• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • News
  • Featured
  • More News ⌄
    • SatNews
    • SatMagazine
    • MilSatMagazine
  • Events ⌄
    • MilSat Symposium
    • SmallSat Symposium
    • Satellite Innovation
  • Contacts
  • SUBSCRIPTION

SmallSat News

You are here: Home / Archives for Featured

Featured

The Exploration Company selects Benchmark Space Systems Propulsion System to power their ‘Mission Possible’ demonstrator flight

October 18, 2022 by editorial

The Exploration Company has selected Benchmark Space Systems propulsion system to power their ‘Mission Possible’ demonstrator flight.

Under a collaborative agreement, Benchmark and The Exploration Company will work together to develop an innovative propulsion system that will use non-toxic, high-test, peroxide propellant, in line with The Exploration Company’s long-term commitment towards reusability and sustainability. The system will be based on Benchmark’s flight-proven Halcyon Avant propulsion system, featuring Benchmark’s 22N “Ocelot” bi-propellant (HTP + IPA) thrusters.

Benchmark will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, verification and delivery of the propulsion equipment and assemblies, such as the thruster assembly and the propellant tanks.

The Exploration Company will be responsible for the design, verification and qualification of the overall propulsion system, including the coordination of the interface between the demonstration capsule ‘Nyx’ and the propulsion system.

The Exploration Company scheduled its launch of the demonstration Mission Possible in 2024 with the main objective to perform a safe re-entry of the capsule that will host payloads from first customers. Moreover, the target is to perform a safe splash-down in the ocean, including recovery.

“We are thrilled to bring our proven non-toxic propulsion solutions to power The Exploration Company’s upcoming in-orbit vehicle demonstrator mission,” said Ryan McDevitt, Chief Executive Officer at Benchmark Space Systems.

“Thanks to the collaboration with Benchmark Space Systems, we will be able to test our technology in a real environment that allows us to accelerate and de-risk our technology roadmap,” said Jon Reijneveld, Chief Engineer at The Exploration Company. “The propulsion system that will be developed for the demonstration mission will lower the barriers for the planned maiden flight of our orbital vehicle Nyx Earth.”

Filed Under: Featured, News

Rocket Lab’s Electron arrives at Wallops Launch Complex 2 for the firm’s 1st launch from Virginia

October 13, 2022 by editorial

Rocket Lab USA, Inc.’s Electron rocket has arrived at Launch Complex 2 within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to launch the company’s first mission from U.S. soil.

The mission will deploy satellites for radio frequency (RF) geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360. The launch pad was developed to support Electron missions from U.S. soil for government and commercial customers. Encouraged by NASA’s recent progress in certifying its Autonomous Flight Termination Unit (NAFTU) software, which is required to enable Electron launches from Virginia, Rocket Lab has scheduled the mission from Launch Complex 2 to occur in December of 2022.

Rocket Lab will now start final launch preparations that includes a standard launch dress rehearsal and payload integration at th company’s dedicated Integration and Control Facility near the launch site.

Launch Complex 2 (pictured below) supplements Rocket Lab’s existing site, Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand, from which 31 Electron missions have already launched. The two launch complexes combined can support more than 130 launch opportunities every year, delivering flexibility for rapid, responsive launch for government and commercial satellite operators. The launch pad and production complex for Rocket Lab’s large reusable Neutron launch vehicle will also be located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, streamlining operations across small and large launch opportunities.

The mission will be the first of three Electron launches for HawkEye 360 in a contract that will seethe firm deliver 15 satellites to LEO between late 2022 and 2024. These missions will grow the number of HawkEye 360’s constellation of RF monitoring satellites, enabling the firm to better deliver precise mapping of RF emissions anywhere in the world. Supporting Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy, Rocket Lab will also supply HawkEye 360 with separation systems produced by Planetary Systems Corporation, a Maryland-based space hardware company acquired by Rocket Lab in December 2021.

