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NASA has selected 15 companies to provide flight and payload integration services to advance technologies and procedures for operating in space, including testing in high-altitude, reduced gravity, or other relevant environments — examples of payloads include NASA science instruments or technology demonstrations.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) base contract awards are firm-fixed-price with a total combined value of $45 million and a performance period of five years. The flights and other services covered by these contracts are for use by NASA and other government agencies. The types of platforms that will be used for testing include suborbital rockets, high-altitude balloons, orbital spacecraft and satellites, and, in some instances, suborbital rockets that can accommodate carry people.

The following companies have been awarded contracts to provide services through demonstrated commercial capabilities:

• Aerostar International, Inc., of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• Angstrom Designs Inc., of Santa Barbara, California
• Astrobotic Technology Inc., of Pittsburgh
• Astro Digital US Inc., of Santa Clara, California
• Blue Origin Texas, LLC of Van Horn, Texas
• Galactic Enterprises, LLC of Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Loft Orbital Federal, LLC of Golden, Colorado
• Momentus Space LLC of San Jose, California
• Near Space Corp., of Tillamook, Oregon
• Rocket Lab USA Inc., of Long Beach, California
• Space Exploration Technologies Corp., of Hawthorne, California
• Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc., of Vienna, Virginia
• Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., of Irvine, California
• Varda Space Industries, Inc., of El Segundo, California
• World View Enterprises Inc., of Tucson, Arizona

The contracts are in support of NASA’s Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology programs, both part of the NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. These programs support technology development and missions to change the pace of space exploration, discovery, and space commerce.

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has been awarded an Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a $45 million ceiling value with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The Directorate is comprised of NASA’s Flight Opportunities program and the Small Spacecraft Technology program.

The five-year agreement enables Terran Orbital to provide space vehicles and payload integration services for a variety of missions. These missions will use Terran Orbital’s proven space vehicle platforms and are intended to advance technological maturity of systems that will transform the landscape of space exploration, discovery, and space commerce.

NASA’s selection of Terran Orbital was based on the proven capabilities of the company’s standard space vehicle platforms, including the successful and proven Pathfinder-Triumph Class 6U CubeSat and Capstone-Voyager Class 12U CubeSat. These platforms offer the required size, capability, and performance required for these NASA missions.

“We are honored to be selected by NASA for this exciting opportunity,” said Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Terran Orbital. “Terran Orbital’s expertise and innovative space vehicle platforms have the potential to play a pivotal role in advancing the next generation of space technologies.”

Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd. will celebrate the success of the firm’s tactical-grade, DMU41 inertial measurement unit (IMU) which, over the last 12 months, has been selected for multiple deployments on platforms in LEO.

The DMU41 redefines the capabilities of MEMS technology, delivering tactical-grade, high-performance inertial sensing in a small and cost-effective unit. Just over 50mm3 and weighing less than 180 grams, this robust product operates in temperatures from -40°C to +85°C, offering new levels of reliability and adaptability in the harshest environments.

Silicon Sensing is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, with a sales growth of more than 65% in just five years. Interest in the company’s rugged, compact, solid-state technology has expanded significantly as demand has grown for precise, reliable motion sensing for ever-shrinking platforms – including satellites. A number of products, from tiny navigation and pointing gyros to full 6 axis inertial measurement units (IMU’s), are already in use across a range of space programs. All are based around the company’s patented, vibrating ring micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, which are manufactured in the company’s foundry in Japan.

David Sommerville, General Manager, Silicon Sensing Systems, said, “Typically, our DMU41 is used to enable accurate, sustained satellite positioning in LEO for earth observation, high resolution imaging and geospatial data collection – which continues throughout the 3-to-4-year operational life cycle of the satellite. Our latest products on the market are delivering tactical grade performance levels, exceeding the envelope typically expected of MEMS technology. And we expect our next generation of products will reflect our new mission statement by truly redefining MEMS inertial. For the first time, Silicon Sensing will offer navigation-level inertial sensing performance in a compact, robust and cost effective MEMS package.”

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 25 years ago.

