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NanoAvionics Preparing To Launch Their 5th Rideshare Mission Via Exolaunch Aboard The SpaceX Transporter-4 Mission

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NanoAvionics MP42 smallsat platform. Image is courtesy of the company.

NanoAvionics has announced their latest satellite rideshare mission “MP42” is to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 with payloads from OQ Technology and Veoware.

NanoAvionics MP42 bus prototype assembly. Photo is courtesy of the company.

Using the prototype of its new MP42 smallsat bus, this is the fifth shared satellite mission by NanoAvionics, which has been one of the firsts companies in the smallsat industry to successfully kickstart and continue such a commercial program. The launch of NanoAvionics’ satellite has been booked for the SpaceX Transporter-4 mission, planned for 2022.

The MP42 is also the company’s largest built satellite and the first commercially available modular microsat bus in the industry. It has the same modularity for hard- and software and mission operations infrastructure as NanoAvionics’ nanosatellites. It will be deployed into LEO via a launch agreement with NanoAvionics’ launch partner Exolaunch, a German company providing launch, deployment and in-space transportation services. Exolaunch will also supply its CarboNIX separation ring to dock the MP42 to the SpaceX port aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.

The MP42 bus is part of NanoAvionics new range of microsats. It was developed by the company to meet the growing customer demand for hosting more sophisticated payloads like larger cameras for Earth Observation (EO) or power-hungry devices for high data throughput and complex communications missions. The MP42 is capable of accommodating payloads in the range of 50 kg. and all its subsystems were tested with 20kRad biased radiation dose and board level Single Event Effects (SEE) tested under 200 MeV Proton Beam, ensuring at least five years of lifetime in LEO.

Among other customer payloads aboard the MP42, NanoAvionics will integrate a second ‘cell tower in space,’ dubbed “Tiger-3,” for OQ Technology’s 5G IoT/M2M communication constellation. The smallsat will also host Veoware’s RW500 fully integrated reaction wheel for high performance satellite attitude control with next-generation high torque / low power technology. As a default in its new microsat range, NanoAvionics introduced its upgraded payload controller to maximize data-exchange and support payload operations. The new range of microsat products will also include AI reinforced on-board payload data processing, maximized data exchange rates, and the possibility to implement customer software blocks similarly as in mobile phone application cases.

OQ Technology’s third mission follows the successful launch of its Tiger-2 satellite in June this year, which performed very well during tests. Using the satellite, the company also tested its user terminal in harsh conditions and managed to achieve even indoor reach with no external antennas.

OQ’s ‘cell-tower in space’ technology aims to provide real-time global connectivity with ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC), compatible with the global 3GPP standard, for applications in rural and remote areas, particularly in industries such as oil, gas, logistics, mining and defence. The company has recently revealed its patents portfolio for 5G IoT cellular communication over satellites and aims to provide global coverage from north pole to south pole.

Veoware will run various on-orbit tests with its RW500 high-torque reaction wheel. The reaction wheel is designed to offer high torque for low volume and low power consumption, with the greatest agility for satellites around 50 kg, and for missions with a minimum of five years lifetime. Other technological features include low magnetic residual, very high radiation shielding, redundant windings, firmware upgrades in space and regenerative braking.

Vytenis J. Buzas, co-founder and CEO of NanoAvionics, said, “With the MP42 platform as the latest addition to our product range of small satellites, we are enabling organizations to enter and benefit from the space market in the microsat segment.  Previously, their use was constrained due to higher cost, lack of modularity, mechanical restraints and suitable mission operations. Our rideshare missions and shared satellite services have proven to be very beneficial to many NewSpace companies. They allowed them to quickly and cost efficiently demonstrate their technologies in orbit, and add further satellites to their constellations.”
Omar Qaise, founder and CEO of OQ Technology, said, “After our successful Tiger-1 and Tiger-2 missions, we are now accelerating the deployment of our satellite network to have global ‘cell tower in space’ coverage for 5G IoT applications. Tiger-3 will provide better access and more capacity to interested customers, and will soon be followed by more missions.”

