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You don’t want to miss an opportunity to hear from these two leaders of the space industry…

This live presentation will occur on Wednesday, February 10, at 10:00 a.m., PST… register to attend this major industry trade show at this direct link.

A complete agenda list for this smallsat show of shows is available for viewing at this direct infolink…

For a deep dive into the speakers who will be presenting at SmallSat Symposium 2021, this would be the link to follow…

Editorial opportunities exist for virtual discussions and virtual exhibitor visits… please email “hartley@satnews.com” and “pattie@satnews.com” to schedule a meeting — see you at the show!

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) successfully deployed 12 satellites on January 24, 2021. The SpaceX Falcon 9 ride-sharing mission carried three different, SFL-designed smallsat platforms into orbit for three separate commercial constellations.

The January 24 launch included:

• Three formation-flying, radio frequency geolocating microsatellites built upon SFL’s 30-kg DEFIANT platform for HawkEye 360 Inc. of Herndon, Virgina.

• One next-generation greenhouse gas monitoring microsatellite, known as GHGSat-C2 or “Hugo”, built by SFL on its 15 kg NEMO platform for GHGSat Inc. of Montreal, Canada.

• Eight commercial communications cubesats developed using the SFL 6U-XL SPARTAN design.

The deployment of the DEFIANT smallsat also marked the third entirely new smallsat platform developed by SFL to reach orbit in just the past five months. SFL’s SPARTAN bus was introduced for the first time on September 28, 2020, with the launch of two communications cubesats. Plus, SFL’s NAUTILUS smallsat platform made its debut on September 2, 2020, with the launch of the NEMO-HD Earth Observation (EO) mission for Slovenia.

Dating from 1998, SFL’s heritage of on-orbit successes includes 65 distinct missions related to Earth observation, atmospheric monitoring, ship tracking, communication, radio frequency (RF) geolocation, technology demonstration, space astronomy, solar physics, space plasma, and other scientific research.

GHGSat Inc. awarded SFL the development contract for GHGSat-C1 (“Iris”) and C2 (“Hugo”) after SFL built and launched the pathfinding GHGSat-D (“Claire”) atmospheric monitoring smallsat in 2016. Successful detection of ground-based methane emissions from space is due in part to the precise attitude control and target tracking capability of the SFL NEMO bus. In November of 2020, SFL was awarded a contract by GHGSat to build an additional three smallsats for the firm’s commercial, greenhouse gas monitoring constellation.

For HawkEye 360 Inc., SFL built platforms and integrated the HawkEye 360 Pathfinder cluster which was launched into LEO in December of 2018. Based on this success, SFL’s satellite technology was selected for the HawkEye 360 Constellation mission due to the importance of formation flying by multiple satellites for successful RF geolocation and analysis used in maritime situational awareness, national security operations, and many other applications. For the 2021 launch, the larger DEFIANT bus was developed by SFL to accommodate advanced onboard technologies.

In its 22-year history, SFL has developed smallsats that have achieved more than 135 cumulative years of operation in orbit. These smallsat missions have included SFL’s trusted attitude control and, in some cases, formation-flying capabilities. Other core SFL-developed components include modular (scalable) power systems, onboard radios, flight computers, and control software.

“These launches demonstrate SFL’s unmatched ability to innovate and deliver quality at any size on short schedules,” said SFL Director, Dr. Robert E. Zee. “SFL is a unique microspace provider that offers a complete suite of nano-, micro- and small satellites – including high-performance, low-cost cubesats – that satisfy the needs of a broad range of mission types from 3 to 500 kilograms.”

Small satellites built by SFL consistently push the performance envelope and disrupt the traditional cost paradigm. Satellites are built with advanced power systems, stringent attitude control and high-volume data capacity that are striking, relative to the budget. SFL arranges launches globally and maintains a mission control center accessing ground stations worldwide. The pioneering and barrier-breaking work of SFL is a key enabler to tomorrow’s cost aggressive satellite constellations.

Chief Executive Officer Mikhail Kokorich has resigned as the Director and Founder of Momentus.

The departure of Kokorich is see as the company attempting to ameliorate their regulatory reviews by the U.S. government, given that Kokorich is a Russian citizen and that fact had caused some concerns regarding foreign ownership of the company and US national security, especially as discussions by Momentus and Stable Road Acquisition have revolved around a potential merger of the two firms.

