Neumann Space and Inovor Technologies have successfully completed delivery of the Neumann Drive with the Apogee satellite platform ready for spacecraft integration and launch.

This milestone represents the first time an Australian electric propulsion product has qualified for integration on a satellite and signals the progress that these companies have made together toward increasing the capability and commercial viability of Australia’s space industry.

Neumann Space and Inovor Technologies progress on integrating the Neumann Drive has enabled the readiness for flight heritage of an Australian made satellite platform with electric propulsion, further de-risking the integrated product for the global market.

Neumann Space currently has two product classes in various phases of development and testing, one that is designed for cubesats and the other for the smallsat market. The Neumann Drive selected for the Apogee satellite is its CubeSat Product Class incorporating a Thruster Unit that contains Molybdenum as the solid metallic propellant. The propulsion system is based on the company’s patented pulsed cathodic arc thruster technology and is designed to be safer, storable fully fueled and integrated, more efficient, and importantly more robust and easier to operate than other solutions currently on the market.

Inovor Technologies has developed a family of small satellite buses in the CubeSat (Apogee Bus) class and is designing its smallsat (Australis Bus) class. This technology can be used to build satellites across a range of sizes, and for most mission types, including space domain awareness, Earth imaging, communications, climate science, AgTech, scientific experimentation, and more. Propulsion is a key technology enabler to support customer mission requirements and Inovor Technologies’ Hyperion and Skyris missions.

Neumann Space’s CEO, Herve Astier, said, “The Neumann Drive offers a step change in mobility to the global satellite market, and this milestone represents an important step forward in ensuring that this critical technology is able to serve the growing need for better propulsion in space. Proving the performance of the Neumann Drive in space will enable our company to continue the solid progress we are making to commercialize our products. We are excited about the work we are doing with Inovor Technologies and the contribution that we are making to securing flight heritage of a system with the real potential to significantly disrupt the way satellite propulsion is done today.”

Dr. Matthew Tetlow, Founder and CEO of Inovor Technologies, said, “The Apogee satellite platform is a high-performance spacecraft requiring a highly efficient propulsion system, which is why we are very pleased to be ready for spacecraft integration and launch. Both our products are Australian-designed and made, demonstrating the sovereign capability that exists within our nation’s space sector, and the potential for growth of the industry. Continuing to prove and test our industry’s platforms and capability in space is essential to progress.”

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) is preparing to launch two dedicated missions in March from the Company’s launch sites in the United States and New Zealand — within days of each other.

One Electron rocket is ready and in position at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand to deploy satellites for Spaceflight Inc. customer BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY), a real-time, geospatial intelligence company.

A second rocket is simultaneously undergoing final launch preparations at Launch Complex 2 in Virginia to deploy satellites for American space tech company Capella Space, a provider of commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery.

Both launches are scheduled to occur in March with the launch windows to be finalized based on individual customer and range requirements; however, both missions are expected to launch within days of one another. Capella Space’s two satellites have been integrated to Electron at Launch Complex 2 and are ready for launch, while BlackSky’s two satellites are undergoing final check outs before integration to Electron at Launch Complex 1.

Rocket Lab has also completed a Wet Dress Rehearsal at Launch Complex 2 and the mission is now awaiting range clearances from NASA and the FAA to proceed with launch. Meanwhile, Launch Complex 1’s Wet Dress Rehearsal is scheduled to take place in the coming days.

Running simultaneous launch campaigns across two continents once again demonstrates Rocket Lab’s ability to deliver responsive and flexible launch solutions to the small satellite market. The upcoming missions are expected to best Rocket Lab’s previous launch turnaround record set at Launch Complex 1 in 2022 when Rocket Lab launched the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon for NASA, followed by a dedicated mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) 15 days later.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “The ability to run simultaneous launch campaigns and deliver a rapid launch cadence is exactly what Electron and our launch sites were built for. We’re dedicated to serving the responsive space needs of our customers across commercial and government space. It’s not a capability we’re promising in the future, it’s a reality that we’re delivering on right now.”

About the Capella Space Launch
Mission Name: Stronger Together
Payload: Two SAR satellites
Launch Site: Launch Complex 1, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA

Rocket Lab will deliver to orbit two SAR satellites for San Francisco-based Capella Space. Capella provides the best quality, high resolution SAR imagery to customers globally for a wide range of government and commercial applications. The “Stronger Together” mission carrying Capella Space’s two 100-kg class satellites will expand Capella’s existing SAR constellation, increasing imaging capacity to meet growing customer demand.
Capella Space delivers the highest quality, highest resolution SAR imagery commercially available with the fastest order-to-delivery time, empowering organizations across the public and private sector to make informed, accurate decisions. Its satellite imaging technology can penetrate all weather conditions and capture clear imagery 24-7, day and night, delivering accurate and timely data about what is happening across the Earth at any given moment. With this latest launch into low Earth orbit, Capella Space will expand its market-leading SAR satellite constellation in response to increased customer demand for SAR data.
Rocket Lab has delivered a Capella satellite to space previously on the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical” mission in August 2020. Supporting Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy, Rocket Lab will also supply Capella Space with two of the Company’s own Motorized Lightbands; separation systems designed to separate the Capella satellites from Electron once in orbit.

