General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has been awarded a contract from the Space Development Agency (SDA) to demonstrate the capabilities of the company’s Optical Communication Terminals (OCTs) hosted on GA-EMS’ GA-75 (75 kilogram class) spacecraft while in LEO.

“We’re excited to continue working with SDA and look forward to demonstrating our OCT capability developed, built, and tested by GA-EMS, and integrated on GA-EMS-designed and built spacecraft,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “This contract supports the deployment of next generation optical communication technologies that will provide faster, more secure, higher fidelity transmissions, and greater resiliency to ensure 24/7 connectivity from the Earth to space.”

GA-EMS is designing and building two OCTs to provide robust space-to-space communication in a degraded environment and establish and maintain links to meet SDA standards and requirements. The OCTs can support a vast network of satellites, data and information sharing, and collective on-orbit computing resources to support customer and mission requirements. 

The OCTs will be integrated on two, GA-EMS GA-75 spacecraft.  The GA-75 is a resilient, modular, and configurable half-ESPA bus design with capabilities to support a variety of communications and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) payloads and missions.  The GA-75 is a commercially available platform that utilizes standard payload interfaces to enable seamless integration and mission-ready delivery times. It is also compatible with multiple launch vehicles and can package two spacecraft per ESPA port or fill a single ESPA port depending on mission payload size.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Group is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and power generation systems. GA-EMS’ history of research, development, and technology innovation has led to an expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions supporting aviation, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and processing and monitoring applications for defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide. For further information, visit www.ga.com/ems

Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) has revealed completed designs for the company’s Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) buildings —state-of-the-art assembly, integration and testing facilities for each of up to seven rocket launch companies to be based at the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC).

The purpose-built buildings offer a 40m (L) x 26m (W) x 12m (H) in standard configuration and incorporates advanced space mission specific features to provide launch vehicle companies and satellite payload manufacturers with cutting edge facilities to ensure their mission success.

This announcement comes on the back of the release of ELA’s ‘game changer’ ASCALP launch pad designs in December of 2023. The delivery of the HIF designs completes the company’s designs for its ‘Space Launch Complex’ (SLC) — a designated area of the spaceport at which each resident launcher will locate for all preparatory work prior to and including lift off — and is comprised of up to two launch pads and one HIF building for each launch company.

“The public release of our completed HIF designs at the Arnhem Space Centre is another major milestone for ELA and we are incredibly excited to be able to share these designs with our current and future customers and with the wider space industry,” said Michael Jones, Executive Chairman and Group CEO, Equatorial Launch Australia. “We are confident that our facilities and services are, and will be, truly world leading, and we are very much looking forward to offering our customers a best-in-class experience from the moment they sign with ELA.”

“Our approach from day one was to stand in the shoes of our clients and look at everything they need to have a successful launch campaign from the ASC. The SLC concept and the HIF design is far more detailed and complex than first meets the eye and will set the standard for launch operations. The innovative designs were born from extensive and comprehensive international research on current and past spaceport service offerings and deep discussions with customers on their current and future launch needs, while also considering the needs of regulators, commercial partners and us as the spaceport operator,” said Mr. Jones. “An example of this is our high clearance ISO 8 cleanroom which has 8m high ceiling and 8m high sliding doors for vertical payload integration. We wanted to guarantee we were building a Spaceport of the Future for our customers and so we invested a significant amount of time and resources analyzing and planning to ensure we could be as adaptable and as supportive as our customers required, while also aiming to set the bar for best practice in spaceport service and design.”

Designed for modularity and flexibility, the high-specification standard HIF is designed to meet and exceed the requirements of most launch vehicle providers to give them with the extra-mile service they require.

Key features of each HIF include:

• A large 20mx 40m rocket assembly area with static discharge points, in floor pneumatic, and electrical power for assembly, integration and testing of the launch vehicles.
• A high clearance ISO 8 cleanroom with 8m high ceiling and sliding door/ceiling for vertical payload integration. The cleanroom doubles as payload workshop and is fully fitted for multiple payload preparation and integration.
• A 20,000 kg full-space overhead gantry crane with a height clearance under the hook of 9m and a second 2 tonne capacity hook for payload movement.
• An indoor and enclosed workshop space to undertake minor repair/prototyping and fabrication work.
• A multi-port wall membrane for direct access to and use of launch pad equipment like container mounted power, umbilical and other support systems.
• An administrative and personnel area that offers office space, amenities and utility/storerooms.
• Large 6m (W) x 8m (H) clearance roller doors at each end of the building accommodating rockets mounted on the ASC Rocket Trolley with strongback/rail attached. The buildings also have “air lock” dust prevention entrances at each end.
• The buildings incorporate substantive insulation and HVAC climate control for the harsh NT environment. Similarly, the building is fully cyclone rated and environmentally friendly.
• Each SLC and HIF will have advanced security measures including day/night camera, movement sensors and digital access control/recording.

