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Fleet Space announces the first deployment of its ExoSphere satellite-based mineral exploration system in Africa, in a new partnership with Resonance Frequency Exploration Group (RFEG), based in the USA with operations in Accra, Ghana. Under a licensing and technology cooperation agreement finalized in December 2022, Fleet Space will supply its Geode portable sensors, which use Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) to collect subsurface data. This data is then beamed to the ExoSphere constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and then relayed to computers that use intelligent data processing to generate detailed 3D subsurface maps. Unlike traditional prospecting methods that can take months or years to complete, the whole process takes only days or weeks. 

Adelaide, South Australia; Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies stated, “There is an urgent, global need to discover new sources of critical minerals to support the transition to clean energy and net-zero. Building on our existing successful partnerships in Australia and North America, we’re delighted that our ExoSphere system is now being deployed on mineral exploration projects in Africa for the first time. Through this pioneering licensing and technology cooperation agreement, ExoSphere will give our partners at RFEG access to our Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) and real-time processing capabilities to complement their own proprietary systems. Together, we can greatly speed up the exploration process for a range of vital minerals, while also massively reducing its environmental impact — a win-win for Ghana and the wider international response to climate change.”

ExoSphere brings a powerful new dimension to the ongoing Mineral Resource Estimate projects RFEG is conducting, in particular in the Oti Region of Ghana. Under the auspices of the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), with implementation by RFEG’s team, ExoSphere will complement RFEG’s own XPLR remote-sensing mapping-analysis technology. This is achieved by cross-referencing the data from both sources, thereby significantly increasing the likelihood of finding new mineral deposits more quickly and with much greater accuracy. 

ExoSphere’s Geodes are light enough to be carried by one team member, making them ideal for use in challenging and inaccessible terrain. They are also entirely non-invasive, eliminating the need for explosives or vibrating trucks to collect subsurface seismic data. This substantially reduces costs, logistical issues and environmental disturbance; the accuracy of the combined data collection and analysis by Exosphere and RFEG’s systems also means, for mining operators, that drilling can be streamlined to areas where considerable deposits are known to exist. 

RFEG selected Fleet Space as its technical partner after a worldwide search. The company is seeking to help current and prospective clients in the USA, Africa, Central and South America take a more tech-forward, eco-conscious approach to better ascertain site viability and increase operating efficiencies. In particular, it is focusing on using satellite-based image processing technologies analyzed by proprietary algorithms to determine a prospective site’s viability before embarking on traditional geophysical work. RFEG founder Schad Brannon said, “The addition of ExoSphere 3D rendering of subsurface topography by Fleet Space propels the XPLR technology product suite and technology-stack to the next level by creating the most comprehensive satellite-based remote sensing survey product available within the mineral exploration marketplace to date”.     

Fleet Space founder Flavia Tata Nardini says, “We’re incredibly excited to see ExoSphere being deployed in Africa, and to be working in partnership with RFEG. Our two organizations have much in common: we’re both looking to make mineral exploration faster and more efficient through technology; we’re explorers and pioneers developing that technology ourselves; and we’re absolutely committed to reducing the environmental impact of these activities, which are fundamental to economic development and climate action.”

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, contributed to the SpaceX Transporter-6 launch by providing critical hardware components for several of the payload’s smallsats.

The payloads had various missions, including tech demos, EO, comms and signal intelligence. All of the work on these components was conducted by the company in Boulder, Colorado.

The BCS products aboard the launch included five, high performance, FleXcore attitude control systems and six flight sets of reaction wheels. FleXcore is equipped with a powerful processing core and, coupled with BCT’s reaction wheel assemblies, provides dependable performance that safeguard mission success.

The company’s reaction wheels are built to provide spacecraft with the precise combo of torque and momentum storage that is required to navigate a successful mission. They are equipped with brushless DC motors that have higher efficiency and performance, as well as highter torque to weight ratio.

“At Blue Canyon, enabling our customers to achieve optimal results for diverse space and aerospace missions is a top priority. By offering a comprehensive suite of spacecraft services and technology products, BCT can meet various mission objectives with our flight prove and flexible designs,” said Jeff Schrader, President of blue Can Technologies.