Taking Kokorich’s position is Dawn Harms who was the firm’s Chief Revenue Officer and is now the interim Chief Executive Officer as well as a member of the Momentus Board of Directors.

Exolaunch has announced a successful launch of 30 commercial, space agency and university satellites for the firm’s customers from Europe and the U.S. on the first dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program. The mission, named “Zeitgeist,” lifted off on January 24 at 15:00 UTC on Falcon 9 “Transporter-1,” completing one of the largest and most diverse rideshare missions for Exolaunch.

Zeitgeist kicked-off the first of several rideshares Exolaunch will manifest on Falcon 9 as part of a multi-launch agreement with SpaceX. On this mission, Exolaunch provided deployment, mission management and integration services to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Dresden Technical University, ICEYE, NanoAvionics and other commercial companies for IoT, Earth observation and scientific applications.

Zeitgeist was Exolaunch’s 12th rideshare mission. As with previous launches, Exolaunch utilized its proprietary flight-proven separation systems – CarboNIX, the next generation shock-free separation system for microsatellites, upgraded modifications of EXOpod cubesat deployers, as well as its EXObox sequencers to flawlessly deploy its customers’ satellites into the target orbit. With this launch, Exolaunch has flown 140 smallsats on multiple launch vehicles. 

“This Zeitgeist mission set a new standard for rideshare launches and not only was a successful demonstration of Exolaunch’s capabilities, but also paved the way for smallsat developers from around the world to participate in SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program,” said Jeanne Medvedeva, Vice President of Launch Services at Exolaunch. “We are proud to be working with so many of the world’s leading satellite and technology companies to advance the NewSpace industry, and we are already looking ahead to additional Falcon 9 launches later this year.”   

Exolaunch’s manifest on the Transporter-1 mission (launch photo above, courtesy of SpaceX) includes the following satellites:

• Charlie nanosatellite built by NanoAvionics for Aurora Insight: The first of two nanosatellites, built and integrated by NanoAvionics for US radio frequency spectrum and wireless data provider Aurora Insight.
• CubeLCT nanosatellite from the German Aerospace Center (DLR): The CubeLCT is developed by DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation in close cooperation with its commercialization partner Tesat-Spacecom (TESAT) in Backnang. The satellite has been developed and integrated by the Danish company GomSpace. The development of the CubeLCT serves the demand for increasing bandwidth, resulting in new sensor capabilities on small satellites.
• SOMP-IIb (Student’s Oxygen Measurement Project) nanosatellite from Dresden Technical University: Part of a student small satellite project of the Dresden Technical University, the goal is to measure atomic oxygen of the upper atmosphere, test flexible solar cells and more.
• 3 x ICEYE satellites: Three more satellites of the commercial constellation of radar imaging satellites built and operated by ICEYE.
• 24 satellites from unnamed commercial customers. 

Exolaunch continues to make space more accessible through regular and cost-efficient rideshare missions for small satellites. In addition to successful satellite deployments from SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Exolaunch’s flight heritage includes Arianespace’s Soyuz-ST, RocketLab’s Electron, Roscosmos’ Soyuz-2 and a scheduled mission with ISRO’s PSLV later this year. 

With in-person gatherings still months away, SmallSat Symposium Virtual provides access to exciting new ideas as well as fosters a multitude of networking opportunities.

Whether your interest is in understanding the changing marketplace, connecting with others, or discovering new technologies, this year’s event is a unique opportunity to expand your business in the current environment.

SmallSat Symposium Virtual will be in sessions from February 8 to February 11… “Observe Networking Made Simple.“

UPDATE 2

Rocket Lab has successfully launched their 18th Electron mission, ‘Another One Leaves The Crust,’ on 20:26 NZDT / 07:26 UTC on January 20, 2021.

The launch was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group’s satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden, and Czech Republic.

The mission was Rocket Lab’s 18^th Electron launch and brings the total number of satellites launched by the company to 97.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “Congratulations to our mission partners at OHB Group. We’re thrilled to have kicked off a busy year with a dedicated mission that once again demonstrates Electron’s unique ability to provide our small satellite customers with control over their mission schedule and orbital parameters.”  

Details about the customers onboard Rocket Lab’s 19^th Electron launch will be announced shortly.

‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ is the first mission in a busy launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program, and also launch the first missions from Rocket Lab’s two additional launch pads – Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, and the new Pad B at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

UPDATE 1

Rocket Lab is currently targeting no earlier than 07:38, January 16 UTC for lift-off of our 18^th Electron launch, the ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ mission.