“We are looking forward to seeing Electron take to Virginia skies for the first time very soon,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “Rocket Lab has been providing reliable and responsive access to orbit for more than four and a half years with Electron and we’re excited to build on that strong heritage by unlocking a new path to orbit from right here on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. We are delighted to be working with the dedicated teams at NASA, Virginia Space, Accomack County and HawkEye 360 to launch this historic mission and begin a new era of space access.”

Filed Under: Featured, News

AAC Clyde Space’s IOD-3 Amber is ready for the company’s first UK satellite launch

October 12, 2022 by editorial

AAC Clyde Space’s has shipped the smallsat IOD-3 Amber™ to the launch site at Cornwall Spaceport where it has been prepared for launch on a Virgin Orbit launch vehicle, the first ever launch from UK soil — the launch is planned to take place before year-end.

AAC Clyde Space’s IOD-3 Amber smallsat. Photo is courtesy of the company.

IOD-3 Amber forms part of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) program, which supports UK businesses to rapidly develop and launch a satellite data service into orbit. The 6U cubesat has been developed by the Satellite Applications Catapult, Horizon Technologies, the UK Space Agency and was designed and built by AAC Clyde Space.

This satellite is designed for communication missions and carries Horizon Space Technologies’ AMBER Payload, dedicated to delivering Maritime Domain Awareness intelligence data. It is highly integrated and uses in-built precision engineered avionics with decades of heritage from AAC Clyde Space’s widely used subsystems.

IOD-3 Amber will be able to locate and track vessels worldwide by geolocating and demodulating RF signals in a system that can be used to fight piracy, illegal trans-shipments, illegal fishing, and refugee smuggling, but can also be used for other purposes such as detecting and tracking a variety of RF emitters. The satellite will be the first of more than 20 in Horizon’s planned Amber constellation.

“The entire team at Horizon Technologies applauds this critical step in our path to orbit. We have been working closely with AAC Clyde Space and the Satellite Applications Catapult for many months now, and it’s great to see that our customers are now closer to receiving the unique dataset from the Amber™ constellation,” said John Beckner, CEO of Horizon Technologies

“This inaugural launch illustrates the strength of the UK space industry, placing several domestically developed cutting edge small satellites into orbit. AAC Clyde Space is proud to have a central role in the UK’s development of a sustainable, commercial small satellite launch market,” said AAC Clyde Space CEO, Luis Gomes.

“Glasgow is a global hub of small satellite manufacturing, pioneered by companies like AAC Clyde Space and supported by a thriving sector across the country. We’re building a sustainable, commercial launch market to give these companies access to space from UK soil and catalyse investment from all over the world. As we countdown to the first launch from Spaceport Cornwall, it’s very encouraging and exciting to see British-built satellites, including IOD-3 Amber, beginning their journey to orbit from the UK,” said Ian Annett, Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency.

Filed Under: Featured, News

With the manifest complete, Virgin Orbit’s flight hardware is heading to Spaceport Cornwall for the 1st orbital launch from U.K. soil

October 11, 2022 by editorial

The countdown to Cornwall has begun as Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) readies for Start Me Up, the newly-titled, forthcoming, historic launch from the United Kingdom.

Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl sends Launcher One on its mission. Photo is courtesy of the company.

The launch provider’s carrier aircraft, ground support equipment (GSE) and rocket will depart this week from California following the first round of now completed, wet dress rehearsals. On track for a November launch, Start Me Up is led by a joint mission between the U.S. and U.K. governments, launched by Virgin Orbit, the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), UK Space Command, and Spaceport Cornwall.

Artistic rendition of Virgin Orbit’s Launcher One deploying a smallsat to orbit. Image courtesy of the company.

Start Me Up will be a launch of many firsts: the first orbital launch ever from the United Kingdom; the first international launch for Virgin Orbit, and the first commercial launch from Western Europe.

The first of the company’s hardware will begin its transport to Cornwall, U.K. on Sunday, October 9th, due to arrive at Spaceport Cornwall on Tuesday, October 11th, with the GSE and rocket quickly following later in the week.

This will be the fifth consecutive Virgin Orbit launch to carry payloads for both private companies and governmental agencies. The flight manifest, now completely full, includes payloads from seven global customers, a testament to the flexibility and possibilities offered through responsive launch solutions.