Partners for the United Kingdom’s first orbital launch announced that the initial window for the historic Start Me Up mission will officially open on Monday, January 9th at 22:16, UTC, with additional back-up dates continuing into mid- and late January — Start Me Up is a collaborative effort between the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), Cornwall Council, the Royal Air Force (RAF St Mawgan), and Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB).

The Start Me Up mission will carry satellites from seven customers to space, including commercial and government payloads from several nations as well as a collaborative US-UK mission.

The LauncherOne system that will conduct the mission is now mated to its carrier aircraft, a Boeing 747 dubbed Cosmic Girl, at Spaceport Cornwall. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne system successfully completed an end-to-end launch rehearsal, taking the integrated system through to the loading of propellants and proceeding through terminal count, resulting in the verification of the health of the system and readiness of the team.

Given the number of “firsts” being executed for this launch – the first orbital launch from UK soil or from anywhere in western Europe — Virgin Orbit and its partners will maintain a conservative posture with regard to system health, weather and all other elements of scheduling.

Spaceport Cornwall received the United Kingdom’s first spaceport license from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in November of 2022. In late December of 2022, Virgin Orbit was issued first-of-their-kind launch and range control licenses, which ensured all regulatory, safety, and environmental requirements have been met. This week, the CAA announced that all of the satellites flying on this mission have received their licenses as well.

The forthcoming mission from Cornwall will contain many firsts: the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom, the first international launch for Virgin Orbit and the first commercial launch from western Europe.

Start Me Up will be the fifth consecutive Virgin Orbit launch to carry payloads for private companies and government agencies. All of the prior 33 satellites were carried by LauncherOne to their precise desired orbit, while demonstrating the ability to fly through and above inclement weather, integrate rapid-call up payloads, and reach a broader range of orbits than would be possible from a traditional ground-launch system.

The launch was acquired by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Virgin Orbit National Systems, a Virgin Orbit U.S. subsidiary serving classified customers, as the first task order on NRO’s Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Contract, or “SLIC.”

The missions of the satellites span a wide range of activities aimed at improving life on Earth, including reducing the environmental impact of production; preventing illegal trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism; and a host of national security functions. The full Start Me Up manifest…

IOD-3 AMBER (aka IOD-3)
Developed by Satellite Applications Catapult (“SA Catapult”) and Horizon Technologies and built by AAC Clyde Space, all based in the U.K. IOD-3 Amber is expected to be the first of more than 20 Amber satellites to provide space-based Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) data to users.

Prometheus-2
Two cubesats owned by the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s (MOD) Defense Science & Technology Laboratory Dstl. These satellites, co-funded with Airbus Defence and Space who are designing them jointly with In-Space Missions, will support MOD science and technology (S&T) activities both on-orbit and on the ground through the development of ground systems focused at Dstl’s site near Portsmouth.

CIRCE (Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction CubeSat Experiment)
CIRCE is part of a joint mission between the U.K.’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).

DOVER
Developed by RHEA Group in the UK, it is the company’s first satellite in its 30-year history. The satellite is being co-funded through the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Navigation Program (NAVISP) and built by Open Cosmos of the United Kingdom. DOVER is a smallsat that was created as a pathfinder for resilient global navigation satellite systems.

ForgeStar-0
Developed by Space Forge of Wales, the satellite is a fully returnable and reusable platform to enable in-space manufacturing. This launch will be the first for the company’s ForgeStar platform and will test future returns from space technology.

AMAN
Oman’s first orbital mission, it is a single EO satellite meant to demonstrate the future feasibility of a larger constellation and was developed after a memorandum of understanding among the Sultanate of Oman, Polish Small Satellite manufacturer and operator SatRev, Poland-originated AI data analytics specialists

TUATARA, and Omani-based merging technology innovator ETCO.
The agreement includes additional planned small satellites, including this, the first in Oman’s history.