Launch Window:

• NZT: 20:38 – 20:45 (16 Jan)
• UTC: 07:38 – 07:45 (16 Jan)
• ET: 02:38 – 02:45 (16 Jan)
• PT: 23:38 – 23:45 (15 Jan)

The company has backup opportunities available through January 25 should Rocket Lab need to stand down for any reason. For real time updates on launch day, keep an eye on Twitter @RocketLab.

Mission Information

• ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ will launch a single communications satellite for OHB Group.
• The mission will be Rocket Lab’s 18th launch overall and first mission of 2020.
• Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron’s first stage for this mission. Stay tuned for details of our next recovery mission soon.

Original news story…

Rocket Lab has announced that their first Electron launch of the new year will be a dedicated mission for European space technology company OHB Group.

This dedicated mission, named ‘Another One Leaves the Crust,’ is scheduled for lift-off during a 10-day launch window that opens on January 16 NZT/UTC. Encapsulated inside Electron’s fairing will be a single communication smallsat that will enable specific frequencies to support future services from orbit.

The launch will be Rocket Lab’s 18th Electron mission and was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group’s satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

The mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula to an initial elliptical orbit, then Electron’s Kick Stage will perform a series of burns with its relightable Curie engine to raise apogee and act as a space tug to deliver the OHB Cosmos’ payload to its precise orbital destination.

Following payload deployment, the Kick Stage will perform a de-orbit burn to lower its perigee where it will experience greater atmospheric drag, enabling it to re-enter and burn up faster to avoid becoming space junk. Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron’s first stage for this mission.

‘Another One Leaves the Crust’ is the first mission in a packed launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for both government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program and also launch the first missions from Rocket Lab’s two additional launch pads – Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, and the new Pad B at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “We’re proud to be delivering a speedy and streamlined path to orbit for OHB Group on this mission, with launch taking place within six months of contract signing. By flying as a dedicated mission on Electron, OHB and their mission partners have control over launch timing, orbit, integration schedule, and other mission parameters.”

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 8:02 a.m. EST, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, completing the seventeenth Starlink mission.

Following first-stage separation, Falcon 9 successfully landed for the eighth time on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9’s first stage booster rocket previously supported seven other missions: the SXM-7 mission in December 2020, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission in June 2019, launch of Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission in March 2019, and four Starlink missions. One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously supported a Starlink mission and the other previously supported two.

Watch a replay of this mission at this direct link…

Virgin Orbit‘s LauncherOne rocket reached space during the company’s second launch demonstration on January 17, 2021, successfully deploying 10 payloads for NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP).

Virgin Orbit’s launch system uses a technique called air launch, in which a rocket is launched from under the wing of a jet aircraft, rather than from a traditional launch pad on the ground. In addition to improving the payload capacity of the rocket, this technique allows the LauncherOne system to be the world’s most flexible and responsive launch service — flying on short notice and from a wide variety of locations to access any orbit.

For today’s mission, Virgin Orbit’s carrier aircraft, a customized 747-400 dubbed Cosmic Girl, took off from Mojave Air and Space Port at approximately 10:50 A.M. and flew out to a launch site over the Pacific Ocean, about 50 miles south of the Channel Islands. After a smooth release from the aircraft, the two-stage rocket ignited and powered itself to orbit.

At the conclusion of the flight, the LauncherOne rocket deployed 10 cubesats into the team’s precise target orbit, marking a major step forward for Virgin Orbit in its quest to bust down the barriers preventing affordable and responsive access to space.

The payloads onboard LauncherOne today were selected by NASA LSP as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Nearly all of the cubesat missions were designed, built and tested by universities across the U.S., including Brigham Young University (PICS), the University of Michigan (MiTEE), and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (CAPE-3).

This flight also marks a historical first: no other orbital class, air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket had successfully reached space before today.

With this successful demonstration in the books, Virgin Orbit will officially transition into commercial service for its next mission. Virgin Orbit has subsequent launches booked by customers ranging from the U.S. Space Force and the U.K.’s Royal Air Force to commercial customers like Swarm Technologies, Italy’s SITAEL, and Denmark’s GomSpace.

The company’s next few rockets are already well into integration at its Long Beach manufacturing facility.