“ELA went to extreme lengths to understand each of our clients’ individual needs and those learnings have been incorporated into this project. ELA management also visited a wide range of key spaceports globally to view and discuss facility needs. This was all aimed at ensuring ELA provides each customer with the most appropriate and capable ‘home away from home’ for their launch operations. “It’s our aim to be the spaceport partner of choice where we can work with our customers to give them the absolute best chance of repeated successful missions,” said Mr. Jones. “While functionality and cost effectiveness are critical in these designs, ELA wanted to make a statement in terms of finishes, aesthetics and functionality. “We wanted more than a ‘Colorbond box’ or a just hangar, so we ensured our architects went a little ‘edgy’ and used plenty of angles and a mix of finishes and materials. Each of the seven buildings will also be a different colour and be sympathetic to the land in orientation. We are putting a lot of effort into the landscaping and vegetation to harmonize with the NT environment.”

Above two images: CAD renders of the HIF internal view showing overhead gantry and office spaces.

Ovzon’s CFO Noora Jayasekara has decided to leave the company — a process to recruit a new CFO has been initiated.

Noora Jayasekara has been Ovzon’s CFO since November 2022 and will continue in her current role until June 2024 or until a new CFO is in place.

“Noora has been instrumental in a very hectic and critical period for Ovzon, including securing the additional financing for Ovzon 3 among other things. We wish Noora all the best in her next assignment and thank her for her invaluable contribution to our company”, said Per Norén, CEO of Ovzon.

“It has been an eventful time at Ovzon, and I am grateful for having been part of this fantastic company. Now that Ovzon 3 has been successfully launched I know that the full potential of Ovzon’s unique SATCOM-as-a-Service will be unleashed. I wish Ovzon and the team all the best going forward”, said Noora Jayasekara.

Filtronic has recently acquired a new contract win with global provider of LEO satellite communications equipment — this contract is for the volume supply of the company’s newly developed, second-generation, Cerus 32 SSPA module.

The contract is worth $6.0 million and is for the delivery of the second generation of the Cerus 32 solid-state power amplifier module. These SSPA modules will be installed in selected ground station locations as part of the customer’s Earth station antenna deployment, which provides complete E-band connectivity to the growing number of E-band enabled LEO satellites.

The Cerus 32 offers up to +43dBm of transmit power. Each Cerus 32 module benefits from Filtronic’s in-house, MMIC (Monolithic microwave integrated circuit) chip design and power-combining techniques, delivering maximum linear power. The high-power SSPA can be applied in a range of applications and is specifically suitable for commercial, military and SATCOM applications.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with a leading global provider of LEO satellites and pleased with the opportunity to provide them with production volumes of the Cerus32 SSPA module for the deployment of their E-band ground station antenna network,” said Richard Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer.

Lynk Global, Inc. (Lynk) and Telikom Limited (Telikom) have commenced initial Sat2Phone services for subscribers using Lynk’s “cell-towers-in-space.” This collaboration is anticipated to significantly enhance mobile coverage in Papua New Guinea, benefiting both the local population and visitors.

Telikom Limited, a leading telecommunication company in the South Pacific, is nationally owned and provides a range of telecommunication services in Papua New Guinea, including local, national, and international fixed-line and mobile services. Telikom engages in both retail and wholesale business, offering voice and data broadband services.

The initial Sat2Phone service will begin with SMS and is expected to expand in the future to include voice and mobile broadband, ultimately delivering an urban-like mobile experience anywhere, no matter how remote. When achieved, ubiquitous connectivity will have the potential to offer life-saving emergency alerts and SMS warnings in areas vulnerable to natural disasters.

Amos Tepi, CEO of Telikom, said, “Today’s announcement will, over time, be instrumental in improving the lives of Papuans right across our nation. Lynk’s network deployment will enable continuous mobile coverage, surpassing the limitations of traditional terrestrial mobile towers. The initial service, starting in Hela Province, will extend in 2024 and beyond, allowing Telikom to better serve new and existing subscribers.”