Rocket Lab Launches Have The Support Of New Zealand’s Air Traffic Controllers

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As Rocket Lab’s Electron rockets take off into space, New Zealand’s air traffic controllers are ensuring a safe passage through controlled airspace.

Airways New Zealand, the country’s air navigation service provider, has supported Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket launches since 2017, when the aerospace organization launched its first rocket into space. Since then, 21 Electron rockets have been launched, deploying more than 100 satellites into orbit.

Now, Airways has signed a second, five-year contract with Rocket Lab to provide air traffic services, including management of a ‘special use airspace’ around each Electron rocket as it launches. Airways is in a strong position to be working with Rocket Lab as it continues to launch its Electron rocket into space from New Zealand.

Organizations such as NASA and Google have selected New Zealand for their balloon launches, due to its relatively uncongested airspace, Airways’ experience and robust systems and procedures and a national appetite to support emerging technologies.

“Airways continues to provide support in the preparation and execution of each Rocket Lab launch. We work closely with the launch team to ensure that every rocket has a safe flight path through New Zealand’s airspace,” said Airways’ General Manager of Air Navigation Services, Katie Wilkinson. “Allowing safe and flexible access to the airspace is critical to supporting this growing industry in New Zealand, and we have a team of experienced air traffic controllers, flight service officers and air traffic services experts working behind the scenes to enable this.”

“We’re pleased to be working closely with Airways to ensure that our launch operations are safe and well coordinated with all aviation activity. Airways has played an important role in ensuring the safety of New Zealand’s growing aerospace industry,” said Izaak Connaughton, Launch Safety and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Rocket Lab.

Rocket Factory Augsburg Agrees To Launch Lunar Research Service’s Smallsat

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Lunar Research Service (LRS) and Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) have agreed on a launch service contract.

RFA will fly a research mission of Ukraine-based LRS with its RFA ONE micro launcher into LEO. The flight, which will take place at the close of 2022 from Andøya, Norway, will be the maiden flight of the German-developed launch vehicle.

Lunar Research Service will use the results of the mission to improve its ground-orbit communications and test a solar concentrator that will be used in the upcoming lunar mission. Among the features of the mission are proprietary satellite design and a developed in-house deployment system.

“Ride-sharing opportunities let new space companies quickly prove their technologies to customers as well as to investors. At the same time, our customers can significantly reduce their time-to-market. By helping startups, research labs and scientists at the earliest stages of their development, we form a solid foundation for long-term partnership during their technology testing,” said Dmytro Khmara, CEO of Lunar Research Service.
"We are very happy to sign with LRS as a customer on our first launch. The contract is a demonstration of our attractive rideshare service pricing. We are honored by the trust from LRS to embark on our maiden launch and are looking forward to its joint preparation. We can hardly wait and are eager to fly customers into orbit," says Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer of RFA,” said Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer of RFA.

NASA Awards Smallsat Science Challenge Prizes To Startup Companies

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NASA has awarded $90,000 each to seven entrepreneurial startup companies under the agency’s Entrepreneur’s Challenge program. The awards will advance new technology concepts ranging from novel materials with properties not found in nature to innovative technologies that will enable smallsat science missions.

The following companies were selected as winners of the Entrepreneur’s Challenge:

  • Morpheus Space of Los Angeles, California
  • Multiscale Systems of Worcester, Massachusetts
  • Nebula Compute of San Diego
  • California Niobium Microsystems of Dayton, Ohio
  • OAM Photonics of San Diego, California
  • Resilient Computing of Bozeman, Montana
  • Zephyr Computing of Oakland, California

NASA partnered with Starburst Aerospace in San Francisco, California, to launch the Entrepreneur’s Challenge, which aims to engage U.S.-based entrepreneurs. The program seeks fresh ideas in technology that could advance the agency’s science goals to explore and understand the solar system and beyond. The challenge also seeks to increase the number of entrepreneurial companies participating in the agency’s technology portfolio.

