Archives for 2024

LeoLabs has appointed Tony Frazier as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will lead LeoLabs as the firm scales to become a critical mission partner for combined military space operations and next generation space safety systems.

Tony’s wealth of experience driving innovation at the intersection of commercial space and national security will help LeoLabs further accelerate its growth and solidify its position as an industry leader. Most recently, as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Public Sector Earth Intelligence at Maxar Technologies, Tony led a $1 billion business that supported missions across the U.S. Government and more than 60 international customers. During his tenure at Maxar, GeoEye, and DigitalGlobe, Tony became a trusted mission partner, won billions of dollars in new contract awards, and incubated two new businesses that were scaled above $100 million.

Space is increasingly congested and contested. In 2020, there were approximately 2,500 operational satellites in LEO Forecasts indicate this number could exceed 12,000 by the end of 2024 and upwards of 70,000 by 2030. While much of this growth has been driven by the commercial sector, many nations are making strategic investments in space. For example, China has reported that it intends to build a constellation of 26,000 satellites. This exponential growth of activity in space has created a need for a new class of safety and security solutions.

LeoLabs experienced strong momentum over the past year. It was recently selected by the U.S. Space Force to participate in the Space Systems Command’s SDA TAP Lab Accelerator where it is demonstrating how its AI-powered solutions can be applied to Space Battle Management. Additionally, LeoLabs is supporting international allies as they establish their military space operations. The company was also selected to provide a commercial foundation for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s historic civil space traffic coordination system.

Dan Ceperley co-founded LeoLabs in 2016 while at SRI International. As CEO, Dan led the development of the company’s proprietary radar technology, completing its first radar site in 2017 and expanding the network globally to include 10 radars in under six years. Under his leadership, LeoLabs built the world’s largest commercially owned catalog of objects and activities in LEO and developed the fastest and most comprehensive data analytics platform for space operations. It has won multiple multi-million-dollar contracts and raised more than $120 million in venture capital funding.

“After my experience at Maxar, I was looking for a company bringing commercial innovation to a critical national security mission,” said Tony. “LeoLabs is delivering incredible capabilities in the emerging markets of space situational awareness and space domain awareness. LeoLabs was the first company to detect a secondary object released by a Russian satellite in November and persistently tracked China’s spaceplane for over 200 days between 2022 and 2023, detecting several maneuvers, deployments, and docking activities. At Maxar, we leveraged the unique capabilities of our constellation, advances in computing, and geospatial analytics expertise to become the industry leader in Earth Intelligence. LeoLabs has built the right capabilities at the right time to become a critical mission partner for U.S., allied, and commercial space operators. I’m excited to join LeoLabs as CEO to build on its market momentum and scale its growth.”

“One of my proudest accomplishments is to see the technology we developed at LeoLabs used to impact customer missions,” said Dan. “The number of satellites and space threats is growing at an unprecedented rate. Tony is going to take the great capabilities and customer relationships we pioneered and scale them to become an indispensable source of information for the global space industry. I’m thrilled to get back to my engineering roots and support him by delivering the technology that will power this transition. We have new sensor hardware in the works, new AI-powered analytics, software integrations, and cutting-edge R&D that will make 2024 an exciting year.”

“It is terrific to see how Dan and the LeoLabs team have taken a nascent technology developed at SRI under funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation and grown it from a prototype to a product lockstep with the growth of the commercial space business,” said LeoLabs Board Chairman Manish Kothari. “The Board and I are grateful for Dan’s contributions and are excited for what is to come under Tony’s leadership.”

Ascent Solar Technologies (Nasdaq: ASTI) has announced that the Company’s solar module products will fly on NASA’s upcoming Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and AnTenna (LISA-T) mission, scheduled for launch this summer.

The mission, led by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, will demonstrate the capability to deploy large-area arrays on lightweight, low-cost and small spacecraft.

LISA-T is the fourth mission in NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series of missions evaluating novel, small spacecraft capabilities on orbit. Managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, these demonstration missions facilitate the direct infusion of new technologies into the agency’s future science and exploration missions.

LISA-T (PTD-4)’s solar arrays are lower mass and stowed volume, and produce three times more power than alternative PV solutions traded within the system envelope. PTD-4’s deployable solar arrays are designed to scale larger than the mission’s CubeSat form factor with options capable of generating kilowatts of power to small spacecraft.

Leading up to this spacecraft demonstration, Ascent’s PV products were previously evaluated on the International Space Station. Modules tested on NASA’s MISSE-X experiment validated the resilience of the company’s CIGS material in the space environment, both bare and encapsulated. Additional Ascent modules with lower-cost and lighter-weight laminates are being evaluated on the upcoming MISSE payload slated to fly on SpaceX’s 30th Commercial Resupply Mission to the space station scheduled for March.