STORK-6
Stork-6 is the next installment of Polish Small Satellite manufacturer and operator SatRev’s STORK constellation. Virgin Orbit previously launched two spacecraft in this constellation on a previous launch and looks forward to continuing to launch SatRev’s STORK spacecraft in the future.

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and are air-launched from the wing of a converted Boeing 747-400 aircraft named Cosmic Girl. Virgin Orbit’s unique air-launch platform can take off from any runway long enough to handle a Boeing 747. Not reliant on traditional spaceports that support vertical launches, this capability creates a new level of mobility for satellite launch, thereby enabling sovereign launch capability in new markets.

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the UK Space Agency, said, “We are entering a new era for space in the UK with the first ever satellite launch from UK soil and from Europe. This is a significant landmark for the nation, the UK Space Agency and for all those who have worked so hard over many years to make our ambitions to create a commercial space launch capability a reality. The development of new orbital launch capabilities is already generating growth, catalysing investment and creating jobs in Cornwall and other communities across the United Kingdom. This will lead to new careers, improved productivity and inspire the next generation of space professionals, and this is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing more launches from other UK spaceports over the next year, putting us firmly on the map as Europe’s leading destination for commercial small satellite launch.”

Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit CEO, said, “After ensuring that every technical aspect is sound and every regulation and code has been satisfied, it is gratifying to see this historic endeavor on the verge of coming to fruition. This launch represents the opening of a new era in the British space industry and new partnerships across industry, government, and allies. Space is already responsible for tens of thousands of jobs across the UK, the global industry is growing quickly, and so is the potential. And this launch is demonstrating that with the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne system an airport can become a spaceport that sends humankind’s innovations on their journey.”

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said, “This is a phenomenal moment with incredible international collaboration. Virgin Orbit, the UK Space Agency and all of our partners are breaking new ground to transform access to space across the world from right here in Cornwall. My team at Spaceport Cornwall have worked so hard to get this far and we wish everyone the best of luck as the launch window opens, we are ready.”

Tim Johnson, Director for Space Regulation at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said, “Effective licensing forms an integral part of UK space activity, and with public safety at the heart of our decision making, we’ve worked with Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall to assess their applications and issue licences within our expected timeframe, putting the UK framework on a competitive footing with international space regulators. With all licences in place, Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall are now in a position to deliver a historic first orbital launch from UK shores. We’re proud to be playing our part in facilitating the UK’s space ambitions and enable this country to become a leading launch nation.”

A Falcon 9’ has launched the company’s Transporter-6 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34 and 10 Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage accomplished a soft landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Transporter-6 is SpaceX’s sixth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. There are 114 payloads on this flight, including smallsats and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), carrying spacecraft for later deployments.

All imagery is courtesy of SpaceX via the company’s real-time streaming of this launch.

The planned smallsats deployment order…

KuwaitSat-1 / BDSat-2 / SharedSat 2211 / LEMUR 2 EMMACULATE / LEMUR 2 FUENTETAJA-01 / ConnectaT1.2 / GAMA Alpha / BRO-8 / Menut / Huygens / LEMUR 2 DISCLAIMER / STAR VIBE / LEMUR 2 STEVEALBERS / ISILAUNCH Kleos KSF3-A / Birkeland / SPACEBEE-156/ / LEMUR 2 MMOLO / ISILAUNCH Kleos KSF3-B / ISILAUNCH Kleos KSF3-C / LEMUR 2 PHILARI / ISILAUNCH Kleos KSF3-D / First Flock 4Y / EWS RROCI / SpaceBD ISILAUNCH PolyItan from Kiev / Second Flock 4Y / Guardian-alpha/ Third Flock 4Y deploys / Fourth Flock 4Y / SpaceBD Sony Sphere-1 EYE / ISILAUNCH ClydeSpace NSLSat-2 / ISILAUNCH Sternula-1 / Fifth Flock 4Y / Sixth Flock 4Y / Seventh Flock 4Y / Eighth Flock 4Y / Ninth Flock 4Y / 10th Flock 4Y / 11th Flock 4Y / 12th Flock 4Y / 13th Flock 4Y / 14th Flock 4Y / 15th Flock 4Y / 16th Flock 4Y / 17th Flock 4Y / 18th Flock 4Y / 19th Flock 4Y / 20th Flock 4Y / 21st Flock 4Y / 22nd Flock 4Y / 23rd Flock 4Y / 24th Flock 4Y / 25th Flock 4Y / 26th Flock 4Y / 27th Flock 4Y / 28th Flock 4Y / 29th Flock 4Y / 30th Flock 4Y / 31st Flock 4Y / 32nd Flock 4Y / 33rd Flock 4Y / 34th Flock 4Y / 35th Flock 4Y / 36th Flock 4Y / Lynk Tower 3 / Albania 1 / Lynk Tower 4 / YAM-5 / NewSat 34 / Albania 2 / X22 / X21 / First Umbra / Second Umbra / NewSat 35 / ION SCV-007 GLORIOUS GRATIA / ION SCV-008 FIERCE FRANCISCUS / Launcher Orbiter SN1 / X27 / Skykraft 1 / Vigoride 5 / CHIMERA LEO 1 / EOS SAT-1

