Archives for May 2024

Ovzon launched two new SATCOM-as-a-Service offerings that are tailored to meet customer’s needs for performance, mobility, and resiliency — these two, new, integrated solutions are named Ovzon Pegasus and Ovzon Orion. They are built on the technologies and capabilities of Ovzon 3 and the Ovzon On-Board-Processor.

Ovzon Pegasus service, enabled by Ovzon 3, brings a steerable beam service offering, specifically developed for the critical tasks of the most demanding customers. It offers unprecedented throughput to and from the smallest mobile satellite terminals resulting in up to twice the data rate-to-weight ratio versus any satellite spot beam service on the market today.

Ovzon Orion service is exclusive to the mobile satellite terminal Ovzon T7 and is enabled by the Ovzon 3 and the Ovzon On-Board-Processor.

This integrated service allows for the most advanced features specifically developed for mission-critical applications of customers operating in near-peer environments. It offers resiliency that permits autonomous operation, in challenging environments, giving the ability to continue operation through a direct link between Ovzon 3 and the mobile satellite terminal, even if the ground control station is compromised.

“As Ovzon 3 prepares for its entry-into-service, I am proud that we now launch these new industry first services enabled by Ovzon 3, the Ovzon On-Board-Processor and the Ovzon T7. Ovzon’s innovative and unique technologies can offer something to our customers which is not available today on the market, and meet the increasing demand on mission critical satellite communication,” said Per Norén, CEO of Ovzon.

About Ovzon
Ovzon offers world-leading integrated mobile satellite communications services, SATCOM-as-a-Service, to customers globally. The services combine high throughput satellite networks, mobile satellite terminals, gateway services, and dedicated customer support. Ovzon’s offerings meet the growing demand for mission critical connectivity for customers with high performance, mobility and resiliency requirements such as Defense, National security and Public safety. In January 2024, Ovzon’s proprietary developed geostationary satellite Ovzon 3 was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, FL. Founded in 2006, Ovzon has offices in Stockholm, Sweden as well as Herndon, VA and Tampa, FL in the USA. Ovzon is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Small Cap.

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has selected Loft Orbital (Loft) as a partner for its Real-Time Space Relay (RTSR) service — this demo is part of Viasat’s work in support of a $53 million award under NASA’s Communications Services Project, which evaluates commercial satellite communications services and technologies to support NASA near-Earth communications requirements as it sunsets the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system.

The Viasat RTSR service is designed to offer low data latency, enabling continuous connectivity with the low Earth orbit spacecraft requiring near real-time data transfer of time-sensitive mission and telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) data. As proliferated LEO (p-LEO) constellations continue to emerge, this scalable service will leverage Viasat’s high-throughput geostationary orbit network and tap into its growing ground station network to deliver persistent coverage around the globe.

Viasat’s newly developed space qualified Ka-band space terminal will be integrated on a Loft spacecraft along with multiple commercial payloads. This demonstration mission will show that Viasat’s space-based relay communication services can support NASA and other commercial, scientific and defense missions with high-throughput, on-demand connectivity for downlinking critical mission data, as well as in-orbit spacecraft and payload software capability upgrades.

The mission, which is anticipated to launch in Fall 2025, will also show how the Viasat RTSR service enhances Loft Orbital’s space infrastructure offering with a new real-time connectivity resource available for Loft virtual missions, enabling novel capabilities for customers.

The Communications Services Project is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research center in Cleveland, Ohio, under the direction of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program.

“Viasat is excited to partner with Loft Orbital to showcase our progress under NASA’s Communications Services Project and to highlight the first commercial use of Viasat’s Real-Time Space Relay service. This intersatellite link capability will provide significant value to Loft’s commercial mission, both during and after the demonstration period,” said Michael Maughan, Vice President of Space and Mission Systems, Viasat Government Systems. “The combination of multi-orbit space-relay service through Viasat’s high-capacity network and access to our global ground network will offer NASA and other government customers, as well as commercial providers, greater flexibility in downlinking data to the ground via whichever path is most timely or cost-effective.”

“Loft is proud to partner with Viasat on NASA’s Communications Services Project to provide the infrastructure for this important capability,” said Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO of Loft Orbital. “The addition of Viasat’s relay service to our space infrastructure will let our virtual mission customers deploying AI applications have continuous real-time access to their mission for time-critical applications.”

GomSpace is making a strategic step into the microsatellite domain with a significant order valued at 2.9 million euros from Unseenlabs — this marks the commencement of an exciting collaboration between GomSpace and Unseenlabs as they embark on the development of a pioneering microsatellite platform.

