editorial

On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 10:50 pm local time (01:50 UTC on Thursday, April 29), a Vega launch vehicle operated by Arianespace lifted off successfully from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana (South America) –this mission marked Vega’s return to flight and was also the second successful launch by Arianespace’s teams in less than 72 hours.

The mission’s primary purpose was to orbit Pleiades Neo 3, the first of four satellites in an advanced EO constellation. Pleiades Neo 3 was wholly funded and manufactured by its operator, Airbus.

Arianespace’s 18th Vega mission also deployed several smallsats using the company’s rideshare service SSMS (Small Spacecraft Mission Service). These auxiliary payloads included an observation smallsat for the Norwegian space agency, Norsat-3, and four cubesats for the operators Eutelsat, NanoAvionics/Aurora Insight and Spire.

The SSMS rideshare service, developed with the support of the European space industry, was first deployed by Arianespace in September of 2020. Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), Arianespace’s SSMS service will soon be joined by the Multiple Launch Service (MLS), a similar offering that uses the Ariane 6 launch vehicle. With these two services, Arianespace can offer a wide range of affordable launch opportunities for small satellites and constellations.

The production of the Vega launcher and preparations for mission VV18 were handled by Avio, industrial prime contractor for the Vega launcher, under the direction of Arianespace and ESA. They followed all recommendations issued by the Independent Inquiry Commission set up after the failure of the 17th Vega mission (VV17).

VV18 is the third Arianespace mission of 2021, following two successful Soyuz launches, on March 25 and April 26, from the Vostochny launch base in Russia.

Vega is a new-generation light launcher, perfectly suited to both commercial and government payloads. Because of its high performance and versatility, Arianespace provides the best possible launch solution for small and medium spacecraft headed into a wide range of orbits (Sun-synchronous, ballistic, transfer to the Lagrange point L1, etc.), for EO, science, education, defense and other applications. With Vega C, Arianespace will offer enhanced performance and greater payload volume for future customers at the same price as for launches by Vega.

“I would like to congratulate everybody involved at Arianespace, ESA and Avio for successfully returning Vega to flight,” said Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace. “I am especially proud of our teams who were able to carry out two launches, on two different continents, in less than 72 hours – kudos!”

The AVUM stage will ignite its engine for the first time, in a powered phase lasting about eight minutes, followed by a ballistic phase lasting 37 minutes. The AVUM stage will then restart its engine for a second burn lasting a little over one minute, before releasing the Pleiades Neo 3 satellite.

The next two AVUM ignition phases will last about 37 minutes in all, followed by the release of the five auxiliary payloads. That will mark the end of mission VV18, one hour and 42 minutes after liftoff.

The first of four satellites in an advanced EO constellation, Pleiades Neo 3 was wholly funded and manufactured by its operator, Airbus. The 18th mission of Europe’s Vega light launcher will also orbit an observation smallsat for the Norwegian space agency, Norsat-3, plus four cubesats for the operators Eutelsat, NanoAvionics/Aurora Insight and Spire. These smallsats will be carried as auxiliary payloads on the innovative Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) deployment system. The SSMS rideshare service, developed with the support of the European space industry, was first deployed by Arianespace in September 2020.

Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), Arianespace’s SSMS service will soon be joined by the Multiple Launch Service (MLS), a similar offering that uses the Ariane 6 launch vehicle. With these two services, Arianespace can offer a wide range of affordable launch opportunities for small satellites and constellations.

The production of the Vega launcher and preparations for mission VV18 were overseen by Avio, the prime contractor for the Vega launcher, under the direction of Arianespace and ESA. They followed all recommendations issued by the Independent Inquiry Commission established after the failure of the 17th Vega mission (VV17).

About the Pléiades Neo 3 satellite

Pléiades Neo 3 is the first of the Pléiades Neo constellation to be launched. Entirely funded, manufactured, owned and operated by Airbus, Pléiades Neo is a breakthrough in Earth observation domain.