“Selection for this upcoming space mission is the culmination of years of Ascent’s work with NASA to optimize the PV modules that enabled LISA-T’s ambitious spacecraft mass and power budgets to close,” said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. “This mission will demonstrate that previously unachievable spacecraft requirements can in fact be met. It also provides a shining example of the benefits of public-private partnerships that leverage new and innovative commercial technologies, as NASA programs like MISSE & PTD lead the way for even more capable spacecraft for government and commercial space missions. The modules developed for LISA-T informed the design of Ascent’s Titan line of space products, facilitating further maximization of power generation to the extent that spacecraft can produce kilowatts per kilogram of array in the space environment with minimal degradation over the life of the mission.”

Warpspace has established a subsidiary — Warpspace Europe GmbH (Warpspace Europe) — in Frankfurt, Germany.

With this establishment, Warpspace now has three bases, including its headquarters in Japan and a branch office in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Warpspace Europe will function as a development center.

Warpspace is working with several European partners to manufacture the satellite bus that will initially make up WarpHub InterSat, an inter-satellite, optical communications, network service. Having an engineering team in Europe will further accelerate collaboration with each EU-based partner company.

Europe, like Japan, has a long history of R&D in optical inter-satellite communication technology through public-private partnerships, such as the collaboration in the past on the demonstration of Japan’s OICETS (Kirari). With this background, Warpspace Europe will also serve as a base for exploring collaboration with governments and companies in European countries.

Hiromitsu Azuma, CEO and Representative Director, said, “In recent years, new space development and business has been based on the importance of keeping abreast of international trends and developing business in a flexible and precise manner. Europe is home to many companies and institutions that are skilled in optical communication technology, as well as technology and human resources that have been cultivated in the course of playing an important role in international space development, not only in Japan but also in cooperation with the United States and NASA over the years. In order to realize our vision as early as possible and to be on par with the rest of the world, it is essential that we not only cherish the technologies that Japan has cultivated, but also integrate the technologies that have been honed in Europe and the United States, respectively. We will continue to communicate closely with our partners, as we do in Japan, to ensure that the activities of the three bases are smoothly linked, with the aim of establishing highly reliable technologies and services at the earliest possible time.”

Warpspace is developing “WarpHub InterSat”, the world’s first commercial optical near real-time communication network service for LEO satellites. Three relay satellites capable of optical communications will transmit data sent from other satellites to ground stations in an immediate and high-capacity manner. This service is expected to be available by 2025. In recent years, the number of satellites for Earth observation has been increasing exponentially. WarpHub InterSat will make it possible to acquire and use more Earth observation data in near real-time, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable global economy by speeding up disaster response and improving the efficiency of resource management.

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has been awarded two framework contracts by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with a maximum overall budget of €8.4 million.

Concurrent with the framework award, Spire received two specific awards that total multi-million euros under the framework contracts. Under the contracts, Spire will provide space-based automatic identification system (SAT-AIS) data services for ship tracking over a four-year period, including real-time, standard and high-density backup SAT-AIS. Spire has provided satellite AIS data to EMSA since 2020.

The data will be integrated into EMSA’s SAT-AIS services, which aims to improve global vessel traffic monitoring with a focus on areas like polar regions where terrestrial AIS network coverage is limited. EMSA’s SAT-AIS data services play a critical role in monitoring vessel traffic by acquiring data beyond the reach of terrestrial AIS network coverage to facilitate worldwide vessel monitoring. Spire’s data will play a key role in enhancing global vessel tracking and maritime domain awareness, supporting EMSA’s mission.

Spire’s data shared with EMSA will also benefit EU and European Free Trade Association Member States authorities, EU institutions and international operational entities collaborating with the agency.

“Ensuring accurate vessel monitoring is vital for maritime safety, security, and global environmental protection,” said John Lusk, general manager of maritime, Spire. “At Spire, we believe our commitment to high reliability and superior data quality sets us apart in the industry, and we are thrilled that our dedicated efforts will not only support EMSA’s vision but also play a significant role in advancing maritime safety within the EU and beyond.”

Australia’s space race is gathering pace with Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies raising a $55 million (US$36 million) Series D round ahead of the firm’s first orbital test flight this year.

Led by Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), alongside other leading Australian venture capital and superannuation funds – including Blackbird, Main Sequence, HostPlus and HESTA – the capital will fund the manufacture, test and launch of Australian rockets and satellites from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland.

The Eris Orbital Launch Vehicle is a three-stage rocket capable of launching smallsat into LEO. Eris TestFlight 1 is anticipated to launch in the coming months, pending launch approvals from the Australian Space Agency.

A second TestFlight is planned for the latter half of 2024, with commercial launches starting in 2025 from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport.

Co-founder and CEO Adam Gilmour said the firepower brought by committed shareholders will ensure the business can meet its milestones over the medium term and leverage more immediate opportunities in Australia and abroad. “Our team is fortunate to be backed by high-calibre investors whose unwavering support has led to the development of Australia’s first orbital rocket.”