The launch service 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 Start Me Up manifest includes:

  • 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 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, this 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, Earth Observation (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 smallsat 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 smallsat 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. The missions of these satellites span a wide range of activities aimed at improving life on planet Earth, including reducing the environmental impact of production; preventing illegal trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism; and a host of national security functions.

Virgin Orbit has been working closely with the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the Spaceport Cornwall team to make all necessary preparations for liftoff.

Start Me Up is so named as a tribute to one of the most iconic British rock and roll bands of all time, the Rolling Stones. The hit song debuted on the 1981 album Tattoo You and was later released on the Forty Licks compilation by Virgin Records in 2002.

Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said, “What an incredible honor it is for us to be part of something as monumental as bringing Britain into the business of launch. Working with our partners across the UK government, we’re starting up a new capability that will serve the people, the economy, and the security of the UK.”

U.K. Minister of Science, Nusrat Ghani, said, “As we move ever closer to the first satellite launch from U.K. soil, it’s excellent to see the progress being made by Virgin Orbit, Spaceport Cornwall and those across government in delivering this historic mission, the first of its kind in Europe. With 47,000 jobs across the U.K., our growing space industry is a vital part of the economy and has an important role to play in catalysing investment, generating growth and prosperity. I’m looking forward to working with this innovative sector and delivering on our National Space Strategy.”

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the U.K. Space Agency, said, “Seeing Virgin Orbit’s aircraft take off is an exciting reminder that we are close to the first launch from U.K. soil and first launch of a satellite from Europe. This will be an iconic moment in the history of U.K. space endeavors, so it is fitting that the mission has been named after a song from the Rolling Stones, one of the U.K.’s most iconic bands.”

Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey (Commander, U.K. Space Command), said, “The completion of the fuelling and pressurisation dress rehearsals in the USA, and the announcement of the mission name and manifest, has started countdown to launch from the U.K. I’ve seen first-hand the hard work and collaboration that has gone into making this happen, and we can now look forward to Virgin Orbit’s arrival in Cornwall. The very first space launch, carrying government and industry satellite payloads, marks Start Me Up as a historic moment for the United Kingdom. Developing new launch capabilities will build on the strengths of our space sector and attract companies from around the world to benefit from these commercial opportunities. This will catalyze investment, bring new jobs to communities and organisations right across the U.K., as well as inspiring the next generation of space scientists and engineers.”

Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said, “It’s time to Start Us Up! This is a huge moment for us all in Cornwall as the journey to U.K. space launch has officially begun. The mission name and patch reflect and embrace the incredible partnerships between our two countries and teams.”

Filed Under: Featured, News

Rocket Factory Augsburg + Spaceflight sign an MOU for upcoming launches

September 20, 2022 by editorial

Spaceflight Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for upcoming launches with Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) — this agreement formalizes the plan for Spaceflight to fly their Sherpa® orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) and other rideshare payloads on upcoming RFA missions from a variety of European launch sites, including from facilities in the United Kingdom, French Guiana and others — the companies are targeting mid-2024 for their first launch.

Leveraging its location in the hub of the German automobile manufacturing industry, RFA is minimizing launch system costs with its serial production and assembly approach. RFA ONE, a three-stage, 30-meter rocket can deliver up to 1,350 kg. to a polar Earth orbit.

The company successfully completed the first test campaign of their Helix flight configuration engine in July of 2022, confirming the firm’s milestone traction toward service commercialization. RFA has already signed launch contracts with the German government and about a dozen customers for launches starting in 2023. The RFA ONE rocket is expected to launch as many as 50 times a year in the future, delivering satellites into near-Earth orbit quickly and reliably at a highly competitive price point.

Artistic rendition of RFA’s RFA ONE, rocket, courtesy of the company.

Spaceflight’s Sherpa family of space vehicles are designed to minimize development timelines while maximizing launch schedule reliability and mission assurance. Beyond functioning as a port expander, the modular and flexible transportation vehicles bridge the gap between where a launch vehicle drops its satellites off and the satellites’ final destination orbit – whether that’s LEO, trans-lunar and low-lunar orbits, or beyond to GEO. In addition to precise orbit insertion, Sherpa OTVs support payload hosting, as well as in-space servicing, such as spacecraft maintenance, infrastructure development and debris mitigation.