AAC Clyde Space‘s subsidiary AAC Space Africa has won its first satellite order.

AAC Space Africa will assemble, integrate and test two satellites. The order, valued at 4.1 million South African Rands (approx. SEK 2.3 M), is scheduled for delivery in June of 2024. 

“We are delighted that AAC Space Africa has received its first satellite order, a critical milestone in the growth of our company in Africa.  We look forward to seeing these satellites in space delivering their mission,” said AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) as announced that the company’s 12U smallsat built for Advanced Space’s CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) mission in support of NASA has surpassed 450 days on-orbit around the moon.

Launched on June 28, 2022, the space vehicle based on Terran Orbital’s proven Voyager platform continues to demonstrate exceptional stability and performance, while supporting critical lunar navigation experiments.

The space vehicle is forging a new lunar path in support of NASA’s Artemisof program. Designed and built by Terran Orbital, the CAPSTONE satellite entered lunar orbit on November 17, 2022, marking a historic moment for small spacecraft and lunar exploration. The satellite’s robust design and Terran Orbital’s engineering expertise have enabled it to operate flawlessly for an enhanced NASA mission expected to last until May of 2024. This achievement underscores the company’s commitment to building reliable and versatile space vehicle platforms capable of exceeding expectations, even in the demanding lunar environment.

The CAPSTONE satellite continues to gather valuable data and pave the way for future lunar exploration missions. The space vehicle’s success validates the effectiveness of Terran Orbital’s innovative technologies and positions the company as a leader in building reliable and cost-effective solutions for deep space exploration.

“This enhanced mission is a testament to the exceptional capabilities of our Voyager platform and the dedication of our talented team,” said Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer at Terran Orbital. “We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Advanced Space and NASA on this groundbreaking mission and to contribute to the success of Artemis.”

“The CAPSTONE mission is continuing to deliver valuable data and experience that will inform future exploration missions,” said Bradley Cheetham, CEO and President of Advanced Space. “We remain grateful that NASA provided us this opportunity and together with our mission partners look forward to continued operations.”

To learn more about the Terran Orbital spacecraft platforms, select this direct link…

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an EchoStar company (Nasdaq: SATS), has been awarded by SES Space & Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of SES, a contract to provide a flexible, software-defined, multi-orbit, auto-PACE solution and associated modems in support of SES Space & Defense’s and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program.

The Hughes solution will enable resilient broadband connectivity using Ku- and Ka-band Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations for various Comms on the Pause (COTP) and Comms on the Move (COTM) test scenarios.

Under this contract, Hughes will deliver its automated Network Management System (NMS), Enterprise Management and Control (EM&C) capabilities together with the firm’s Smart Network Edge software to be integrated by the SES Space & Defense team with Hughes next-generation, software-defined HM100 and HM400 satellite modems providing GEO and MEO connectivity. SES Space & Defense, which focuses exclusively on delivering satellite network solutions for governments, will integrate a LEO solution into the Hughes auto-PACE offering, adding further to the resilient nature of the ultimate program deliverable.  

“Multi-orbit, flexible networks deliver real-time communications to meet mission requirements across the battlefield,” said Rick Lober, Vice President/General Manager, Hughes Defense and Government Systems Division. “Whether users need connectivity on the ground or in the air, resilient communications must be available using the frequency band and satellite system that is most effective for the application and location. Hughes appreciates the opportunity to continue working with SES Space & Defense and others on this program as the need for multi-orbit communications accelerates.” 

The Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Pony Express 2 mission, intended to showcase how space can enhance Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), is ready for launch.

Pony Express 2 is a self-funded technology demonstration that uses a pair of small satellites. Its mission integrates four Lockheed Martin payloads on two 12U Terran Orbital Renegade-class space vehicles. The payloads provide a tactical communications system; a Ka-band crosslink and mesh network; precision relative ranging and time synchronization across the satellites; and a high-end CPU/processor.