The technical focus areas for the 2021 Entrepreneur’s Challenge were:

  • SmallSat technologies including advanced sensors, high-speed electronic systems, and the capability to autonomously recognize science phenomena in space and respond as needed
  • Sensors made of metamaterials – manufactured materials with properties not found in nature – to detect and observe their surroundings at dramatically reduced size, weight, power, and cost
  • Instruments to detect biomarkers or that can determine evidence of habitability on ocean worlds

Administered by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, the competition was conducted in two rounds. In the first, companies nationwide submitted 44 submissions. A NASA judging panel selected 10 companies from the three focus areas to each receive a $10,000 award. In the second, the participants refined their concepts, developed detailed white papers, and gave presentations to the same panel of judges. The panel selected seven of the companies from two of the focus areas to receive an additional $80,000 in prize funding.

“We face audacious technical challenges to accomplish our NASA science goals,” said Florence Tan, acting Science Mission Directorate chief technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Entrepreneurs can bring a diversity of groundbreaking ideas, concepts, and innovations that are relevant to our science goals. We want to invest in breakthrough technologies that will lead to revolutionary science discoveries. This program is a wonderful way to keep those ideas coming into our technology development programs.”

NASA Assigns A Five Year Satellite Imaging Purchasing Agreement To BlackSky

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Recently, BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY) secured a five-year, sole-source blanket purchase agreement by NASA to provide high revisit satellite imaging data in support of the agency’s existing Earth observation research to advance predictive capabilities.

As part of NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program (CSDAP), research teams worldwide will have access to high spectral and spatial resolutions with increased temporal frequency and other novel capabilities.

“This award reflects yet another valuable point of alignment between government demand and BlackSky’s commercially available real-time, global intelligence products,” said Brian E. O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “Helping NASA-backed researchers broaden their understanding around critical changes in the Earth’s ecosystems, oceanography, geographic and polar sciences is vitally important. Our constellation delivers, dawn-to-dusk imaging that facilitates automatic pattern-of-life monitoring and anomaly detection. Fusing that data with our Spectra AI platform enables compelling and actionable scientific observations about our planet. Our constellation delivers, dawn-to-dusk imaging that facilitates automatic pattern-of-life monitoring and anomaly detection. Fusing that data with our Spectra AI platform enables compelling and actionable scientific observations about our planet."

The First, Major, In-Person, SmallSat Event In Two Years Will Present Significant Sessions

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An unrivaled opportunity to meet in-person with industry leaders, SmallSat Symposium 2022 is an essential conference for SmallSat businesses around the world.

Take advantage of 2022’s most convenient and productive SmallSat business event and register today with early bird rates.

Seize the moment and propel your business forward today!

All of the subject-matter expert speakers will be attending this event in person, and here is a view of those who will be presenting their expertise to symposium attendees…

Rocket Lab Sends Two BlackSky Satellites To Orbit With Successful Electron Launch

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Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) has successfully deployed two satellites to orbit for real-time, geospatial monitoring company BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY). 

Rocket Lab also successfully introduced helicopter operations to a recovery mission for the first time, using a helicopter to observe and track the Electron rocket’s first stage as it descended to Earth under parachute as part of the company’s program to make Electron the world’s first reusable, orbital-class commercial small rocket.  

The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission, arranged for BlackSky through launch services provider Spaceflight Inc., was Electron’s 22nd lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. Following lift-off at 01:38 UTC, November 18, 2021, Electron successfully delivered the two BlackSky Gen-2 Earth-imaging satellites to a circular 430 km orbit, growing BlackSky’s constellation of real-time geospatial monitoring spacecraft and bringing the total number of satellites deployed by Rocket Lab to 107. 

This mission also included a controlled ocean splashdown and recovery of Electron’s first stage. For the first time, Rocket Lab stationed a helicopter in the recovery zone around 200 nautical miles offshore to track and observe the descending stage in preparation for future aerial capture attempts. The helicopter successfully tracked the returning rocket and completed communications tests in the recovery zone, bringing Rocket Lab a step closer to catching a rocket from the sky, bringing it back to the production complex for refurbishment, and then launching it to space again.

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.

