 1 BEUR Government to Government Agreement.

Following the commercial contract signing on December 22, 2023, and the creation of the Joint Venture EPGS Partners between GomSpace and Ellipse Projects France, Ellipse Projects has established a new entity in Denmark, named Ellipse Projects Denmark. The intention is to provide all services from Denmark, employing Danish personnel, thereby bolstering the Danish export contents.

Olivier Picard, CEO of Ellipse Projects, said,“Ellipse Projects is proud to team up with GomSpace and to be the prime contractor for this contract through the EPGS Partners Joint Venture.”

GomSpace CEO, Carsten Drachmann, said, “At GomSpace we are excited to partner with such an experienced company like Ellipse Projects, whose track record in managing government projects in Southeast Asia and Africa is significant, with strong references from financial institutions in both France and UK. The fact that they are now committed to building a business in Denmark to support Danish export growth, is a testament to their commitment to success in our joint Indonesian project.” 

GomSpace highlights that no information in this announcement is to be interpreted as a guarantee for a final contract. The company cannot control the final financing agreement nor other circumstances that may affect the completion of the contract as outlined.

The aim of this mission is to demonstrate services and develop key technologies of LEO satellites for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) by launching a small constellation of five satellites. GMV will be responsible for the complete end-to-end space mission and will lead an industrial organization that includes key partners such as OHB System AG, Alén Space, Beyond Gravity and Indra. This will open up a new way of using low orbit satellites in key markets and applications.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a 78.4 million euros contract to GMV to develop key technologies and demonstrate the benefits of LEO satellites for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT).

Satellite navigation has traditionally relied on satellites at MEO, but future navigation systems will adopt a multi-layer system of systems architecture employing satellites at different orbital altitudes. LEO can bring important benefits to users in terms of improved signal resiliency, robustness, and accuracy.

The signed contract includes the design and development of satellites and payloads, the procurement of launch services, the provision of a Ground-Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS), the development of a test user receiver, system operations, as well as experimentation and demonstration of LEO-PNT services with end users.

A total of five satellites will be developed and placed into orbit. The first satellite, an initial technology demonstrator based on a 12U cubesat architecture, will be launched within 20 months from kick-off to perform initial testing. Four additional smallsats will be launched to complete the demonstration constellation by 2027.

The LEO-PNT satellites developed in this contract will transmit new advanced signals in UHF, L-, S- and C-band complementing the signals currently transmitted by navigation satellites such as Galileo and GPS. An innovative “LEO shield” integrity determination function, capable of assessing in real time the integrity of GNSS signals received onboard the LEO satellites and alert users in case of malfunctioning will be also demonstrated.

GMV will be responsible for the complete end-to-end space mission and will lead an industrial organization that includes OHB System AG, Alén Space, Beyond Gravity and Indra as core partners.

With a key role as space segment prime of the small satellites, OHB System AG will lead the development and manufacturing of four LEO satellites in Bremen, bringing to the project the company’s key expertise in the production of 34 Galileo satellites.

Alén Space, now part of GMV’s group since mid-2023, will provide the first technology demonstrator cubesat platforms as well as important payload components. Alén Space will also bring to the project its key expertise in new space methodologies that are considered essential for the LEO-PNT mission.

Beyond Gravity, a leading independent space equipment supplier to satellite and payload primes and launcher operators, will play a key role in the development of the PNT payloads onboard the satellites.

With strong expertise in GNSS applications in various markets, Indra will also play a key role in the project coordinating the experimentation and validation campaign that aims at demonstrating the benefits of LEO satellites for PNT for end-users’ services.

The team is completed with 14 end-user representatives and key stakeholders from different parts of the LEO-PNT value chain and with presence in key potential LEO-PNT markets such as road, rail, maritime, navigation at high latitudes and in inland waterways, indoor positioning, fishing, precise timing, IoT/asset-tracking, critical infrastructures, location-based services and 5G/6G industries.