James Alderdice, Lynk’s VP, Asia-Pacific, highlighted Lynk’s commitment to expanding services across Oceania, stating, “Our partnership with Telikom will enable mobile connectivity to be extended to the people of Papua New Guinea. Offering initial commercial service reflects Telikom’s innovative approach to bringing disparate communities together.”

Scout Space Inc. has announced that long-time aerospace and defense executive, Philip Hover-Smoot, has been named the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as of January 12, 2024.

Hover-Smoot succeeds Co-founder and CEO, Eric Ingram, who will now be taking on the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Strategy Officer. As the Chief Executive Officer, Hover-Smoot will uphold Scout’s mission of ensuring security in space operations with cost-effective plug-and-play vision systems that enhance customer missions and enable satellite autonomy. He plans to continue to cultivate collaboration between government and commercial customers and expedite both technical progress and technical hiring in the near term.

Previous to Scout, Hover-Smoot served as the General Counsel at Spaceflight Inc., a group company of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., best known for pioneering orbital transfer vehicles and commercial rideshare missions. Prior to that, he held the roles of Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), an in-space services provider.

Hover-Smoot has also held a series of roles at Raytheon Technologies, primarily in the Office of General Counsel at Raytheon Technologies’ Intelligence & Space business, where he held key advisory roles in compliance and contracting with a focus on remote sensing and electronic warfare systems. Earlier in his legal career, he specialized in the implementation of technology security and foreign disclosure controls and counseled both aerospace and technology organizations.

Mr. Hover-Smoot holds a JD/MBA from Drake University and has completed postdoctoral work at Stanford’s Spogli Institute for International Security Studies, with an emphasis on national security and intelligence.

CEO Eric Ingram said, “We’re pleased to have someone of Philip’s caliber at Scout as our CEO. We’ve experienced unprecedented growth over the last year, assembled an incredible team, and demonstrated our ability to capture meaningful business within our core national security customer base. We’re now well-positioned with Philip’s leadership to accelerate growth and transition Scout from an R&D business into a business with real deliverables for both government and commercial customers.”

Hover-Smoot said, “I am thrilled to be joining Scout at such a dynamic time. For all the right reasons, we need to refocus on developing the business and refining our execution plans. With Scout’s proven flight heritage, secure sensor solutions, and advanced autonomy capabilities, we have the potential to revolutionize the SDA segment.” Hover-Smoot added, “Not only has the team managed extraordinary growth over the last few years, but Scout also built an amazing corporate culture, which has been key to its ongoing success. I’m looking forward to supporting that culture and collaborating with the team at this critical juncture to lead the company through a much anticipated and accelerated growth period.”

Early last month, the Space Development Agency (SDA) sought industry feedback for the final of three types of Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) space vehicles—T2TL Gamma.

This draft solicitation expanded upon the foundation for Tranche 2 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) that was previously described in the T2TL Alpha and Beta solicitations.

SDA expects to procure approximately 20, T2TL Gamma space vehicles with a payload specifically designed to close future kill chains via the PWSA. The Gamma variant will share certain baseline characteristics with the other T2TL variants (Alpha and Beta) outlined in the solicitation.

T2TL features multiple space vehicle and mission configuration variants procured through a multi-solicitation and multi-vendor acquisition approach. The initial launch capability is scheduled for September of 2026.

The T2 Gamma draft solicitation is comprised of unclassified solicitation documents as well as classified material on technical details of payload development.

For information on how to request the classified solicitation documents and for proposal submission instructions, please visit this URL… Responses are due by 5:00 pm ET on January 19, 2024.

The Space Development Agency will deliver a Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) – level industry presentation ahead of the anticipated Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) Gamma solicitation. The engagement will occur on Wednesday, February 7, and Thursday, February 8, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET at SDA’s Tech Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The presentations will focus on the anticipated T2TL Gamma Other Transaction (OT) solicitation for payload development for space systems to provide fire control solutions. Those interested in attending can get more information and registration instructions at this direct infolink… Registration closes on January 30, 2024.

SpaceX is targeting Sunday, January 21 for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 6:00 p.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 9:58 p.m. PT. If needed, additional opportunities are available starting Monday, January 22 at 6:01 p.m. PT.

A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.

This is the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and 10 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.