The ‘Love At First Insight’ mission was the latest launch for BlackSky as part of a multi-launch agreement to deploy numerous BlackSky satellites on Electron. Five BlackSky satellites have now been successfully deployed to LEO so far on missions across 2019 and this year. As part of the deal, another two BlackSky satellites are scheduled for launch on Rocket Lab’s next Electron mission named “A Data With Destiny,” which is scheduled to launch during a 14-day launch window that opens in December. These successfully deployed satellites, along with those previously launched to space by Rocket Lab and the remaining four satellites next in line, represent the largest number of satellites BlackSky has dedicated to a single launch provider to date.

Executive Comment

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, said, “Today’s launch was a masterclass from an incredible team of engineers on how to successfully deliver customers’ satellites to space while at the same time demonstrating cutting-edge operations and innovation that pushes the space industry forward on small rocket reusability. This is our third successful proof of concept recovery mission, and further cements Electron as the leading launch vehicle for the small satellite market. We are all excited to move onto the next phase of reusability next year; catching Electron in the air with a helicopter.” 

U.S. Air Force Research Lab Awards Million$ To Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems

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The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate awarded an $8.4 million contract to Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. to support the directorate’s Precise flight experiment projected for launch in 2024.

Tyvak will be providing AFRL a spacecraft capable of maneuvering between LEO and VLEO for conducting sensor payload measurements. The contract award period is November 15, 2021 to November 1, 2024.

Precise will be AFRL’s first prototype experiment awarded under the Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Space Enterprise Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (SpEC-OTA).

Executive Comments

“The Precise flight experiment represents a new orbital regime for AFRL in Very Low Earth Orbit,” said Dr. Rachel Hock-Mysliwiec, Precise program manager. “This experiment builds on more than 50 years of AFRL investigation into the physics of the upper atmosphere.” She elaborated that the experiment will study ionization processes in the region of ionized gas, between 90 and 600 kilometers altitude.

“Having this new agreement will permit us to move at an expedited pace, allowing our scientists and engineers to concentrate on matters inside the lab, rather than spending time working on contracting matters,” said Sherri Della Silva, the AFRL’s contracting officer. “The Precise spacecraft will use sensitive satellite instruments and radio waves to examine changes in the ionosphere resulting from different compositions of ion source gasses.This understanding could be used in the future to mitigate natural ionospheric impacts to warfighter systems such as satellite communications and GPS.” She noted that, in October, the Space Vehicles Directorate signed a memorandum of agreement with SSC to use the command’s established OTA that provides a framework for decentralized execution of prototype awards.

Colonel Eric Felt, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate’s director, added, “We are very excited to have this decentralized capability that will accelerate prototype awards. It offers AFRL significant advancement in our acquisition processes that will enable us to support the Space Force at a more agile and faster pace.“

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development.

Content is courtesy of Jeanne Dailey, Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs

Million$$ In Investment For Fleet Space Technologies

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Fleet Space Technologies has secured $26.4 million in investment, valuing the company at $126 million — this represents a major step forward for the company, which is committed to creating the world’s most advanced low-power satellite network, securing planet-wide coverage for millions of compatible Internet of Things (IoT) devices by using its in-house smallsat technology. This funding will underpin significant expansion in Fleet Space’s manufacturing footprint and will expand the company’s highly skilled workforce.

Artistic rendition of Fleet Space’s Centauri 4 smallsat. Image is courtesy of the company.

The investment is a clear endorsement of Fleet Space’s vision. The Australian start-up, co-founded by Flavia Tata Nardini and Matt Pearson, has created the most advanced smallsat payload yet delivered to orbit. These smallsat devices generate ten times more throughput per kilo than larger spacecraft and will support radical new efficiencies for hundreds of industries using IoT. This will transform the ability of companies and institutions to manage and control their remote assets across the world and in real time, 24 hours a day, even in remote areas, where cellular connectivity is not available and where operations are critical.

The investment also represents a firm commitment to Australia’s rapidly emerging space industry, which the Federal Government plans to grow to a $12 billion, ranking the sector among the nation’s fastest growing industries. Its expansion in the region will also create 70 jobs, including many highly desirable science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) positions in the first phase of growth.