With the LEO PNT in-orbit demonstrator (IOD), GMV is ushering in a new era that will open the door to a new generation of navigation systems. Leading a space mission from start to finish is a major commitment for GMV and represents the next logical step in consolidating the company’s position as a leading player in the European aerospace industry.

The TEXUS 60 rocket was successfully launched by Airbus on Sunday, March 24, at 10:45 CET, from Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, Sweden — the rocket reached an apogee of 251 km and provided 362 seconds of microgravity time.

The payloads on board included two DLR experiments for the German Aerospace Center (DLR), called Simona and GECO, as well as a joint experiment of DLR and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), called Phoenix 2.

During a microgravity time period of six minutes, Simona performed an experiment to study specific reactions of liquid alloys in microgravity to enhance advanced materials for car engine bearings, while GECO recorded calcium interaction with microgravity in plants to expand our knowledge about plant cultivation to ensure, for instance, a food source in space.

Finally, Phoenix 2 got deeper into droplet interaction in spontaneous ignition of multiple fuel droplets that will lead to a better understanding of liquid spray combustion which is employed in industrial furnaces, boilers, gas turbines, diesels, spark-ignition, and rocket engines.

Previously, the TEXUS 59 rocket was successfully launched from Esrange on February 15th carrying two ESA experiments, Safari and T-REX , and one DLR experiment, Topoflame, on board. 

Safari, for example, aimed to  study the growth of crystals that can lead to improvements in drug development to better understand the function of molecules that are important in health and disease, and agricultural solutions that better protect crops and enhance plant growth on Earth. T-REX, studying different behavior of immune system cells under microgravity. Its findings could help to understand the biological process that allows a cell or an organism to respond to a variety of signals since this is one of the leading causes in various human diseases. More than fifty percent of cancers arise due to frequent mutations in genes.

The last experiment aboard TEXUS 59 was Topoflame, aimed to understand the insights of fire safety in astronautical spaceflight, studying flame propagation along solid fuels. Planned space exploration missions raise concerns about fire safety and propagation under conditions of reduced gravity. 

These launches represent a double success generating an enormous amount of data to support scientists.

Airbus is in charge of the development of the TEXUS rockets, from the mission concept and engine procurement to the data recovery. The average weight of a TEXUS payload is around 350 kg.

Airbus engineers from different disciplines develop, integrate and test the experimental equipment. In collaboration with customers and scientific teams, they establish experimental concepts. Breadboard tests are conducted to support design decisions. Depending on the results, further tests may be required to determine or verify critical parameters of the experiment before launch. Design reviews with customers ensure that their requirements are fully met.

Finally, the experimental equipment is integrated, tested at various stages and verified. All this goes hand-in-hand with the development of the ground support systems needed to control the experiments during the test phase in Bremen and during the flight from Esrange.

Before transferring all flight hardware and ground systems to Esrange, a flight system acceptance review is organized with customers, which also covers the contributions of subcontractors: the service system (communication between the experiments and the ground station), the recovery system (parachutes), the rocket engines (solid propellant) and the readiness of the facilities at Esrange.

Sounding rockets – also known as research rockets – launch scientific and technological experiments to the edge of space before falling back to Earth. Put simply, TEXUS helps scientists conduct biological, material science and physical experiments under microgravity conditions. The program also plays an important role in preparing experiments for the International Space Station (ISS). 

In ballistic flight, a TEXUS rocket reaches a peak altitude of about 260 kilometers. The flight, from lift-off to landing, takes about 15 minutes. As it falls freely, the experiments inside experience weightlessness for a duration of six minutes, which is only about one ten thousandth of the Earth’s normal gravity. During these six minutes of valuable research time, the scientists can directly control and monitor their experiments from the ground using telecommand and video transmission. The data is collected during the flight by telemetry and after recovery of the payload. The rocket’s payload lands by parachute and is recovered by helicopter with the support of Airbus and the Swedish Space Corporation, Esrange’s operator.