Two CubeSats (smallsats) are on a quest to provide insight on space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals — this dynamic duo, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat) and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT), arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on November 27, 2022, as part of SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission for NASA.

Both of these smallsats deployed from ISS on December 29, 2022, at 8:55 a.m., EST.

Scientists on both missions are most interested in studying a layer in Earth’s upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere, which is where the impacts of space weather on our technology are felt most strongly. The ionosphere is home to many satellites, including the ISS. Radio waves and GPS signals travel through the ionosphere, and variations there can interfere with, or even disrupt, communication signals. Space weather can also create electric currents that can induce electrical charge in orbiting satellites, and, in extreme cases, cause power outages on the ground.

Day in and day out, the ionosphere is cooked by the Sun’s radiation into a soup of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons, called plasma. Fluctuations in the ionosphere cause low-density and high-density regions — bubbles and blobs — to form in the plasma. These bubbles and blobs can scatter radio signals, sometimes sending them crashing into each other in a phenomenon called scintillation. The result is noisy radio signals, which can reduce the reliability of communication and navigation systems, or even disrupt signals completely.

“If you put a pencil into a glass of water that’s half full, the pencil appears broken,” said Linda Habash Krause, the project scientist for SPORT at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “What happens when you have bubbles? Similar to the pencil in the water, the signals go through ample bends.”

Unfortunately, scientists do not understand exactly how the plasma bubbles and blobs arise. Once petitSat and SPORT are launched from the space station, the two CubeSats will use complementary scientific instruments to investigate the conditions that cause these disruptive features to form.

“The idea is that the science teams will work together and cross compare,” said Jeff Klenzing, the principal investigator of petitSat at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

SPORT is equipped with six instruments to make measurements throughout the ionosphere and these instruments will help determine the conditions that exist just before plasma bubbles form and, ultimately, how their evolution impacts ground-based communications signals. SPORT will transmit data back to the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), where the data will be distributed to researchers at INPE, NASA, and other U.S. partners.

In a complementary fashion, petitSat will work to determine what triggers plasma blobs, when they appear, or even how large a region they occupy.

Both petitSat and SPORT will provide improved observations and insights into space weather phenomena which impact communications. These missions will collectively enhance understanding of the ever-changing space environment and amplify current capabilities of smallsats to directly benefit our society.

The more we can earn about space weather — and how to predict it — the better we can protect our astronauts, spacecraft, and technology.

Author: Matina Douzenis, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has delivered the final ten satellite buses to prime contractor Lockheed Martin in support of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 0 Transport Layer.

The delivery of the ten Tranche 0 buses demonstrates Terran Orbital’s ability to build modules and deliver vehicles at scale — marking the company’s shift from lower quantity, mission-unique satellites to robust production. Terran Orbital delivered the satellite buses at a rate greater than one per week over an approximately six-week period.