The International Data Corporation predicts that there will be more than 14 billion connected, low-power devices by 2025. To unlock the full force of efficiencies that lie in the data collected by these devices, there must be a network through which this information is gathered and analyzed. Only with this information can improvements in products and the way they are used be truly realized.

Fleet Space technology provides this function to businesses big and small through a smallsat, satellite-based network. The existing network is made up of six smallsats that were launched to orbit via SpaceX, an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) rocket and two Rocket Lab launches.

Fleet Space’s latest Centauri 4 smallsat has been integrated with digital beamforming technology which uses an array of multiple antennas along with cutting edge Digital Signal Processing. This beamforming technology provides a substantial increase in throughput of customer IoT data and can service a higher number of customer portals at once. Integrating this digital beamforming into a nanosatellite which is not much bigger than a loaf of bread, is a world first. Beamforming can also dramatically improve data reliability and security by reducing the impact of interference.

These smallsats are combined with ground-based networks, affording industries a cost effective way to benefit from the information of their IoT enabled devices where cellular networks are unavailable..

Through a growing constellation of smallsats and proprietary network gateways which harness the LoRaWAN communication protocol, this technology will free organizations of billions of dollars of lost value by leveraging IoT. The $26.4 million investment will increase the size of Fleet Space’s constellation and meet unprecedented demand from more than three million compatible devices registered to join the Fleet Space network.

Million$$ In Investment For Fleet Space Technologies

by

Fleet Space Technologies has secured $26.4 million in investment, valuing the company at $126 million — this represents a major step forward for the company, which is committed to creating the world’s most advanced low-power satellite network, securing planet-wide coverage for millions of compatible Internet of Things (IoT) devices by using its in-house smallsat technology. This funding will underpin significant expansion in Fleet Space’s manufacturing footprint and will expand the company’s highly skilled workforce.

Artistic rendition of Fleet Space’s Centauri 4 smallsat. Image is courtesy of the company.

The investment is a clear endorsement of Fleet Space’s vision. The Australian start-up, co-founded by Flavia Tata Nardini and Matt Pearson, has created the most advanced smallsat payload yet delivered to orbit. These smallsat devices generate ten times more throughput per kilo than larger spacecraft and will support radical new efficiencies for hundreds of industries using IoT. This will transform the ability of companies and institutions to manage and control their remote assets across the world and in real time, 24 hours a day, even in remote areas, where cellular connectivity is not available and where operations are critical.

The investment also represents a firm commitment to Australia’s rapidly emerging space industry, which the Federal Government plans to grow to a $12 billion, ranking the sector among the nation’s fastest growing industries. Its expansion in the region will also create 70 jobs, including many highly desirable science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) positions in the first phase of growth.

The International Data Corporation predicts that there will be more than 14 billion connected, low-power devices by 2025. To unlock the full force of efficiencies that lie in the data collected by these devices, there must be a network through which this information is gathered and analyzed. Only with this information can improvements in products and the way they are used be truly realized.

Fleet Space technology provides this function to businesses big and small through a smallsat, satellite-based network. The existing network is made up of six smallsats that were launched to orbit via SpaceX, an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) rocket and two Rocket Lab launches.

Fleet Space’s latest Centauri 4 smallsat has been integrated with digital beamforming technology which uses an array of multiple antennas along with cutting edge Digital Signal Processing. This beamforming technology provides a substantial increase in throughput of customer IoT data and can service a higher number of customer portals at once. Integrating this digital beamforming into a nanosatellite which is not much bigger than a loaf of bread, is a world first. Beamforming can also dramatically improve data reliability and security by reducing the impact of interference.

These smallsats are combined with ground-based networks, affording industries a cost effective way to benefit from the information of their IoT enabled devices where cellular networks are unavailable..

Through a growing constellation of smallsats and proprietary network gateways which harness the LoRaWAN communication protocol, this technology will free organizations of billions of dollars of lost value by leveraging IoT. The $26.4 million investment will increase the size of Fleet Space’s constellation and meet unprecedented demand from more than three million compatible devices registered to join the Fleet Space network.