Earlier this month, Spaceflight successfully launched Sherpa-LTC, the company’s chemical propulsive OTV onboard a SpaceX Starlink mission. The high-thrust propulsive Sherpa successfully deployed from the Falcon 9 and is targeting a 310 km. circular orbit before igniting and transporting a customer payload to a 1,000 km. circular orbit. Previously, the company launched 50 payloads in 2021 from three different Sherpa OTVs, establishing a strong history of success with the program.

“Spaceflight pioneered and truly defined the rideshare market and we’re very excited to partner with them on future launches,” said Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer of RFA. “Together with Spaceflight’s unmatched launch and in-space transportation expertise, we can provide the industry with more launch flexibility and options for competitively priced launches to LEO and beyond.”

“The demand for access to cost-effective, last-mile delivery launches is growing rapidly from customers with payloads of all sizes and types,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. “Having many different launch options across different price points, orbital destinations, and facility locations are all very important to our savvy spacecraft developer customers. RFA brings increased price competitiveness and launch frequency from many different launch locations throughout Europe. We’re looking forward to extending our launch vehicle portfolio for Sherpa OTVs and rideshare services to now include RFA ONE, and wish them well on their upcoming maiden flight.”

Filed Under: Featured, News

Spire Global’s space services agreement with GHGSat will launch satellites for greenhouse gas emissions monitoring

September 16, 2022 by editorial

Three Spire 16U satellites carrying GHGSat’s payload will collect data on greenhouse gas emissions critical to helping organizations across the globe reduce their carbon footprint

Spire Global, Inc., provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, announced a Space Services agreement with GHGSat, a leader in high-resolution methane monitoring from space, to expand its satellite constellation for greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. Under the agreement, Spire will launch three 16U satellites in 2023 that will carry GHGSat’s payload and provide the company with Spire’s robust, scalable, and simple-to-integrate API to effortlessly receive its data and operate its payloads.

Spire’s more than 350 years of space heritage will help GHGSat, which currently operates six small satellites, meet growing demand for its business of providing timely, accurate measurements of methane emissions from industrial sites worldwide. The data collected by its payload is used to monitor emissions from carbon-intensive industries such as oil and gas, coal mining, waste management and agriculture. GHGSat’s services are critical to detect methane leaks, quantify emissions inventories, support mitigation strategies, and help operators achieve their net-zero targets. Governments, research institutes and international organizations such as UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) also require transparent and accurate emissions data to better understand the industrial carbon footprint and advise on the most productive mitigation actions to fight climate change today.

“Monitoring greenhouse gas emissions to help fight climate change is a perfect example of how data from space can provide insights into the biggest challenges facing humanity,” said Joel Spark, Co-Founder and General Manager, Space Services, Spire. “We’re proud that GHGSat chose to leverage Spire’s proven space platform, end-to-end manufacturing facility, global ground station network and mission operations system to efficiently scale its constellation. Taking the complexity out of space so that great companies like GHGSat can focus on their core mission and solve global problems is exactly why we developed our Space Services offering.”

Spire Space Services has a subscription model that eliminates the upfront costs of building and maintaining infrastructure in space. Commercial and government organizations can deploy and operate a constellation of satellites, a hosted payload, or a software application in space with Spire’s established space, ground, and web infrastructure. Spire handles the end-to-end management, from manufacturing to launch to satellite operations, and the customer operates the system through a web API.

“Hosting GHGSat payloads on Spire satellites allows us to focus on monitoring rather than on satellite manufacturing and operations,” said Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat. “Having successfully completed and launched our initial satellite assets, GHGSat plans to add hosted payload solutions to complement our full satellite solutions to accelerate monitoring. We expect to seamlessly manage these three hosted payloads as part of our growing constellation of satellites and payloads in orbit, providing more facility-level emissions measurements for our customers at the lowest detection threshold available in the world today.”