About the BlackSky Launch
Mission Name: The Beat Goes On
Payload: Two Earth-imaging satellites
Launch Site: Launch Complex 1, Mahia, New Zealand

Rocket Lab will deliver to orbit two Earth-imaging satellites for BlackSky through global launch services provider Spaceflight, Inc. “The Beat Goes On” mission will deliver BlackSky’s high-resolution, Gen-2 satellites to LEO, adding capacity to the company’s real-time geospatial intelligence and monitoring capabilities. BlackSky delivers on-demand, high-frequency imagery, monitoring, and analytics of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in the world.
“The Beat Goes On” is the final mission of a multi-launch agreement with launch services provider, Spaceflight, Inc., who managed the integration and launch services for BlackSky. As part of the agreement, Blacksky satellites have been launched on five previous Electron missions since 2021. Rocket Lab also delivered two BlackSky satellites to orbit prior to 2021, bringing the total number of BlackSky satellites deployed to orbit by Electron to nine.

Note: Rocket Lab is also expecting to conduct a marine recovery operation for this mission to return the Electron first stage to its manufacturing facilities post launch.

Original news posting…

Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has secured a multi-launch deal for a rapid succession of four, Electron missions for Capella Space.

Scheduled for launch starting in the second half of 2023, each Electron mission will deploy a single Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Earth-imaging, Acadia satellite, a new generation satellite designed, manufactured, and operated by Capella Space, to LEO. These missions, scheduled to launch in quick succession, will follow an existing launch on the Rocket Lab manifest for Capella Space, the “Stronger Together” mission that is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, in March of 2023. Capella Space is a returning customer to Electron, with Rocket Lab having launched a dedicated mission for the SAR company in August of 2020.

The four, newly-signed missions are planned to lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand — however, Rocket Lab has provided Capella Space with the flexibility to move any of the missions to Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, if required as the mission campaigns progress in order to meet optimum customer and mission requirements.

By operating three orbital launch pads across two continents, Rocket Lab’s responsive and flexible launch solution enables assured access to orbit for Capella Space to quickly and reliably increase their constellation’s capacity and orbital diversity to meet growing demands for its SAR imagery and analysis.

In addition to providing the launch service, each Capella Space mission will feature separation systems produced by Rocket Lab in line with the Company’s vertical integration strategy.

Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck, said, “We delivered mission success for Capella in our first mission for them in 2020 and now we’re thrilled they’ve entrusted us with a further five missions to help expand their growing SAR constellation. We’re proud to provide the team at Capella with a reliable ride to space, combined with the flexibility of two launch sites in different hemispheres to enable flexibility and responsiveness.”

Capella Space CEO and founder, Payam Banazadeh, said, “We are experiencing increased market demand for our highest-quality SAR data, and this announcement underscores Capella’s strong commitment to our global customers across the defence and intelligence and commercial markets. We are excited for the multiple launches with Rocket Lab, including the introduction of our new generation Acadia satellite technology, to further enhance our market-leading capabilities of high-frequency, best quality SAR imagery with the fastest order-to-delivery speeds of any commercial SAR provider.”

Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has secured a multi-launch deal for a rapid succession of four, Electron missions for Capella Space.

Scheduled for launch starting in the second half of 2023, each Electron mission will deploy a single Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Earth-imaging, Acadia satellite, a new generation satellite designed, manufactured, and operated by Capella Space, to LEO. These missions, scheduled to launch in quick succession, will follow an existing launch on the Rocket Lab manifest for Capella Space, the “Stronger Together” mission that is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, in March of 2023. Capella Space is a returning customer to Electron, with Rocket Lab having launched a dedicated mission for the SAR company in August of 2020.

The four, newly-signed missions are planned to lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand — however, Rocket Lab has provided Capella Space with the flexibility to move any of the missions to Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, if required as the mission campaigns progress in order to meet optimum customer and mission requirements.

By operating three orbital launch pads across two continents, Rocket Lab’s responsive and flexible launch solution enables assured access to orbit for Capella Space to quickly and reliably increase their constellation’s capacity and orbital diversity to meet growing demands for its SAR imagery and analysis.

In addition to providing the launch service, each Capella Space mission will feature separation systems produced by Rocket Lab in line with the Company’s vertical integration strategy.

Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck, said, “We delivered mission success for Capella in our first mission for them in 2020 and now we’re thrilled they’ve entrusted us with a further five missions to help expand their growing SAR constellation. We’re proud to provide the team at Capella with a reliable ride to space, combined with the flexibility of two launch sites in different hemispheres to enable flexibility and responsiveness.”

Capella Space CEO and founder, Payam Banazadeh, said, “We are experiencing increased market demand for our highest-quality SAR data, and this announcement underscores Capella’s strong commitment to our global customers across the defence and intelligence and commercial markets. We are excited for the multiple launches with Rocket Lab, including the introduction of our new generation Acadia satellite technology, to further enhance our market-leading capabilities of high-frequency, best quality SAR imagery with the fastest order-to-delivery speeds of any commercial SAR provider.”

On Monday, February 27th at 6:13 p.m. ET, SpaceX launched 21, second-generation, Starlink satellites to LEO from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This was the third launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched CRS-26 and OneWeb Launch 16.

There are two versions of Starlink’s second generation of satellites — V2 designed to fly on Starship, and V2 Mini, designed to fly on Falcon 9. 

The V2 Minis are smaller than the V2 satellites (hence the name) but don’t let the name fool you — the V2 Minis include more advanced phased array antennas and the use of E-band for backhaul, which will enable Starlink to provide ~4x more capacity per satellite than earlier iterations. 

The V2 Minis are also equipped with new argon Hall thrusters for on orbit maneuvering. Developed by SpaceX engineers, they have 2.4x the thrust and 1.5x the specific impulse of our first gen thrusters. This will also be the first time ever that argon Hall thrusters are operated in space.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA has released a pre-solicitation summary for TechFlights 2023 [SAM.gov infolink], and anticipates a release of the solicitation on or about April 7, 2023.

The purpose of TechFlights is to provide funding for the rapid testing or demonstration of space technologies in relevant environments. Payloads may be tested aboard flights on U.S. commercial suborbital rockets, rocket-powered lander vehicles, high-altitude balloons, aircraft following reduced-gravity flight profiles, and orbital platforms.

Emphasis will be placed on decreasing the amount of time between award and flight testing with a goal of increasing the pace of technology development. Emphasis will also be placed on the overall impact to be achieved via the flight test awards made under this Appendix.

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program is, once again, joined in TechFlights by the Small Spacecraft Technology program.

In addition, the agency’s Science Mission Directorate is a partner in this solicitation to support development of transformative research capabilities with the commercial space industry to dramatically increase the pace of research.

Two topics are anticipated for this solicitation:

• Topic 1 addresses demonstration of capabilities that support global lunar use leading to commercial commodities and services for a robust lunar economy and/or demonstration of technologies for LEO to GEO that support additional future services for a growing LEO/GEO economy.

• Topic 2 addresses technologies that can support the Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science (CERISS) initiative, which aims to develop transformative research capabilities with the commercial space industry to dramatically increase the pace of research.

Read the full synopsis for additional award details.

Visit the Flight Opportunities website for resources on proposing to TechFlights.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Astroscale Holdings have announced that Mitsubishi Electric has invested $25 million in Astroscale’s Series G funding round (see this link for more info… ).

Separate from the investment, the companies have agreed to collaborate in the joint development and manufacturing of sustainably designed satellite buses for Japanese national security constellations.

The satellite buses will be equipped with an Astroscale docking plate, similar to a car tow hook, with a standardized interface. This allows other spacecraft to dock with and move or remove satellites if they are unable to deorbit themselves at the end of their operational lives. Preparing satellites in this sustainable manner minimizes costs and maximizes safety for future on-orbit servicing.

“The world depends on satellites more than ever before, so if the orbital environment is disrupted or becomes unusable, our lives will be irrevocably changed,” said Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO of Astroscale. “Space is a special domain shared by the equally important commercial, civil and defense sectors. We are proud to partner with Mitsubishi Electric to assure that our orbital environment remains safe, secure and sustainable, and that more objects operating in space are designed for future servicing and removal.”

BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm, has successfully deployed their lightweight, very high data rate, expandable antenna in space — this on-orbit deployment of BeetleSat’s 60 cm expandable antenna from a 6U cubesSat — an industry first — marks a significant milestone in the development of the BeetleSat constellation and proves the viability of its proprietary technology.

BeetleSat’s large Ka-band parabolic high-performance antenna, made of proprietary shape memory material, was folded at launch, allowing for low volume and mass. Once in LEO, BeetleSat performed a successful. on-demand deployment.

BeetleSat is now well-positioned to offer a paradigm shift in satellite communications that will allow it to define new categories and offer new applications across industries. Customers including satellite operators, service providers and any platform that requires low-latency, high-frequency throughput will be able to enjoy sustainable premium satellite communications at a fraction of the cost of other systems, resulting in very attractive prices for premium services.