With 30 cm resolution, best-in-class geolocation accuracy and twice-a-day revisit, the four Pléiades Neo satellites unlock new possibilities with ultimate reactivity. Thanks to these state-of-the-art satellites, each step of the acquisition and delivery cycle offers top-level EO services now and going forward for the next ten years. In addition, their reactive tasking ability allows urgent acquisitions 30 to 40 minutes following request – which is five times higher than previous constellations – and respond to the most critical situations in near real-time, very useful for natural disaster. Pléiades Neo will also operate for mapping, urban and defence applications.

The Pléiades Neo constellation is 100% commercially available and will provide institutional and commercial customer’s needs. Images captured by Pléiades Neo will be streamed into the OneAtlas on-line platform, allowing customers to have immediate data access, analytics and correlation with Airbus’ unique archive of optical and radar data.

There are two additional Airbus Defence and Space Intelligence missions for three satellites in the Arianespace backlog to be launched on Vega from the Guiana space center.

Pleiades Neo 3 will be the 131^st Airbus Defence and Space built satellite to be launched by Arianespace. There are currently 20 Airbus Defence and Space built satellites in Arianespace’s backlog: CERES (x3), SYRACUSE 4B (COMSAT NG 2), EUTELSAT QUANTUM, METOP-SG A1 & METOP-SG B1, THEOS-2, CSO 3, Pléiades Neo (x3), JUICE, Measat-3d, Biomass, EarthCARE and CO3D (x4). In addition, Airbus Defence and Space is involved in the construction of the OneWeb satellites.

SES has signed agreements with key infrastructure service providers around the world to build its eight, initial, O3b mPOWER satellite ground stations.

Construction has already started on these advanced technology satellite ground stations, which will become operational in the second half of this year. The eight sites will provide telemetry, tracking and control capabilities to enable SES’s management of the constellation. They will also be leveraged to raise the satellites into the right orbit after the scheduled launches.

As previously announced, two of the satellite ground stations are located at Dubbo, NSW, Australia (operated by Pivotel) and Thermopylae, Greece (operated by OTE). Other locations include Merredin, Perth, Australia; Phoenix, Arizona, US; Chile; the United Arab Emirates; Senegal, as well as SES’s own satellite ground station in Hawaii.

Four out of the eight sites will be co-located and operated with Microsoft’s Azure data centres; the one-hop connectivity to the cloud from remote sites will provide O3b mPOWER customers the ability to optimize business operations with significant flexibility and agility.

Building on the success of O3b, each of the 11, high-throughput, low-latency, O3b mPOWER satellites will deliver high-speed connectivity services from tens of megabits to multiple gigabits per second, providing fibre-like connectivity to customers globally. The O3b mPOWER satellite ground stations have many technically advanced features compared to the existing O3b satellite ground station. They include a new generation of fast-install, 5.5-meter carbon fibre antennas which can be installed without the need of expensive and time-consuming photogrammetry.

In addition, they will use energy-efficient, solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) and a low electrical load for the antenna control unit (ACU). The satellite ground stations will use SES’s gateway management system for automated operations and handovers, which will be tightly integrated with SES’s unique resource management capability, Adaptive Resource Control (ARC) and other SES software sub-systems. With this configuration, SES will dynamically manage and optimise space and ground resources to meet the changing needs of its customers. These combined technology advances result in improved efficiency and lower total cost of ownership.

The first three O3b mPOWER satellites are scheduled for launch in the third quarter of this year, with the next three in the first quarter of 2022. After orbit raising, O3b mPOWER will start delivering services in the third quarter of 2022.

Stewart Sanders, Executive Vice President of Technology and O3b mPOWER program manager at SES, said, “We are thrilled to have chosen these eight locations and construction is underway. We are also deep in discussions with several telco players and operators who are keen to have their own O3b mPOWER satellite ground station. This is particularly exciting, as it means that SES’s provision of a core network of command, control and data gateways will be augmented with a number of customer satellite ground stations; satellite ground stations provisioned according to our customer needs, with regards to location, size and infrastructure requirements. We expect a number of these customer satellite ground stations to include virtualized installations of the cloud at the edge of the deployed networks, thus improving the end- user experience.”