The contract is an initial contract for design and development and signifies a landmark partnership between GomSpace and Unseenlabs, poised to redefine the landscape of satellite technology. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the first phase of the project aims to engineer a cutting-edge microsatellite platform tailored to accommodate Unseenlabs’ next-generation payload, amplifying capabilities for signal intelligence and ability to provide comprehensive surveillance over sea, land, and space.

Unseenlabs recently announced via social media plans to expand their current satellite constellation with a new generation of microsatellites to be launched in 2026. This order is the first step in the development of a fleet of satellites.

The venture leverages the combined expertise and technological heritage of GomSpace and Unseenlabs, drawing from their experience in deploying cube satellites that continuously deliver invaluable data year-round. While GomSpace’s previous cube satellites typically ranged from 5-30kg, the new microsatellites under development will weigh up to 150 kg, enabling a new era of enhanced capacity and functionality. 

As the project progresses, GomSpace and Unseenlabs remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, delivering cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving demands of signal intelligence and maritime surveillance. 

Jonathan Galic, Co-founder, President, and CTO of Unseenlabs, said, “Expanding the capabilities of our payload necessitates a larger platform, and building upon the heritage and experience of integrating Unseenlabs payloads on GomSpace platforms is pivotal for us. This underscores the significance of our continued cooperation with GomSpace.”

“This collaboration represents a significant milestone for both GomSpace and Unseenlabs as we step into the dynamic realm of microsatellites,” said Carsten Drachmann, CEO of GomSpace. “We are honored to be entrusted by Unseenlabs to spearhead this transformative project, marking not only a continuation of our partnership but also a pivotal moment in GomSpace’s evolution towards advanced satellite platforms.”

Telesat reported an underwhelming set of Q1 numbers. Every key metric showed a decline in revenues. Overall revenue was down a worrying 17 percent year-on-year to C$152 million (€103.1 million) for the three months to March 31st.

“The decrease was primarily due to a reduction of services and lower rate on the renewal of a long-term agreement with a North American DTH customer as well as lower revenue from certain mobility and Latin American customers and lower equipment sales to Canadian Government customers,” said the company.

Poor as its numbers were, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. CEO Dan Goldberg told analysts that Lightspeed, the company’s proposed LEO, 198-craft fleet now under construction, would make a material difference.

“We believe Lightspeed will revolutionise broadband connectivity for enterprise and government users and represents a highly compelling growth and value creation opportunity for Telesat and its stakeholders,” he said.

Telesat reminded analysts that the final approvals for part of the scheme’s funding was now in place for – at least – 156 of the satellites, and which is enough to provide a full service.

The cash, C$1.25 billion plus investments, means that Telesat has C$1.76 billion ready to fund the build. Lightspeed’s prime contractor is Ontario-based MDA Space. Other key metrics show that Telesat’s backlog is C$1.2 billion and fleet use is just 77 per cent (down from 85 percent just three months earlier).

“The biggest [decline] has been in the cruise space, and in particular for us in the Caribbean,” Goldberg said. “We have a meaningful amount of capacity there,” with the company adding that Telesat was losing cruise contracts to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

The current plan for Lightspeed is for launches to start in 2026, and for global service to begin in 2027. Telesat/Lightspeed has a 14-launch agreement with SpaceX.

Also, Avanti Communications, the multi-orbit satellite technology provider, has announced the launch of LEO satellite connectivity services in South Africa.

Avanti has partnered with Q-KON, a satellite engineering enterprise for southern Africa, to deliver seamless LEO connectivity from Eutelsat OneWeb. The new deal is set to improve business operations nationwide in what is a challenging connectivity environment.

Avanti and Q-KON are delivering on the increased demand for LEO connectivity within the region. The deal bolsters Avanti’s multi-orbit solution and means the company can now offer a combination of LEO and GEO services effective immediately.

Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Avanti Communications, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Q-KON to provide LEO services to our customers across South Africa. This is a strategically significant move for us in multi-orbit and we hope that this is the first of many LEO partnerships globally. This hybrid model gives our customers in South Africa the assurance that all their unique problems can be solved through our services. This is particularly important for our enterprise customers in South Africa where the need for resilience is key.”

Dr. Dawie de Wet, CEO of Q-KON, said, “We are pleased to support Avanti with our Eutelsat OneWeb customer-centric services, made possible by our proven Smart Satellite Service technologies developed for our Twoobii GEO portfolio. We also look forward to supporting Avanti with our end-to-end and turn-key project supply, delivery and support capabilities.”

Late last month, Portal Space Systems, a Seattle-based space startup, announced the acquisition of more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) and United States Space Force (USSF) to support the development and launch of its revolutionary Supernova satellite bus.