In gravitational biology, for instance, the role of gravity for cellular growth, development, reproduction, movement, orientation and other physiological processes, as well as the mechanisms of adaptation and compensation, are investigated. In bioprocessing, cell fusion and cell cultivation techniques are investigated. Also, growth of high-quality monocrystals of biological macromolecules for crystal structure analysis; or rapid technological processes such as electrophoresis and electrofusion can be performed. These are only some of the research areas studied that ultimately translate into tangible benefits for society.

As they never enter orbit, sounding rockets do not require extreme propulsion or telemetry and tracking coverage. The costs of the rocket are shared between 2, 3 or 4 research centers that provide their experiments. In addition, they serve as a test bed for future innovations that will go on board satellites or even the Space Station.

The payload can be developed in a short time frame of 6 to 18 months. Moreover, with such a short development time, the latest technology can be incorporated into its experiments. It also offers a very fast response capability, e.g. to arrive in time to study cosmological phenomena, such as the effects of an extreme solar flare on the auroras’ behavior. 

Investigators are directly involved in developing the hardware, and in the preparation and execution of the experiment. Remote operation of the experiment can be done directly by the scientist during flight via telecommand and the support of adequate laboratory facilities at the launch site. Sounding rockets offer the possibility of conducting a series of periodical investigations for rapid verification of data used to prepare experiments that will later be implemented on the ISS.

TEXUS (Technological Experiments in Zero Gravity) is the world’s most successful and longest lasting sounding rocket program – the first TEXUS rocket was launched in December of 1977. Customers include the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) working together with various research institutes and universities around the world.

Open Cosmos recently launched HAMMER, the company’s latest Earth Observation (EO) satellite — after a successful lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter 10 mission. The company received confirmation of the deployment of HAMMER from the Exolaunch deployer and, on first pass over the ground station, satellite operators at the Open Cosmos Control center received a strong signal from the satellite and initiated telemetry downloads.

HAMMER (Hyperspectral AI for Marine Monitoring and Emergency Response) is an In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) satellite, built in collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult, that will host a miniaturized EO payload alongside integrated onboard processing capabilities, developed by Ubotica Technologies. The satellite will acquire, process, compress, store, and forward medium-resolution hyperspectral imagery for Atlantic coastal and high sea areas.

HAMMER will also give a quick and effective response to natural disasters due to its compatibility and interoperability with existing EO networks, enabling collaboration with other satellites and ground-based systems for comprehensive monitoring and emergency response.

Key Technical Features of Hammer

• Hyperspectral Camera: HAMMER boasts a hyper spectral camera, capable of delivering unparalleled resolution and clarity for Earth observation. Hyperspectral imaging captures images across hundreds of narrow spectral bands, offering detailed information about the composition of objects or scenes. By analysing the unique spectral signatures of materials, hyperspectral imaging enables applications in agriculture and environmental monitoring, among others.

• AI processing: The integration of AI boards in HAMMER enables real-time, onboard data analysis, enhancing responsiveness to dynamic environmental changes without ground station transmission and human intervention. This boosts efficiency, optimises resource use, and enhances intelligence for disaster response, agriculture, and urban planning. Additionally, it increases autonomy for immediate decision-making in emergencies.

• Inter-Satellite Link: Inter-Satellite Linking ensures continuous data transmission for global coverage. It also reduces latency, and increases data throughput, crucial for real-time applications. Additionally, inter-satellite linking provides flexibility, security, and cost-effectiveness, allowing seamless integration and efficient operations within satellite constellations.

HAMMER is the latest addition to the OpenConstellation, Open Cosmos’ mutualized satellite infrastructure. The OpenConstellation facilitates shared access to satellite data, reducing costs and increasing data quality and frequency, allowing partners to benefit from broader global coverage and more frequent re-visit times. Open Cosmos manages full mission operations, providing access to diverse data types and third-party tools through the DataCosmos platform.