On Wednesday, April 28 at 11:44 p.m. EDT, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was the seventh launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 03, Turksat 5A, and four Starlink missions.

Following first-stage separation, SpaceX sucessfully landed the booster engine on drone ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ in the Atlantic ocean.

Once Starlink is complete, the venture is expected to profit $30-50 billion annually. This profit will largely finance SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program, as well as Mars Base Alpha.

The mission will launch around 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network.

We’ve had a few scares recently, and the number of close calls requiring an automated or manual maneuver to avoid a collision will increase dramatically in the future…

There was a recent dispute between OneWeb and SpaceX regarding the possibility of a collision between two of their low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. OneWeb’s satellite (OneWeb-1078) was launched on March 25 and headed for its orbit at an altitude of 1,200 km when, in early April, it passed near a SpaceX satellite (Starlink-1546) in orbit at about 450 km.

There was no collision, but subsequently, OneWeb’s government affairs chief Chris McLaughlin said SpaceX had turned off their autonomous collision-avoidance system so OneWeb could maneuver around their satellite and SpaceX denied that they had switched the system off and said, “there was never a risk of collision.”

This sounds a little like a PR battle, but both sides may have been sincere because satellite tracking is imprecise. The satellites were being tracked by SpaceX, OneWeb, and two independent organizations, the Air Force 18th Space Control Squadron (18 SPCS) and LeoLabs which offers a commercial satellite tracking service. As we see in the plot shown below (source), their estimates of the probability of collision vary.

In addition to helping explain the dispute between SpaceX and OneWeb, the variance in these estimates illustrates the difficulty of accurately tracking and predicting satellite orbits. The incident also highlights the difficulty of communicating and cooperating in deciding on maneuvers to avoid collisions.

SpaceX and OneWeb began deploying their broadband Internet service constellations recently, but as of early 2020, LeoLabs was tracking about 14,000 objects in LEO that were 10 centimeters across and larger. About 1,700 were functional satellites working on other applications, and the rest were debris. We also had a debris-collision warning Last week when the astronauts en route to the International Space Station were instructed to put on their spacesuits due to the possibility of a collision with a piece of space junk.

Fast forward five years

The SpaceX-OneWeb and astronaut-debris events provide an early warning. There are around 3,000 satellites in LEO today, but how about five years from now? As shown below, the five would-be broadband constellation operators have the authorization to launch over 30,000 satellites and, if we add in pending requests for approval, the total increases to around 100,000. Furthermore, Russia and the European Union are working on broadband satellite plans, as are the US and Chinese militaries. And don’t forget the forthcoming large non-broadband constellations, like Geely’s Geespace constellation.

We’ve had a few scares recently, and the number of close calls requiring an automated or manual maneuver to avoid a collision will increase dramatically in the future. Runaway debris in LEO would cost us more than just having to give up the goal of global broadband service. It would disrupt critical applications we already depend upon in climate science, emergency response, agriculture, etc. I am confident that LEO broadband providers can find solutions to the technical problems they face, like low-cost antennas, inter-satellite laser links, and spectrum sharing. Still, collision avoidance is tougher because, in addition to technical innovation like improving the accuracy and resolution of terrestrial and space-based orbit tracking, it will take political action.

The map below shows that 72 nations own and/or operate satellites, but last week, English-speaking engineers at SpaceX and OneWeb were unable to agree on the orbit data and communicate and cooperate when it appeared that a collision might be forthcoming. If SpaceX and OneWeb cannot agree, what will happen when, for example, military satellites from China and the US are involved?

Space, like the oceans, is a global commons, and it is not in anyone’s interest to spoil it. We need global regulations, standards, procedures, and a means of enforcing compliance if we are to avoid collisions and mitigate debris. We are running out of time. We’ve been working on maritime law for centuries, and the UN International Maritime Council has 174 member states — have we begun talking about this issue with the Chinese?