Led by industry veteran Jeff Thornburg, architect of SpaceX’s Raptor engine, former head of Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing at Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and former Chief of Engineering at Commonwealth Fusion, Portal Space Systems will empower the next generation of space operators to maintain space superiority.

Portal Space Systems was founded by industry leader Jeff Thornburg, with COO Ian Vorbach and VP of Engineering Prashaanth Ravindran, and is dedicated to solving the emerging need for rapid and long-range mobility in space. Their flagship product, the Supernova satellite bus, is engineered from the ground up for maneuverability and features a novel solar-thermal propulsion system. With a payload-agnostic design and 500 kg mass, Supernova boasts a remarkable 6 km/s delta-v, setting a new standard for in-space mobility with 50 times the range of existing products on the market. 

That means that the system can perform currently impossible mission needs, such as moving from LEO to GEO in hours, or even the moon, in just days.

Portal Space Systems has garnered significant support from the United States Space Force, positioning the company as a key partner in advancing national interests in space. The company is targeting the first launch of its Supernova system in late 2025. 

“The space industry hasn’t fundamentally improved satellite bus technology in decades. Our nation is developing 6th-generation fighter aircraft technology but still uses 1st-generation satellite buses. Portal’s Supernova is designed around the customer need for unparalleled mobility and extended mission life,” said Jeff Thornburg, CEO of Portal Space Systems. “Our novel solar-thermal propulsion system and bus design, combined with our compatibility to support any customer payload, sets us apart. We provide an over 50x improvement in current spacecraft mobility. For our customers, that means the ability to have spacecraft on orbit that are able to respond in real-time to events in any orbital regime.”

“We are proud to develop solutions that enhance our nation’s space capabilities by building in constant collaboration with our government partners,” said Ian Vorbach, COO of Portal Space Systems.

About Portal Space Systems
Portal Space Systems is a Seattle-based space start-up founded in 2021. It is led by space technology leader Jeff Thornburg and supported by COO Ian Vorbach and Vice President of Engineering Prashaanth Ravindran. Portal Space Systems is a full-service space maneuverability solution that offers tactical responsiveness and dynamic space operations via its flagship product, the Supernova satellite bus. Supernova is payload-agnostic with 500 kg of payload capacity and is powered by a novel solar-thermal propulsion system providing industry-leading 6 km/s delta-v. Portal Space Systems is launching the first Supernova in late 2025. 

Following a program of testing and development within satellite vehicles, Space Forge is to launch their on-orbit manufacturing demonstration satellite, ForgeStar-1, equipped with Silicon Sensing’s CAS291 accelerometer.

ForgeStar satellites will be used to produce advanced materials such as alloys, proteins and semiconductors in the ultra-vacuum and microgravity conditions of space. These are the first satellites designed and built in Wales, United Kingdom.

Silicon Sensing’s CAS291 high-performance accelerometer will be installed in the electrical subsystem of the avionics bay on ForgeStar-1 where it will measure the level of microgravity inside the satellite, to link to the quality of space-produced materials.

CAS291 is a miniature accelerometer capable of operating from -40°C to +125°C, with an acceleration range of up to ±0.85g. Its small size and weight, with its exterior – measuring 10.4 x 6 x 2.7mm and weighing only 0.6g – are critical in applications such as this where available space and weight are at a premium.

David Somerville, General Manager, Silicon Sensing, said, “We are delighted Space Forge has chosen our CAS accelerometers for their manufacturing satellites. Space Forge’s achievements in this area clearly indicate the high level of innovation that the United Kingdom has to offer – and their ForgeStar satellites will represent a new era for commercial nanosatellites.”

About Silicon Sensing Systems
Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd. is a gyroscope and inertial systems engineering development company, jointly owned by Collins Aerospace and Sumitomo Precision Products. The company was formed in 1999 and is, today, a market leader in silicon, micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based navigation and stabilization technology. Many millions of MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers have been supplied to thousands of customers since the company’s formation.

Xona Space Systems Inc. has announced an oversubscribed $19 million Series A funding round led by Future Ventures and Seraphim Space — new investors NGP Capital, Industrious Ventures, Murata Electronics, Space Capital, and Aloniq also joined this investment round.

This funding will be used to accelerate the deployment of Xona’s LEO satellite network as they drive toward commercialization. With this round Xona will begin beta operations of their PULSAR satellite service which is aimed at providing the robust precision guidance needed for intelligent and autonomous technologies to scale beyond highly structured environments.

Compared to GPS, PULSAR brings orders of magnitude improvements in accuracy, availability, and security which are crucial for a future filled with autonomous systems and for the protection of vital national infrastructure. Major industries such as agriculture, automotive, and defense are eager to transition to automation but are continuously plagued by the challenges of unstructured environments and inadequate GPS performance. Xona’s PULSAR allows these devices to expand beyond their current limits by enabling them to confidently determine their location to within a few centimeters even if they have never operated at that location before.