The Tranche 0 constellation, operating in LEO, will provide secure high-bandwidth, low-latency data links to enable the initial warfighting capability of the SDA’s National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). This beyond-line-of-sight tracking, targeting, and communications will dramatically extend U.S. warfighting options and allow additional coalition and allied partners to eventually bring their capabilities into the network.

“The delivery of all ten Tranche 0 satellite buses marks a key milestone, and we are excited to continue effective teamwork as Terran Orbital will also design and build the buses for Lockheed Martin’s SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites,” said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Bell. “We are always thrilled to work with Lockheed Martin and look forward to delivering the Tranche 1 satellite buses.”

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com.

The Arianespace Vega C VV22 launch vehicle lifted off as scheduled on December 20, 2022 at 10:47 p.m. (local time in French Guiana). The lift-off, the mission and the separation of the first stage (P120C) were nominal. Following the nominal ignition of the second stage’s (Zefiro 40) engine around 144 seconds after lift-off, a decrease in the pressure was observed that resulted in the premature end of the mission. Under standard procedure, the order of destruction of the launcher was given by CNES, the launch safety authority — no damage to persons or properties occurred.

Arianespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) immediately decided to appoint an independent inquiry commission. This commission is tasked with analyzing the reasons for the failure and defining the measures fulfilling all requisite safety and reliability conditions to allow the resumption of Vega C flights. Composed of independent experts, the commission will work with Avio, Vega C launch system prime contractor.

The inquiry commission is co-chaired by the Inspector General of ESA and the Chief Technical Officer of Arianespace. More information will be shared as soon as the Commission has progressed in the investigations.

Update 3 posting…

Arianespace Flight VV22 via the Vega C launcher that was taking two Pléiades Neo satellites to their orbital slots came to end two minutes and 27 seconds into the liftoff, due to an anomaly with the Zeofire 40, second stage, propulsion system. An investigation is now underway to determine how and why this failure occurred and more details will be forthcoming.

Update 2 posting…

After the discovery of a defective equipment when arming the Vega C launcher for the Flight VV22, Arianespace has taken the decision to postpone the launch. In order to replace the equipment, the upper composite of the launcher will be taken back to the payload preparation facilities and the payload fairing will be opened for the intervention.

All the operations will be handled, in respect of the environmental requirements of the two Pléiades Neo satellites and in accordance with Arianespace’s quality policy. In order to secure both launch dates for Ariane 5 flight VA259 and Vega C flight VV22, Arianespace decided to update its manifest, swapping the two missions:

• The new targeted launch date for VV22 now is December 20;
• The new targeted launch date for VA259 –initially scheduled for December 14- now is December 13.

Update 1 posting…

Due to a defective equipment that needs to be replaced on the launcher, Flight VV22 – initially scheduled for November 24th from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana –must be postponed.

The Vega C launch vehicle and the two Pléiades Neo satellites are in safe conditions.

A new launch date, in December, will be shared as soon as possible.

Original posting…

On Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 10:47 pm local time (01:47 am (UTC) on Friday, November 25), Arianespace’s first Vega C mission will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the 30cm resolution satellites Pléiades Neo 5 and 6. This first commercial flight follows the success, July 13, of Vega C inaugural launch operated by the European Space Agency (ESA).

After liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport, the Vega C launcher will fly powered by the first three stages for a little over seven minutes. The third stage ZEFIRO 9 will then separate from the upper composite, which comprises the AVUM+ upper stage and the two Pléiades Neo satellites. The AVUM+ stage will ignite its engine for the first time about nine and an half minutes, followed by a ballistic phase lasting approximately 35 minutes, in order to reach the injection altitude of the first satellite.

The AVUM+ stage will then restart its engine for a second burn lasting 2 minutes and 30 seconds to circularize the orbit at an altitude of 629 km before releasing the first satellite. The next step, 6 minutes and 39 seconds later, will be a 15 seconds RACS boost leading to a new ballistic phase lasting about 36 minutes. It will be interrupted by a third AVUM+ ignition phase lasting exactly 5 seconds, and will be followed by the release of the second satellite at an altitude of 614 km.