It’s time to act

The European Space Agency (ESA) has produced a 12-minute video (with cool animations) that describes the debris problem and the current debris mitigation guidelines, which are neither universally followed nor adequate for the future. ESA projects for automating collision avoidance, refueling and repairing satellites in space, active debris removal, and technology to hasten the deorbiting of defunct satellites are mentioned in this call for action. Indeed the title of the video is “Time to Act.”

Space, like the oceans, is a global commons, and it is not in anyone’s interest to spoil it. We need global regulations, standards, procedures, and a means of enforcing compliance if we are to avoid collisions and mitigate debris. We are running out of time. We’ve been working on maritime law for centuries, and the UN International Maritime Council has 174 member states — have we begun talking about this issue with the Chinese?

By Larry Press, CircleID

Larry Press, Professor of Information Systems at California State University – He has been on the faculties of the University of Lund, Sweden and the University of Southern California, and worked for IBM and the System Development Corporation. Larry maintains a blog on Internet applications and implications at cis471.blogspot.com and follows Cuban Internet development at laredcubana.blogspot.com

• ACCESS PR

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has entered into an agreement with OneWeb for the subscription of a c.24% equity stake, becoming a leading shareholder of the company alongside the UK Government and Bharti Global — Eutelsat will invest $550 million in OneWeb, with closing expected in H2 2021 subject to regulatory authorizations.

With much of its global network already deployed, the OneWeb constellation will operate 648 satellites in LEO offering low latency. This first generation of satellites will offer significant regional coverage by the end of 2021, reaching global coverage the following year.

OneWeb will be the first complete non-geostationary constellation with truly global coverage, significantly ahead of competing projects. It will deliver 1.1 Tbps of capacity addressing the government, fixed data and mobility markets. Plans include a second-generation constellation that will provide significant enhancements in terms of capacity, flexibility and economics. It anticipates annual revenues of circa $1 billion within three to five years following the full deployment of the constellation, with a partnership approach and profitable wholesale business model.

Eutelsat’s investment leaves OneWeb almost fully funded and the company is well advanced in terms of securing its remaining funding needs this year.

Eutelsat’s investment will come with similar governance rights to the UK Government and Bharti, including board representation, where its position and expertise as one of the world’s leading satellite operators will help to drive the success of the new constellation.

The investment will be 100% cash financed through Eutelsat’s liquidity position of 1.9 billion euros as at end-March 2021[1] and the $507 million US C-Band auction proceeds, and will be accounted for under the equity method. It is consistent with Eutelsat’s financial hurdle rates and does not alter its financial objectives, which are fully confirmed, including the medium-term net debt / EBITDA target of c.3x and a commitment to solicited Investment Grade credit ratings. Eutelsat’s policy of a stable to progressive dividend is also reiterated.

Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to become a shareholder and partner in OneWeb in the run up to its commercial launch and to participate in the substantial opportunity represented by the non-geostationary segment within our industry. We are confident in OneWeb’s right to win thanks to its earliness to market, priority spectrum rights and evolving, scalable technology. We look forward to working alongside the UK Government, Bharti and the other shareholders to open new opportunities and market access to ensure OneWeb maximizes its potential. OneWeb will become our main growth engine outside our broadcast and broadband applications, as we continue to maximize cash-flow extraction from our highly profitable heritage business and grow our fixed broadband vertical leveraging our geostationary assets.”

OneWeb Executive Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said: “We are delighted to welcome Eutelsat into OneWeb family. As an open multi-national business, we are committed to serving the global needs of Governments, Businesses and Communities across the Globe. Together we are stronger, benefiting from the entrepreneurial energy of Bharti, extensive global outreach of UK and long-term expertise of the satellite industry at Eutelsat. OneWeb, with its innovatory approach, is poised to take a leading position in LEO broadband connectivity”.

Neil Masterson, Chief Executive Officer of OneWeb added: “As OneWeb accelerates the deployment of its fleet and engages in discussions with potential customers, we welcome the powerful support of Eutelsat during the next exciting phase of our journey together, benefitting both companies equally. Eutelsat is a great partner for OneWeb thanks to our high level of complementarity in terms of technology, assets, addressable markets, geographic reach and institutional relationships”.