The Xona team, comprised of top navigation and space experts from SpaceX, Ford, NASA, and Blue Origin, has made remarkable progress recently in the key areas of satellite development, user equipment integration, and commercialization, with development kits now available for sale. Xona’s partners and customers span both U.S. government agencies as well as industry giants including names such as the US Space Force and Spirent.

“A century ago, people looked to the North Star for trusted guidance when other methods were unavailable,” said Brian Manning, CEO and co-founder of Xona. “AI and automation are the future – our PULSAR service aims to be for these industries what the North Star was for humanity in previous centuries. Xona is a pioneer not only in precision LEO navigation but also the commercialization of satellite navigation itself. This brings with it many new challenges across all aspects of the company. This round is a testament to our team’s ability to overcome these challenges, and has armed us with the resources we need to bring our vision to life.”

Bob Desborough, General Partner at Seraphim Space, said, “After half a century of use, our dependence on GPS is absolute. Outages could cause incalculable damage to the global economy, while enhancement opens up whole new industries. Waiting for GPS to fail, or for hostile powers to spoof it, is not an option for our security or commercial industries. Xona and the pioneering team are executing on building the GPS the modern era needs and we’re delighted to continue to support their transformative vision.”

“We have been searching for over a decade for the next great space company that will have a transformational impact on the world,” said Steve Jurvetson, co-founder and managing partner at Future Ventures. “Xona is building a powerful, precise and protected platform for global geolocation services. Much of the economy, from autonomous vehicles to maps and asset tracking rely on GNSS from space. With current offerings, the signals are weak and thus, easily lost in buildings, urban areas, and areas with signal interference. Much like Starlink was for communications links, Xona’s LEO constellation of satellites can provide a more robust and powerful solution than current systems operating in higher orbits, while preserving compatibility with end user equipment. I am thrilled to be joining the visionary and talented team of Xona.” 

About Xona Space Systems, Inc.
Xona Space Systems is developing an independent high-performance satellite navigation and timing system to meet the needs of intelligent systems. Delivered via a secure, high-power signal from Xona’s low Earth orbit satellites, the patent-pending PULSAR service aims to enable the next wave of automated technology.

Contract supports product development for continuous spacecraft communications solution engineered to eliminate communications blackout periods and provide persistent connectivity for space assets

Solstar Space (Solstar) has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II contract in the amount of $1,248,735 to address pressing challenges for the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

The contract supports development of Solstar’s Continuous Spacecraft System Communications Wideband (CSSC-WB) unit, known as the Slayton Space Communicator (Slayton). Slayton provides high-speed downlink and uplink communication capabilities designed to significantly increase connectivity with people and spacecraft operating in LEO while minimizing communications blackout periods caused by limited ground station links.

“Slayton Space Communicators will provide crucial near real time access to large data files like remote sensing images and video. As LEO becomes increasingly congested, it is imperative that the U.S. Space Force (USSF) has complete situational awareness,” said Brian Barnett, CEO, Solstar Space. “Slayton will provide reliable wideband connectivity with space assets to ensure resilient data delivery. Slayton revolutionizes on-orbit communications by offering commercial wideband satellite services in space leveraging operational and emerging wideband commercial satellite networks in MEO and LEO. This technology is central to meeting USAF operational imperatives.“

SSC and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have signed a collaborative agreement to launch satellites jointly from the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, starting in 2025 — Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher will be the first orbital rocket launched from Esrange.

The two-stage launch vehicle has the capacity to place up to 200 kg into a 500 km SSO. Together, SSC and Perigee will develop a service concept with a shared payload space onboard the rocket to make room for both companies’ customer bases.

Enforced by SSC’s global satellite ground station network, this service could also be supplemented by additional space-to-ground services.

“I’m very pleased to announce this historic collaboration, our first orbital launch partnership. The market demand for this service is huge and it’s needed now, by both European and international satellite owners. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 rocket is an ideal match for our orbital launch complex at Esrange. With this partnership, SSC will be able to offer a competitive commercial European orbital launch service at our spaceport in Sweden. This is exciting news for us, and for the global space market,” said Charlotta Sund, CEO of SSC.

“SSC has an impressive 50 years of launch heritage and the new orbital launch infrastructure at Esrange is laying the foundation for the years to come. By bringing our Blue Whale 1 rocket, soon ready for orbital missions, we will partner with SSC to create a state-of-the-art orbital launch service, including further delivery through SSC’s ground service offering. After a successful orbital launch from South Korea next year, we look forward to beginning this historic journey at Esrange,” said Yoon Shin, CEO and Founder of Perigee.