BeetleSat’s LEO constellation will provide global and regional satellite operators, mobile network operators, and internet service providers high-quality global Ka-band connectivity for commercial and government applications, including point-to-point secure communications, mobility, and cellular backhaul/trunking services. The company’s focus on innovation and cutting-edge technology sets it apart from its competitors.

BeetleSat’s smallsat launched via the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 3, 2023. Now in SSO at 550 km altitude, this nanosat will provide BeetleSat’s public sector customer with store and forward, very high throughput satellite communication services.

With a payload designed by BeetleSat, the fully-digital smallsat weighs approximately 9 kg and transmits data at up to 2 Gbps. Using innovative Software-Defined Radio (SDR) and a deployable antenna communication payload, the smallsat delivers a bit-rate performance level equal to a much larger satellite at a substantially lower capital expenditure.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone,” said BeetleSat Executive President, Patricio Northland. “The successful deployment of the BeetleSat expandable antenna is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and partners and we are proud to be at the forefront of satellite technology.”

BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm is building a new LEO constellation that delivers exceptionally low-latency, high-throughput and cost-effective point-to-point secure communications, cellular backhaul/trunking, mobility and other services. Comprised of approximately 250 communication satellites equipped with BeetleSat’s proprietary Ka-band deployable antennas, the groundbreaking constellation promises to revolutionize the way satellite communication networks are designed and operated, providing commercial and public sector customers with truly global Ka-band connectivity and increased flexibility at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. With service to commence in 2026, BeetleSat’s constellation will provide a premium complementary LEO layer for terrestrial and MEO/GEO networks suitable for global and regional operators and telecom service providers looking to enhance their existing solutions. BeetleSat investors include ARQUIMEA, Jerusalem Venture Partners, Liberty Technology Ventures and OurCrowd.

Ubotica Technologies has debuted their CogniSAT-XE2 nexgen hardware platform for delivering state of the art, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in space.

Building on the flight proven CogniSAT technology, CogniSAT-XE2 comes in a mechanical and power envelope that is compatible with smallsats and delivers increased compute performance per Watt.

Satellites designed using CogniSAT-XE2 accelerate system return on investment by maximizing on-orbit data analysis capabilities to deliver actionable insights in real-time and optimizing downlink data load. CogniSAT-XE2 provides the AI capabilities to enable a wide variety of AI-enabled applications such as real-time navigation and collision avoidance assistance, image analysis and insight generation, area of interest identification and smart data management.

Operators can easily integrate CogniSAT-XE2 within their satellite systems using the CogniSAT-HCS host control software which can also orchestrate the use of the CogniSAT-XE2 platform for many different tasks during a single orbit. The CogniSAT-TK provides the AI software developer with a range of image pre-processing and post-processing algorithms which will speed up the development of applications optimized for the CogniSAT-XE2 platform.

According to John Doody, VP Product at Ubotica, “CogniSAT-XE2 expands the capabilities and autonomy of Earth Observation satellite constellations. Image analysis at the edge in space can be used to direct space-based observation assets in real time to areas of specific interest. Operation of CogniSAT-XE2 is programmable in orbit and can be dynamically enhanced based on operator need or the real-time analysis of sensor data.”

CogniSAT-XE2 is available now and will fly on the Ubotica CogniSAT-6 mission that was announced in November of 2022.

Ubotica is at the heart of semi-autonomous satellite systems that provide real-time insights from flexible on-board processing and that use affordable, low energy hardware. The Ubotica CogniSAT platform was developed with deep insight of processing hardware, computer vision software and AI system integration. CogniSAT technology has already been proven in multiple space flown projects with partners in Europe and the USA, including NASA JPL and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU) has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch on Transporter missions manifested for 2024 and 2025.

This additional agreement further extends the Company’s relationship with SpaceX, selected in part due to their successful and reliable launch capabilities. Sidus Space expects the maiden flight of LizzieSat on SpaceX Transporter-9 later this year. Along with launching in 2023, the new agreement adds two additional flights in 2024 and two flights scheduled for launch in 2025, each of which are on upcoming Transporter missions.

Once launched, each LizzieSat mission is expected to be on-orbit for four to five years. This timeline provides sufficient time on orbit to meet customer needs and to advance future technologies.

“We are thrilled to have signed multi-year agreements with SpaceX, establishing a regular launch cadence for Sidus and our customers,” said Founder and CEO, Carol Craig. “With an expected nine LizzieSats in orbit via SpaceX launches through early 2025, we can accommodate multiple missions, offering a variety of flight opportunities to customers. This provides our customers multiple manifest options to meet their mission objectives while expanding our space data and imagery platform as part our mission of “Bringing Space Down to Earth.”