[1] €1.4 billion when restated for the upcoming € 500 million bond maturity

OHB Cosmos International Launch Services GmbH, a company of OHB SE’s newly established business segment OHB DIGITAL, as well as LuxSpace, the group’s Luxembourg-based satellite manufacturer, have both signed a contract for a dedicated launch with Germany-based launch service provider, Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA), for upcoming missions that are scheduled for mid-2024 and 2025.

OHB Cosmos is the launch service provider of the OHB group. The company features a proven track record of organizing and conducting launches for institutional and commercial customers.

OHB Cosmos is trusted by governments and institutions around the world and has launched all of the German Bundeswehr’s SAR-Lupe satellites.

Recently, OHB Cosmos demonstrated its capabilities to conduct responsive launches. In January 2021, the company launched a customer’s spacecraft within a seven[1]month timeline. This marked a novelty on the commercial satellite launch market.

LuxSpace is the smallsat platforms expert of the OHB group and a provider of integrated applications and services. The company boosts a heritage in delivering microsatellite solutions for both global institutional and commercial customers, including the recently launched ESAIL satellite, powered by LuxSpace’s Triton-2 platform and developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency and exactEarth. ESAIL broke records in February 2021 by capturing two million AIS messages from ships at sea in a single day.

Rocket Factory, a start-up backed by the German satellite maker OHB as a strategic investor and Venture Capital firm Apollo Capital Partners, is currently developing a launcher system called RFA One for smallsats with a payload performance of up to 1300 kg to LEO. The first launch is scheduled for the end of 2022. The company recently qualified the upper stage tank system during cryogenic tests and currently is running a test campaign to hot-fire the main engine in Esrange, Sweden.

“OHB Cosmos and Rocket Factory share a common philosophy to provide the most customer-centric service at the lowest possible prices. OHB Cosmos with its extensive experience in launching satellites manufactured by the OHB group for its commercial and institutional customers, has now found its perfect match with RFA and its RFA ONE launch vehicle,” said Lutz Bertling, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at OHB. “Launching with a German-based launch provider simplifies and speeds up the whole process of launching payloads into orbit. We want to offer the most reliable and fastest launch service to our customers and are convinced that RFA will play a key role in improving the launch experience for our customers.”

“Signing with OHB Cosmos and LuxSpace demonstrates the competitiveness of RFA ONE,” said Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer at RFA. “We are particularly proud that both companies picked RFA ONE over the numerous launch service providers they have previously been working with. Launching European-built spacecraft with a launch vehicle developed in Germany marks a significant milestone for Europe in its way to achieve independent access to space that secures prosperity for the next generations by fostering innovation and technological progress.”

“Through its one-of-a-kind orbital stage, RFA ONE offers unrivaled in-orbit flexibility and injection accuracy, which is exactly what our customers demand for their very specific and critical missions,” said Professor Dr. Indulis Kalnins, Managing Director at OHB Cosmos. “Our intention with this contract is to secure a launch opportunity for one of our customers’ planned launches in 2024. This launch agreement allows us to cater to all our customers’ requirements at the best possible price point.”

Dr. Stefan Brieschenk, Chief Operating Officer at RFA, added, “We are super excited to see RFA ONE entering into service with OHB Cosmos and LuxSpace. The RFA ONE launch system combines the most competitive payload capacity within its class with a disruptively low launch price. This is possible only by employing the most efficient propulsion technology available today: staged combustion. In addition to that, RFA ONE features a unique orbital stage to precisely position our customers’ payloads in their target orbits through additional on-orbit maneuvers, including inclination- and RAAN changes.”

“LuxSpace enables the space ambitions of business leaders and institutions requiring reliable platforms and integrated services to successfully fulfil their mission’s objectives. RFA ONE, through its one-of-a[1]kind orbital stage offers us the injection accuracy we are looking for to serve our customers. We are convinced that this launch service will set the bar for all missions to follow and are excited to partner with them,” said Edgar Milic, Chief Executive Officer at LuxSpace.