“A new gateway to space has just sprung open! That LauncherOne was able to successfully reach orbit today is a testament to this team’s talent, precision, drive, and ingenuity. Even in the face of a global pandemic, we’ve maintained a laser focus on fully demonstrating every element of this revolutionary launch system. That effort paid off today with a beautifully executed mission, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart.

“Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible. It was so inspiring to see our specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747, Cosmic Girl, send the LauncherOne rocket soaring into orbit. This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit. I can’t wait to see the incredible missions Dan and the team will launch to change the world for good,” said Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson.

All imagery is courtesy of Virgin Orbit.

Leaf Space has completed its Series A financing round of 5 million euros, bringing its total funding to 10 million euros. A contribution of 2 million euros came from Primo Space, the investment fund of Primomiglio SGR focused on investments in highly innovative companies in the space industry.

The other 3 million euros of investment were between Whysol Investments, acting as lead investor, and RedSeed Ventures, an early-stage investor of the company that had already joined the equity round last spring. Leaf Space will use the funding to further develop its ground segment services for smallsat operators in the NewSpace economy and globally scale up its business.

During the first trimester of 2021, the company plans to grow its operational ground stations from eight to 11 by deploying and activating stations in Sri Lanka, Canada and Australia. At the end of 2021, the company expects to have a total of 15 operational ground stations for its multi-customer Leaf Line service.

In addition, the company will provide several other ground stations to its Swiss client Astrocast, using the dedicated Leaf Key ground segment service.

The ground segment services of Leaf Space currently support more than 15 customers, such as Astrocast, Pixxel, Virgin Orbit, D-Orbit and many others, around the world. They use Leaf Space’s services to expand and consolidate their business, together with other important institutional customers such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Telespazio-Leonardo and the Indian Space Agency (ISRO). The continuous collaboration with high profile customers such as the ones mentioned, having high performance requirements, enable Leaf Space to improve and maintain the service at peak levels while maintaining maximum efficiency.

Other developments in 2021 will include implementing services to further improve and simplify the operational use for customers and covering almost all of the protocols and communications schemes currently in use in the microsatellite market. This, in turn, will increase Leaf Space’s performance and capabilities to support future more complex mission.

Leaf Space’s ongoing network expansion aims to minimize latency of satellite data reception, managing to provide telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C). It also plans to provide downlink services to satellites in SSO at least once per orbit.

Jonata Puglia, CEO and Co-Founder of Leaf Space, said, “This is a fantastic achievement for Leaf Space. In a short space of time, Leaf Space has become an industry name and a key player in the NewSpace economy. It has shown to be capable of providing excellent ground segment services to satellite operators, from launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) all the way to decommissioning, but also in supporting launch vehicle operators. Having concluded this successful investment round shows the relative resilience of the sector, despite the ongoing pandemic, and allows the company to continue with its strong and swift development plan. Of course, we expect to see future challenges in the space industry as well as extraordinary projects with our customers, collaborators and partners, and we are proud to have Primo Space and our other investors on-board, who believe in our ambitious plans.”

Momentus Inc. (“Momentus” or the “Company”) will be re-manifesting its January 2021 mission to a subsequent launch opportunity in 2021 — this move will allow for the additional time necessary to secure FAA approval of Momentus’ payloads, including completion of a standard interagency review.

Momentus currently holds all other necessary licenses for its Vigoride vehicle.The Company has booked several additional launches with SpaceX between June and December of 2021.The Company reaffirms its expectation of 2021 revenue as detailed in its December 2020 investor presentation in conjunction with a previously announced merger agreement with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SRAC), a special purpose acquisition company, that would result in Momentus becoming a publicly listed company.

Dr. Fred Kennedy, President of Momentus, stated, “We will continue to work with the FAA, as we have done successfully with other regulatory agencies, to obtain approval in a timely manner. We anticipate that by launching our first Vigoride vehicle on a subsequent mission, we will still achieve our revenue expectations for 2021 while delivering our customers’ payloads to orbit. Our ongoing rideshare agreement with SpaceX enhances our ability to offer our customers significantly more affordable access to space.”

“Momentus is a valued resource in our efforts to capitalize on the commercialization of space and participate in the new space economy. We remain committed to Momentus’ value-add transport and service platform,” said Grzegorz Zwolinski, CEO and Co-Founder of SatRevolution, a customer of Momentus previously scheduled on the January 2021 mission. The business combination between Momentus and Stable Road Acquisition Corp. remains on target to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to approval of Stable Road’s and Momentus’ stockholders and other closing conditions, including a registration statement being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.