Oriol Aragon Casaled, Mission Manager at Open Cosmos, said, “HAMMER truly is a game changer for Open Cosmos and a satellite that is sure to disrupt the market. The inclusion of a hyperspectral camera and AI board ensure the most advanced imaging in the market, while the inter-satellite linking makes data available in almost real time. This means our customers don’t have to wait days, or even hours, for insights from their areas of interest – they can get them in minutes. For us, HAMMER is setting a new standard for Earth Observation satellites.”

Gary Cannon, Space Sector Lead at the Satellite Applications Catapult, said, “HAMMER has been designed, built and tested by Open Cosmos at their facilities in Harwell, UK, using the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In Orbit Demonstration program that provides technical, quality and programmatic support and access to specialist facilities. This 6U LEO satellite will demonstrate innovative technologies and deliver new near real-time capabilities to parties monitoring maritime regions and environments. With AI to assist in tasking, high resolution hyperspectral imaging and onboard processing, and inter-satellite links to convey data in near real-time, HAMMER is advancing satellite technologies and proving their value in marine and other applications.”

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NASA’s BurstCube, a shoebox-sized satellite designed to study the universe’s most powerful explosions, is on its way to the International Space Station.

The spacecraft traveled aboard SpaceX’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission, which lifted off at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After arriving at the station, BurstCube will be unpacked and later released into orbit, where it will detect, locate, and study short gamma-ray bursts – brief flashes of high-energy light.

“BurstCube may be small, but in addition to investigating these extreme events, it’s testing new technology and providing important experience for early career astronomers and aerospace engineers,” said Jeremy Perkins, BurstCube’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Short gamma-ray bursts usually occur after the collisions of neutron stars, the superdense remnants of massive stars that exploded in supernovae. The neutron stars can also emit gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time, as they spiral together.Astronomers are interested in studying gamma-ray bursts using both light and gravitational waves because each can teach them about different aspects of the event. This approach is part of a new way of understanding the cosmos called multimessenger astronomy.

The collisions that create short gamma-ray bursts also produce heavy elements, such as gold and iodine, an essential ingredient for life as we know it.

Currently, the only joint observation of gravitational waves and light from the same event – called GW170817 – was in 2017. It was a watershed moment in multimessenger astronomy, and the scientific community has been hoping and preparing for additional concurrent discoveries since.

“BurstCube’s detectors are angled to allow us to detect and localize events over a wide area of the sky,” said Israel Martinez, research scientist and BurstCube team member at the University of Maryland, College Park and Goddard. “Our current gamma-ray missions can only see about 70% of the sky at any moment because Earth blocks their view. Increasing our coverage with satellites like BurstCube improves the odds we’ll catch more bursts coincident with gravitational wave detections.”

BurstCube’s main instrument detects gamma rays with energies ranging from 50,000 to 1 million electron volts. (For comparison, visible light ranges between 2 and 3 electron volts.)

When a gamma ray enters one of BurstCube’s four detectors, it encounters a cesium iodide layer called a scintillator, which converts it into visible light. The light then enters another layer, an array of 116 silicon photomultipliers, that converts it into a pulse of electrons, which is what BurstCube measures. For each gamma ray, the team sees one pulse in the instrument readout that provides the precise arrival time and energy. The angled detectors inform the team of the general direction of the event.

“We were able to order many of BurstCube’s parts, like solar panels and other off-the-shelf components, which are becoming standardized for CubeSats,” said Julie Cox, a BurstCube mechanical engineer at Goddard. “That allowed us to focus on the mission’s novel aspects, like the made-in-house components and the instrument, which will demonstrate how a new generation of miniaturized gamma-ray detectors work in space.”

BurstCube is led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It’s funded by the Science Mission Directorate’s Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. The BurstCube collaboration includes: the University of Alabama in Huntsville; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of the Virgin Islands; the Universities Space Research Association in Washington; the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington; and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Article is by Jeanette Kazmierczak, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.