The Norwegian Space Agency and ThrustMe have announced they have completed trial integration of ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2 propulsion system into the NorSat- TD satellite.

During the mission, which is on schedule for launch in early 2022, both parties will demonstrate, amongst other things, just-in-time, low-thrust satellite collision avoidance maneuvers—a critical capability for acting on space situational awareness data and ensuring a sustainable space environment.

The NorSat-TD is the Norwegian Space Agency’s technology demonstrator mission that will lead the way to Norway’s maritime surveillance constellation. Onboard are six essential payloads and innovative technologies to be tested during the mission. One critical goal for the NorSat-TD project is to build up experience in Norway for propulsive satellite operations and ensure space safety by supporting the development of space situational awareness and traffic management systems for Norway’s upcoming future missions.

The iodine fueled NPT30-I2 propulsion system from ThrustMe was selected for its technical merits and relevance to the current and future Norwegian mission needs. Funding of the system was backed by the French space agency CNES, as an institutional partner to the mission. Additionally, the mission operations training and technical support provided by ThrustMe to the operators is fundamental to the mission objectives of building competence in Norway’s civil and industrial sector.

Fugro Norway is testing its sub-decimeter positioning payload, SpaceStar, on NorSat-TD. It will allow the Norwegian Space Agency and European Space Agency to follow the satellite’s position in Low-Earth-Orbit with very high accuracy; SpaceStar is sensitive enough to measure the thruster’s performance during transient propulsion periods for more accurate trajectory predictions. With SpaceStar and the onboard satellite laser ranging retro-reflector from SCF- Lab in Italy, the satellite provides multiple methods to track, predict, and verify its position. The ability to closely follow the satellite in real-time allows the operators to perform small safe test demonstration maneuvers, and test Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM) architectures.

CNES will also support the evaluation of the thruster performances and precise navigation payloads with accurate ranging measurements done from Nice optical geodesy station.

“Norway is committed to safe and sustainable use of space, and the inclusion of ThrustMe’s propulsion technology is a concrete action to enable avoidance of collisions and reduce space debris at the end of the mission life,” said Christian Haugli-Hanssen, General Director of the Norwegian Space Agency.

“ThrustMe’s mission is to enable the growing space industry to remain sustainable while creating value on Earth and beyond. The NORSAT-TD mission will do exactly that. Getting the opportunity to assist the Norwegian Space Agency with our knowledge on how to prepare and operate a satellite with low thrust propulsion systems is extremely rewarding,” said Ane Aanesland, CEO and co-founder of ThrustMe.

“The NORSAT-TD satellite’s propulsion capacity thanks to ThrustMe’s iodine propulsion system, and the suite of precise navigation payloads onboard, gives the mission key capabilities needed to demonstrate the main CREAM* functionalities, which currently are under development in the ESA Space Safety Program,” said Tim Flohrer, head ESA’s Space Debris Office.

AAC Clyde Space AB has nominated Ursa Space CEO, Nicole Robinson, to their board of directors — she brings extensive experience within the US and European space market to this position and has a high profile among leading industry, professional groups.

Based just outside of Washington DC, Robinson is the President at Ursa Space Systems, a U.S.-based, satellite intelligence company that provides business and government decision-makers access to on-demand analytic solutions. Prior to Ursa Space, Robinson held senior positions at SES Satellite, a world leader in global content connectivity solutions in both Washington and Luxembourg and at General Dynamics.

She is currently the President of the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), the largest space and satellite professional association.