Once on orbit, Pony Express 2 will demonstrate:

• Enhanced connectivity: NASA-standard delay-tolerant, mesh networking to show how warfighters could remain connected by data that is resiliently-relayed through a constellation of satellites for direct to users at the tactical edge.
• Autonomous capability: With HiveStar^TM, a “bid-auction” style autonomous mission technology, there will be a significantly reduced need for satellite operator inputs, an increase in resiliency and faster decision-making. HiveStar technology is a scheduling resource that distributes mission tasks based on availability of the space assets.
• Mission flexibility: The company’s SmartSat^TM technology onboard Pony Express 2 allows applications written in almost any software language to be uploaded to an orbiting spacecraft. Similar to an app on a smart phone, this enables edge processing for software-defined missions.
• Agile operations: The mission features formation flight algorithms to enable the spacecraft to maintain a tight formation (within a couple of kilometers), using more efficient ion propulsion not normally used for such cooperative operations.
• AI-enabled proactive troubleshooting: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) application will autonomously monitor spacecraft telemetry and, with the ability to predict potential failures faster than humans, and allow controllers to proactively address issues before they occur.

Pony Express 2 will launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission no earlier than March of 2024. After a series of on-orbit demonstrations by Lockheed Martin, Pony Express 2 is expected to be available to participate in government exercises later this year.

Pony Express 2 will eventually be joined by other satellites launched later to form Lockheed Martin’s Space-Augmented Joint All-Domain Operations Environment (SAJE), which will show how space can fully enable and lead the Department of Defense’s CJADC2 vision.

Pony Express 2 is the latest mission in a collection of Lockheed Martin self-funded technology demonstrators launched by the company to showcase technology maturity, including its Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) Payload, LM LINUSS and Pony Express 1.

“The Pony Express 2 mission will showcase how we can keep our warfighters connected from space across every domain even in the most austere and contested environments,” said Maria Demaree, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin National Security Space. “These technologies will be key to ensuring information superiority and 21st Century Security for our forces and allies.

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has won a first-of-its-kind contract with Thales Alenia Space supporting the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of the Republic of Indonesia to deliver Gen-3 Earth Observation (EO) satellites, ground station capabilities and flight operations support — BlackSky has also provided assured subscription-based, real-time imagery and analytics services to support the Indonesian MoD. These multi-year contracts have a combined value of approximately $50 million dollars.

The Indonesian MoD has subscription-based Assured access to BlackSky’s current high-cadence, real-time imagery and analytics services, giving the customer guaranteed access and first-priority tasking capacity over their national and regional areas of interest.

These services, delivered through a separate agreement between PT Len and BlackSky, will provide early intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for satellite capability for the MoD until the Indonesian Defense Satellite System becomes operational. Once operational, the Gen-3 electro-optical satellites are expected to deliver low-latency high-frequency imagery and analytics seamlessly into the customer’s workflow.

“Continuing our string of pioneering innovations in the space-based intelligence industry, BlackSky now offers sovereign nations the ability to gain foresight into critical matters that affect their national security and economy using commercially available Earth observation technology today,” said Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “Indonesia’s first sovereign satellites will share the same advanced capabilities as BlackSky’s future Gen-3 commercial constellation.”

“This announcement follows the multi-mission contract already signed between Thales Alenia Space and PT Len Industri to provide a state-of-the-art Earth observation constellation combining both radar and optical sensors and dedicated to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD). We are very pleased to partner with BlackSky to deliver modern space capabilities aligns with Indonesia’s drive to modernize and restructure its defense capabilities in an increasingly complex threat environment,” said Hervé Derrey, Thales Alenia Space CEO.

BlackSky is a real-time, space-based intelligence company that delivers on-demand, high frequency imagery, analytics, and high-frequency monitoring of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in the world. BlackSky owns and operates one of the industry’s most advanced, purpose-built commercial, real-time intelligence system that combines the power of the BlackSky Spectra® tasking and analytics software platform and our proprietary low earth orbit satellite constellation. With BlackSky, customers can see, understand and anticipate changes for a decisive strategic advantage at the tactical edge, and act not just fast, but first. BlackSky is trusted by some of the most demanding U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses, and organizations around the world.