Approximately nine minutes later will occur the fourth and last AVUM+ ignition for a period of 61 seconds, that will deorbit the launcher — marking the end of mission VV22, one hour, 53 minutes and 55 seconds after liftoff.

Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 fully funded and manufactured by its operator Airbus, are the two final satellites of the Pléiades Neo constellation that will respectively be the 139^th and 138^th Airbus Defence and Space satellites to be launched by Arianespace as well as the 120th and 119th satellites launched by a launcher of the Vega family.

The first one, Pléiades Neo 3, has been successfully orbited by Vega Flight 18 on April 28, 2021, and the second one, Pléiades Neo 4, by Vega Flight 19 on August 16, 2021. Built using the latest Airbus’ innovations and technological developments, the constellation allows imaging any point of the globe, several times per day, at 30cm resolution. Highly agile and reactive, they can be tasked up to 15 minutes before acquisition, and send the images back to Earth within the following hour. Smaller, lighter, more agile, accurate and reactive than the competition, they are the first of their class whose capacity will be fully commercially available. Thanks to these state-of-the-art satellites, each step of the acquisition and delivery cycle offers top-level Earth observation services now and going forward for the next ten years.

Vega C, which stands for Consolidation, has been developed to better respond to customers’ needs based on the lessons learned from the first decade (2012-2022) of Vega operations. The launcher has been upgraded with more powerful first and second stage Solid Rocket Motors, bigger AVUM tanks and with a larger fairing that significantly increase payload mass (up to 2,350t in SSO – Sun-Synchronous Orbit) and double allowable volume.

The launcher also better meets the specific needs of small spacecraft, as a result of its improved SSMS (Small Spacecraft Mission Service) dispenser and to its AVUM+ that will allow seven re-ignitions. Vega C can thus achieve three different orbits for its multiple payloads on the same mission, instead of the two previously possible with Vega.

Vega C development program has been managed by ESA. It associates 12 of Member States of the Agency. Avio Spa (Colleferro, Italy) is the industrial prime contractor for both launch vehicle and interfacing ground infrastructure. Avio is also responsible for campaign operations and preparation of the launch vehicle up to lift-off. Avio hands over a “ready to fly” rocket to Arianespace, which sells the Vega C, defines the missions’ requirements, validates its flight worthiness, and operates it from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

During launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely with CNES, the French space agency and the launch range authority at the European Spaceport in Kourou, who is notably looking after the satellite preparation facilities besides being responsible for the protection of populations.

Spire Global, Inc. will launch six satellites on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (SFS) no earlier than January of 2023. The satellites will demonstrate advancements and new capabilities for Spire’s weather and aviation solutions.

Spire will launch two demonstration satellites carrying next-generation Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payloads, which collect aircraft position data. The satellites will expand Spire’s existing ADS-B constellation and play an integral role in improving coverage and latency for the Company’s aviation products. They will demonstrate sophisticated technology for global aircraft tracking, including an advanced antenna design based on years of on-orbit, ADS-B, payload experience and state-of-the-art, inter-satellite links.

These will be Spire’s first smallsats to include propulsion systems on board. The multipurpose satellites will also carry payloads to monitor Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals for vessel tracking data and for Space Services customer Myriota, a provider of global Internet of Things (IoT) service from satellites.

One of the satellites on the launch will fly a polarimetric radio occultation (PRO) payload that collects data on precipitation profiles and patterns. The mission will validate PRO sensitivity to precipitation using several global navigation satellite systems as signals of opportunity. This will be the first step towards the assimilation of PRO data into weather models, which will enhance the value and accuracy of global weather forecasts along with the weather variables currently gathered by Spire’s constellation.

The PRO payload, which will be the first launched by a private company, was designed as part of the ESA InCubed Program, a co-funding program focused on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of EO imagery and dataset. This activity is supported by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA). Spire is the largest producer of radio occultation data, which is leveraged by government agencies such as NOAA, NASA, ECMWF, and EUMETSAT to drive global weather predictions.