The appointment follows an active six months for AAC Clyde Space, wherein the company acquired three, fast growing, specialist space companies and broadened their range of activities and projects pipeline. These are…

• Hyperion, based in Delph, Netherlands, which specializes in high performance satellite subsystems including star trackers, laser communications and propulsion for satellites

• SpaceQuest, based in Virginia, USA, which is a highly experienced player in the fast-growing, Space Data as a Service sector

• Omnisys, based in Gothenburg, Sweden, which designs and develops high performance, weather space sensors

Rolf Hallencreutz, chairman of AAC Clyde Space, said, “I’m delighted with the nomination of Nicole to our board of directors. She has a great reputation in the industry and strong experience of the US and the European space markets. Her appointment demonstrates our commitment to growing our presence in the United States and also further developing our fast-growing Space Data as a Service offering (SDaaS). I look forward to working with her to capitalize on the exciting opportunities ahead for AAC Clyde Space.”

Nicole Robinson said, “The New Space economy is growing fast, as demand for satellites and the data they provide increases every year. AAC Clyde Space is well positioned to provide solutions to many customers and partners around the world. I am looking forward to bringing my experience of this dynamic market to help AAC Clyde Space establish a more prominent position in the US market and to further develop its services around the world.”

The nomination committee also propose that the Annual General Meeting re-elect Rolf Hallencreutz (Chairman), Anita Bernie, Per Aniansson, Per Danielsson and Will Whitehorn. The Annual General meeting will be held in Uppsala, Sweden, on May 27, 2021.

Greenpro Capital Corp. (NASDAQ:GRNQ) has announced their incubation of Angkasa-X for its LEO SATCOM project. Three parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), including the Malaysia Penang State Government and University Science of Malaysia (USM) in establishing the ASEAN Space Economy by forming the ASEAN-LINK satellite constellation.

Greenpro owns 28 million shares of Angkasa-X and is planning to list the company via an IPO on a U.S. exchange by the close of 2021. Greenpro intends to allocate and sell a portion of the 7,700 Sputnik NFTs (acquired on April 22nd) to back the Angkasa-X. The Sputnik NFTs have a value of 1 ETH each. The recent price of ETH was $2,479, resulting in a current “mark to market” profit of $379 per NFT on this investment.

Greenpro CEO Dr. CK Lee said, “We are delighted to participate in establishing the ASEAN Space Economy with our revolutionary fintech model in selling NFTs and building up a technological-social inclusion unicorn company with its vision that is aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

A video is available for viewing at this direct link…

On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 10:50 pm local time (01:50 UTC on Thursday, April 29), Arianespace’s first Vega mission (VV18) of the year will lift off from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the optical observation satellite Pleiades Neo 3.

After liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the Vega launcher will fly for a little over six minutes, powered by the first three stages. The third stage will then fall back after separating from the upper composite, which comprises the AVUM upper stage, the Pleiades Neo 3 satellite, the SSMS and its five auxiliary passengers.

The AVUM stage will ignite its engine for the first time, in a powered phase lasting about eight minutes, followed by a ballistic phase lasting 37 minutes. The AVUM stage will then restart its engine for a second burn lasting a little over one minute, before releasing the Pleiades Neo 3 satellite.

The next two AVUM ignition phases will last about 37 minutes in all, followed by the release of the five auxiliary payloads. That will mark the end of mission VV18, one hour and 42 minutes after liftoff.

The first of four satellites in an advanced EO constellation, Pleiades Neo 3 was wholly funded and manufactured by its operator, Airbus. The 18th mission of Europe’s Vega light launcher will also orbit an observation smallsat for the Norwegian space agency, Norsat-3, plus four cubesats for the operators Eutelsat, NanoAvionics/Aurora Insight and Spire. These smallsats will be carried as auxiliary payloads on the innovative Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) deployment system. The SSMS rideshare service, developed with the support of the European space industry, was first deployed by Arianespace in September 2020.

Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), Arianespace’s SSMS service will soon be joined by the Multiple Launch Service (MLS), a similar offering that uses the Ariane 6 launch vehicle. With these two services, Arianespace can offer a wide range of affordable launch opportunities for small satellites and constellations.

The production of the Vega launcher and preparations for mission VV18 were overseen by Avio, the prime contractor for the Vega launcher, under the direction of Arianespace and ESA. They followed all recommendations issued by the Independent Inquiry Commission established after the failure of the 17th Vega mission (VV17).