QIC Private Equity Investment Director Patrick Christiansen said Gilmour’s ability to compete as a full-stack launch services provider will be a strong value proposition for an underserviced segment of the global space market. “As the long-term demand and supply dynamics for launch services normalize, Gilmour’s ability to offer customers a turnkey solution with both launch services and a satellite bus will be a key competitive advantage,” Mr Christiansen said. “Adam and his team have strategically positioned themselves to become a diversified space prime by taking a commercial and customer-led approach to defining their target market segment. QIC Ventures is proud to once again back Gilmour Space through the Business Investment Fund and join the nation in eager anticipation for the historic first orbital launch attempt of an Australian rocket from a commercial launch site in Australia.”

“When we first invested in Gilmour, the team had just produced a ten-centimetre diameter hybrid rocket engine,” Blackbird co-founding partner Rick Baker said. “The achievements of the team in taking that technology through years of testing and iteration are coming to a head now. “This funding round will allow Gilmour to attempt multiple launches and to become the first Australian-built rocket to get to orbit. We’re so excited to be on the journey with the Gilmour team.”

KSF Space has introduced an innovative CubeSat kit, version 2.0, that includes four PCB boards plus ample room for extra payloads, allowing for the customization of a satellite to meet specific needs.

This CubeSat Kit provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for launching a smallsat into orbit. With KSF Space’s expertise in satellite technology, the CubeSat Kit version 2.0 is designed to meet the highest industry standards. The kit offers a compact and lightweight design, thereby making the satellite easy to launch and deploy.

In addition to the PCB boards, the kit also offers ample room for extra payload, enabling the flexibility to add additional components or experiments to a CubeSat to meet specific mission requirements. Whether conducting scientific research, testing new technologies, or even capturing imagery of Earth from space, the extra payload capacity offers a range of possibilities.

Another key feature is the compact and lightweight design. CubeSats are smallsats that typically measure 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and the KSF Space kit adheres to these dimensions. The lightweight nature of the kit ensures the CubeSat won’t exceed the weight restrictions imposed by launch providers enabling satellite deployment without any complications.

Getting started with KSF Space’s Flexible CubeSat Kit version 2.0 is a straightforward process, as the kit comes with all the necessary components and detailed instructions to ensure a smooth assembly and integration process. Plus, KSF Space understands that embarking on a satellite development journey can be daunting, especially for those new to the field. To support customers, comprehensive online training and support is provided throughout the entire build process. Whether a student, a hobbyist, or a professional, KSF Space ensures the resources and guidance to succeed are present.

Dr. Mohamed El Kayyali, the President of KSF Space, said, ”KSF Space’s Flexible CubeSat Kit comes with a range of key features that make it an attractive choice for anyone interested in satellite development. One of the standout features of this kit is its 4 PCB boards, which provide a solid foundation for building your CubeSat. These boards are designed with precision and reliability in mind, ensuring optimal performance in the harsh environment of space.”

PLD Space has signed a Boost! contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development of a payload accommodation system on MIURA 5 that will provide greater flexibility to its customer — the project, in collaboration with OCCAM Space, is worth 1.3 million euros.

The project is part of ESA’s Boost! program, aimed at boosting commercial space transportation initiatives, and fits with PLD Space’s value proposition of offering its customers a customized service capable of adapting to their needs through its orbital launcher MIURA 5.

The contract signed between ESA and PLD Space co-finances the development of a modular and customizable payload accommodation system. Designed to release all types of satellites with as much flexibility as possible, the payload system – called MOSPA (Modular Solution for Payload Adapter )– will allow PLD Space to offer its customers a wider range of missions and services, including accommodation of smallsats.

The development of the modular payload adapter will be done in partnership with OCCAM Space. The goal is to create the hardware to be as light as possible while also being as adaptable as possible to launch more satellites and meet market demands.

PLD Space also continues to make progress on the development of its orbital launcher, MIURA 5, which is scheduled to make its first flight in 2025 from CSG, the European spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.

“PLD Space has proven time and again that it is the European launch leader. The winning of the Boost! contract, an achievement shared with our partners Occam Space, is a further testament to this fact, and another vote of confidence from ESA. We are excited to develop a modular, highly flexible, low-cost solution to meet our customers’ accommodation needs aboard MIURA 5,” said PLD Space CBDO and Co-founder Raúl Verdú.

“PLD Space has proven itself with its first launch last year, and we look forward to seeing the experience applied to the MIURA 5 launch services development,” said ESA’s Jorgen Bru. “The payload adapter development engaged today was chosen to increase market competitiveness and ensure as many different types of satellites and customers can fly.”

“OCCAM Space team has a large expertise in structures and mechanisms in the space sector. We are very happy that our MOSPA philosophy and design has been selected to complement the MIURA 5 upper stage. We are looking forward to work hand in hand with ESA and PLD Space to bring more competitiveness to the European small launchers market,” said OCCAM Space CEO Manuel Serrano.