The Company is also launching three satellites to replenish the company’s fully deployed constellation of more than 100 multipurpose satellites. Spire designs and builds its satellites entirely in house at its manufacturing facility in Glasgow, Scotland. The Company has built and launched more than 150 satellites, carrying more than 500 years of spaceflight heritage across its fleet.

The satellites are manifested on the mission through a multi-launch agreement between Spire and Exolaunch, which includes access to the Transporter missions through Exolaunch’s long-term launch arrangements with SpaceX. Exolaunch, a global provider of launch, in-space logistics and deployment services, will also provide Spire with deployment and integration services.

“We at ESA are very happy with the efficiency, focus, and speed of implementation of this activity, and if we can see it resulting in measurement data and processing results for systematic evaluation of their assimilation into numerical weather prediction, that will be a rewarding completion,” said Thomas Burger, ESA Technical Officer for Spire.

“Satellites and payloads are continuing to get smaller and more powerful,” said Jeroen Cappaert, Spire CTO and Co-founder. “We’re capitalizing on this rapid pace of innovation and miniaturization to continue to enhance our constellation with cutting-edge technology that drives new applications of satellite data. The applications we’re demonstrating for aviation tracking and precipitation data will play a crucial role in solving some of the greatest challenges we face on Earth, such as overcoming climate change with more accurate weather forecasting and bringing transparency to the supply chain.”

Spire (NYSE: SPIR) provides space-based data, analytics and space services, offering access to unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth from the ultimate vantage point so that organizations can make decisions with confidence, accuracy, and speed. Spire uses one of the world’s largest multipurpose satellite constellations to source hard to acquire, valuable data and enriches it with predictive solutions. Spire then provides this data as a subscription to organizations around the world so they can improve business operations, decrease their environmental footprint, deploy resources for growth and competitive advantage, and mitigate risk. Spire gives commercial and government organizations the competitive advantage they seek to innovate and solve some of the world’s toughest problems with insights from space. Spire has offices in San Francisco, Boulder, Washington DC, Ontario, Glasgow, Oxfordshire, Luxembourg, and Singapore.

Hughes LEO system platform makes LEO satellite networking turn-key

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) has announced that OneWeb has ordered 10,000 Hughes LEO Terminals to enable networking services for enterprise and government customers.

Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has completed the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of the MicroCarb satellite platform, and is now ready to begin the integration of the dispersive spectrometer delivered to the UK, bringing the climate mission a step closer to launch in early 2024.

MicroCarb is a joint French-British mission, with French space agency CNES as prime contractor for the satellite which is built on its Myriade platform, and Airbus Defence and Space providing the instrument. This mission is designed to precisely monitor the Earth’s atmospheric CO2 and detect the changes associated with surface emissions and carbon uptake across cities, forests and oceans worldwide. A special city-scanning mode will allow mapping CO2 distribution in cities, which are responsible for a majority of global emissions.

Thales Alenia Space is working alongside the French and UK space agencies to show how space-based science can help us better understand the vital carbon cycle.

Andrew Stanniland, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space in the UK, said, “I am proud of my team’s achievements and the fact that we have repaid the trust placed in them to lead AIT and launch preparations for Europe’s first carbon monitoring mission. This is the first time that Thales Alenia Space in the UK has worked with CNES, reflecting the agency’s confidence in our teams of highly skilled engineers. I’m looking forward to the next phase of instrument integration, as it is an important part of our capabilities as a UK prime contractor for major space missions.”

Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Space Agency, added, “Over half of the critical measurements on climate change rely on satellite data, which means that the information delivered by MicroCarb will be hugely important. Having more accurate knowledge of how much carbon the world’s forests and oceans absorb will provide the information needed to take decisions on tackling climate change. It’s very exciting to see the MicroCarb satellite arrive in the UK. It’s also a testament to the expertise of the UK scientists and engineers involved and the world-class facilities available at the Harwell Space Cluster.”

The MicroCarb satellite will be launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in early 2024, with support from Thales Alenia Space’s French and British teams.