For any satellite orbiting the Earth from above the Equator it is not easy to deliver signals to aircraft flying over the North Pole. Intelsat has managed the challenge with the help of bandwidth from Eutelsat/OneWeb. It has completed a series of test flights to the Arctic Circle demonstrating that airlines that require inflight internet connectivity on long-haul flights at extreme northerly latitudes can access low-latency, high-throughput service at any point on their route map.

“Airlines and their passengers have never had access to polar connectivity, but Intelsat made history as the first inflight connectivity provider to provide high-speed internet service above the Arctic Circle,” said Dave Bijur, the company’s SVP/Commercial Aviation. “This is an important region for airlines operating intercontinental flights. Thanks to Intelsat’s multi-orbit satellite service and ESA antenna, millions of international passengers flying on polar routes will enjoy reliable, non-stop connectivity from gate to gate.”

The test flights were completed on Intelsat’s test aircraft, a CRJ-700 regional jet equipped with an Electronically Steered Array (ESA) antenna. During the test flights, engineers from Intelsat and Ball Aerospace collected data necessary to understand the ESA’s operations and connections with different satellite orbits at different latitudes.

On December 17th, 2023, Intelsat operated its test aircraft from Seattle, Washington, to Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is located at roughly 61° north, making it the northernmost city served by major airlines, anywhere on the planet. This flight was operated using Intelsat’s fleet of GEO satellites, proving high-throughput GEO service is available using Intelsat ESA at all global airline hubs.

On December 18th, 2023, Intelsat operated a roundtrip flight from Anchorage to Utqiaġvik, Alaska (formerly Barrow, AK). Utqiaġvik is situated at a latitude of 71° north, the same as many polar routes connecting Asia, North America and Europe. This flight was operated using OneWeb’s fleet of LEO satellites and demonstrated that high-speed, low latency performance is available even in a challenging geographic region that previously never had inflight internet service.

“The two tests validated the capabilities of Intelsat’s multi-orbit solution for airlines,” said Pat Walsh, SVP/Engineering. “As the aircraft traveled due north from Anchorage into the Arctic Circle, we seamlessly connected to the OneWeb low-earth orbit constellation delivering 150 megabits per second inflight and on the ground in Alaska. In addition, near the polar region, Intelsat’s GEO operations exceeded expectations, delivering a reliable, high-speed connection all the way to Anchorage.”

Ben Griffin, VP Mobility at Eutelsat OneWeb, said, “We congratulate Intelsat on this milestone moment, made possible by OneWeb’s low Earth orbit constellation. This continuous connectivity across all routes and latitudes is a game changer for international airlines flying between East and West across the polar region. This historic flight validates the 5C’s of connectivity that together OneWeb and Intelsat can deliver to our airline customer namely – coverage, capacity, connection, consistency, and community.”

ThrustMe has received a direct order for the firm’s off-the-shelf propulsion products from the French Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES).

This contract from CNES illustrates the agency’s procurement policy now embraces agile and commercially focused strategies to meet the dynamic needs of modern space missions.

The NPT30-I2, ThrustMe’s miniaturized iodine electric propulsion system, is at the heart of this contract. Offering unparalleled procurement efficiency with remarkably short lead times and impressive performance levels, this system ensures swift adaptability to the dynamic demands of CNES projects. This system symbolizes ThrustMe’s engagement in providing reliable and innovative solutions that are ready to launch, facilitating rapid progress in space exploration and satellite deployment.

“ThrustMe was able to design, develop and produce a very innovative product that meets the needs of the market. All this in record time! CNES is a proud customer of ThrustMe, their Iodine electric propulsion systems are key to the future of European satellites”, said Philippe Baptiste, CNES Chairman and CEO.

Ane Aanesland, CEO and co-founder of ThrustMe, said, “We are honored to be chosen by CNES to provide propulsion systems for their upcoming missions. Today, with dozens of systems in orbit and delivering to clients worldwide, ThrustMe celebrates the agency’s confirmation of our reliability and innovation in this future oriented contract.”