Filed Under: Featured, News

OneWeb + Arianespace sign a new agreement for possible future launches

September 14, 2022 by editorial

OneWeb and Arianespace have signed a new agreement that follows the earlier suspension of the launches on September 13, 2022.

Following that suspension of OneWeb’s launches in March of 2022, OneWeb and Arianespace have now reached an agreement pursuant to which performance of the Launch Services Agreement may be resumed in the future. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

Arianespace is supporting OneWeb on its upcoming launches, including the performance of Dispenser Supply Services for two launches to be performed by NewSpace India Limited, part of India’s national space agency, ISRO.

Based on their unique heritage, OneWeb and Arianespace are determined to examine future opportunities together, especially on the Ariane 6 launch vehicle for the second generation of the smallsat constellation.

Filed Under: Featured, News

SpaceX to launch 54 Starlinks on September 13th

September 12, 2022 by editorial

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 13, for a Falcon 9 launch of 54 Starlink satellites to LEO from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Launch, landing and deployment graphic, courtesy of SpaceX.

The instantaneous launch window is at 10:10 p.m. ET (02:10 UTC on September 14) and a backup opportunity is available on Wednesday, September 14, at 9:48 p.m. ET (01:48 UTC on September 15), should such be required.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, and CRS-25.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Watch the live launch webcast starting about 5 minutes before liftoff at this direct link…

Filed Under: Featured, News

Blue Canyon Technologies + SEAKR Engineering deliver 1st flight unit + payloads for the DARPA Blackjack Program

September 7, 2022 by editorial

Blue Canyon Technologies, LLC, and SEAKR Engineering, LLC, wholly owned subsidiaries of Raytheon Technologies, have announced that they have delivered one, Saturn-class, microsat bus and have also completed acceptance testing of the first two of 12, Pit Boss Battle Management Command, Control and Communication payloads for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Blackjack Program.

Blue Canyon is providing ten, Saturn-class buses total, with the remaining nine expected to ship later in the year. The buses are BCT’s first flight units using the company’s new Kyber Electrical Power System and Hyperion Solar Arrays. Each bus includes advanced electric propulsion, a robust power system, command and data handling, radio frequency communications and dedicated payload interfaces capable of hosting several different Department of Defense payloads.

SEAKR Engineering has completed acceptance testing of the first two, flight units of the 12 Pit Boss Battle Management Command, Control and Communication payloads for the DARPA Blackjack constellation. These units have shipped for space vehicle Assembly, Integration and Test.

The Blackjack mission will develop and demonstrate critical elements of a global high-speed network in LEO. The goal of the Blackjack program is to show that a constellation of LEO satellites meets U.S. Department of Defense performance and payload requirements, at a significantly lower cost, with shorter design cycles and with easier and more frequent technology upgrades. The Blackjack program aims to establish an economy of scale not previously available with current National Security space assets, which are large, costly and would take years to replace if degraded or destroyed.

Blue Canyon built and delivered Blackjack’s ground test unit to Lockheed Martin in early May of this year. The remaining customized, Saturn-class buses are currently in production at BCT’s smallsat factory in Lafayette, Colorado.

SEAKR Engineering is manufacturing the payloads at their facilities in Centennial, Colorado.

“This is a momentous milestone for BCT’s Saturn microsatellite product line with the first-ever Saturn bus flight unit to achieve environmental testing,” said Jeff Schrader, president of Blue Canyon Technologies and SEAKR Engineering. “The accomplishment of qualifying and shipping this unit was no easy feat with teams working around the clock to run test after test to reduce risk and ensure success in the overall mission. It was a collaborative effort with Raytheon Intelligence & Space, BCT and SEAKR Engineering that further signifies confidence in our capabilities as an end-to-end spacecraft provider.”

“Pit Boss plays many critical roles for the Blackjack constellation by providing on-orbit mission autonomy, a space platform for DevSecOps Docker applications, network routing of optical satellite links, and high speed link encryption,” said Dave Anderson, SEAKR’s Vice President, Advanced Product Development and CTO. “The Pit Boss BMC3 has enough processing resources with margin to perform all these functionalities simultaneously.”

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, is comprised of four business units: CubeSats, Microsats, Components, and Mission Operations. BCT offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable, and affordable spacecraft and components that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy. The company currently supports numerous unique missions with over 100 cumulative spacecraft orders. Microsatellites are manufactured at the 80,000 sq-ft Lafayette facility and CubeSats and components are manufactured in 40,000 sq-ft of dedicated facilities in Boulder, Colorado. BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

SEAKR Engineering is the leading-edge provider of advanced electronics for space applications. We design and manufacture processors, command and data handling systems, advanced payloads, and manned space hardware. Founded in 1982 to revolutionize spacecraft memory systems, today SEAKR continues forward innovation with state-of-the-art space communications processors capable of channelization and beamforming. SEAKR was acquired by Raytheon Technologies in 2021.

Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, cyber services and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers around the world.

Filed Under: Featured, News

By 2026 The global satellite IoT subscriber base will reach 21.2 million

September 6, 2022 by editorial

According to a new research report from specialist IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, the global satellite IoT communications market is growing at a strong steady pace. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global satellite IoT subscriber base grew to surpass 3.9 million in 2021. The number of satellite IoT subscribers will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.3 percent to reach 21.2 million units in 2026.

The number of satellite IoT subscribers to
reach 21.2 million in 2026

Only about 10 percent of the Earth’s surface has access to terrestrial connectivity services which leaves a massive opportunity for satellite IoT communications. Satellite connectivity provides a complement to terrestrial cellular and non-cellular networks in remote locations, especially useful for applications in agriculture, asset tracking, maritime and intermodal transportation, oil and gas industry exploration, utilities, construction and governments. Both incumbent satellite operators and more than two dozen new initiatives are now betting on the IoT connectivity market. This new study covers a total of 44 satellite IoT operators.

“Iridium, Orbcomm, Inmarsat and Globalstar are the largest satellite IoT network operators today”, says Johan Fagerberg, Principal Analyst at Berg Insight. Iridium grew its subscriber base by 21 percent in the last year and reached the number one spot serving 1.3 million subscribers. Originally a dedicated satellite operator, Orbcomm has transitioned into an end-to-end solution provider, delivering services on its own satellite network as well as being a reseller partner of Inmarsat and others. At the end of 2021, the company had 1.1 million satellite IoT subscribers on its own and Inmarsat’s networks.

At the same time Globalstar reached 0.42 million subscribers. Other players with connections in the tens of thousands include for instance Kineis in France and Thuraya in the UAE. In addition to the incumbent satellite operators a number of new initiatives have appeared on the market recently. Examples of some high-profile projects are Astrocast, AST SpaceMobile, CASC/CASIC, E-Space, Fleet Space Technologies, Hubble Network, Kepler Communications, Kineis, Ligado Networks, Lynk, Myriota, Omnispace, Skylo, Swarm Technologies (SpaceX) and Totum.

Many of these are based on low-Earth orbit nano satellite concepts. While some rely on proprietary satellite connectivity technologies to support IoT devices, several are starting to leverage terrestrial wireless IoT connectivity technologies including OQ Technology, AST SpaceMobile, Omnispace, Sateliot, Galaxy Space, Ligado Networks, Lynk, Skylo and Starlink (3GPP 4G/5G); EchoStar Mobile, Fossa Systems, Lacuna Space and Eutelsat (LoRaWAN); Hubble Network (Bluetooth); and Eutelsat (Sigfox). “The terrestrial technologies will grow in importance in the next five years and collaborations between satellite operators and mobile operators exploring new hybrid satellite-terrestrial connectivity opportunities such as the recent T-Mobile/SpaceX agreement will become common”, concludes Mr Fagerberg.

Filed Under: Featured, News

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 23
  • Go to page 24
  • Go to page 25
  • Go to page 26
  • Go to page 27
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 53
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019

© 2019–2025 SatNews

x
Sign Up Now!

Enjoy a free weekly newsletter with recent headlines from the global SmallSat industry.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing! You will now receive weekly SmallSat News updates.
We love our advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable Ad Blocker to continue... We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.