News

Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. (Voyager) has appointed Dr. Cheryl Shavers to the company’s Board of Directors. Alongside National Security Expert and four-star Air Force General William Shelton, leading investor Gabe Finke and world leading planetary Scientist, Dr. Alan Stern, Dr. Shavers will help the Board guide Voyager as it continues on its mission to create a vertically integrated, publicly traded, NewSpace company.

Dr. Shavers’ appointment jump starts a momentous year ahead for Voyager, as the company plans to expand upon momentum generated in 2020. Voyager recently announced its intent to acquire a majority stake in X.O. Markets and its largest subsidiary, commercial space services provider, Nanoracks. Nanoracks will join a growing list of highly capable Voyager subsidiaries, which includes The Launch Company, Pioneer Astronautics and Altius Space Machines. Voyager also expanded its footprint on the East Coast, appointing Eric Stallmer as Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy to lead its Washington, D.C., office.

“Dr. Shavers is an accomplished technical expert and business executive. She has spent her career leading private companies and public entities; overseeing international equity investments and acquisitions and serving on federal committees related to national security, international science and commercial space,” said Dylan Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Voyager Space Holdings. “As Voyager plans for an exciting year ahead, we’re honoured to have someone as accomplished and scientifically gifted as Dr. Shavers join our Board of Directors.”

Dr. Shavers currently serves as Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Smarts Inc., a technology globalization enterprise that specializes in the integration of capital, technology and information across national borders. She has more than 25 years of experience in the high tech industry, including engineering and managerial positions at Motorola, Hewlett-Packard and Intel. Dr. Shavers was confirmed as Undersecretary of Technology in the Clinton Administration, where she headed the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) and the Secretariat for Space Commercialization. She also served as senior advisor to the Secretary of Commerce in forming new policies and program initiatives within science and technology.

“Despite a tumultuous 2020, commercial space was one of the few industries to not just hold steady, but grow. As we embark on a new year, I’m eager to join the Voyager Board as we work to achieve our goal of delivering any space mission humans can conceive,” said Shavers. “Voyager and its subsidiaries are at the forefront of innovation and I look forward to all we plan to accomplish this year, both within the company and industry wide.”

Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1) has named seasoned industry executive, Eric von Eckartsberg, as the firm’s US-based Chief Revenue Officer.

He is a highly qualified business executive with an extensive background leading rapid growth in international sales and business development teams within the defence and intelligence sectors.

His extensive industry expertise includes senior leadership roles at satellite imagery and geospatial services providers Maxar Corporation and Vricon Inc., network security analytics platform RedSeal Networks, and advanced AI and text analytics software company Basis Technology Corp. He also served as a US Government Intelligence Officer for more than a decade.

Eric will be responsible for Kleos’ global sales, the business development and sales teams and strategic customer partnerships. As Kleos prepares for commercialization of its global activity-based intelligence data, the company has also expanded its sales team with the appointment of Product Manager Guillermo Gutierrez and Sales Executive Alex Johnson, both based in the US.

Guillermo Gutierrez brings more than two decades of experience to the role with an in-depth understanding of Geographic Information System (GIS), image and LiDAR processing, 3D modelling and geospatial data. He previously led commercial and international strategic initiatives for the Geospatial Solutions Division at L3Harris Technologies.

Alex Johnson is an experienced business development and sales executive with digital marketing strategy and sales enablement with expertise driving lead generation strategy. In his previous role at space technology company Maxar Technologies, Alex was responsible for the sale of satellite imagery, software and geospatial data to global companies.

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.”

Ultra-high data rates for small satellites, free of licensing fees and year-long application processes – this will soon be reality. Thanks to the award to carry out an ESA ScyLight  technology demonstration project supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense and Netherlands Space Office (NSO), a Dutch consortium consisting of TNO and Hyperion Technologies will be launching the jointly developed laser satellite terminal into space. The target launch is set for early 2022 on board the NorSat-TD satellite. 

The plug-and-play terminal, called CubeCAT, will enable future smallsats to downlink data with speeds up to 1 Gbps and uplink of 200 Kbps. Currently, smallsats are limited in bandwidth using radio communications with much slower throughput. In addition, the application process to obtain a licence to send and receive on a dedicated radio frequency takes often one to two years. This is not the case for laser communication.

CubeCAT, with its 1U form factor, low power needs and low mass, can be easily integrated into small satellites. In addition, the developers added an on-board data management system, featuring a large data storage buffer, into the terminal.

The demonstration of CubeCAT relies, of course, on the availability of an optical ground stations to receive data. Within the ScyLight project, TNO is building an optical ground station in The Hague, Netherlands. FSO Instruments as well as Hyperion are equally involved by providing key elements, ranging from optical benches, deformable mirrors and receiver technology. ESA’s optical ground station in Tenerife, Spain, and other stations will also support the downlinking of data. Ultimately, the consortium will be able to support laser communication needs for sending and receiving in space, air and ground.

The recent acquisition of Hyperion Technologies by AAC Clyde Space is expected to grant even more clients access to this technology. AAC Clyde Space is based in Sweden, Scotland and, following the equally recent acquisition of Space Quest, now also in the USA. In the future, CubeCAT can be offered as a standard technology option to its worldwide client base.

NorSat-TD is a technology demonstration mission managed by the Norwegian Space Centre (NOSA). It will be built and integrated by the UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies).

Bert Monna, Managing Director of Hyperion Technologies, explains the rationale for developing laser communication for small satellites, “Our clients’ mission success depends very much on how much satellite data they can get back to Earth. Imagine having a novel camera onboard of a satellite that can shoot high-resolution images. Within one 90 minute orbit it can only operate for four to six minutes because it cannot download all of the data fast enough. What doesn’t get downloaded, is overwritten in the next orbit. Does this mean we should take lower resolution images? Should we be satisfied with this quantity? Both options are not acceptable. We chose to address the bottleneck of bandwidth with the development of CubeCAT and bring a new era to small satellites.”

He continued, “We believe that our solution will change the landscape of small satellites, for two reasons: First, together with TNO we are able to address all laser technology needs on space and on ground. This enables us to offer a holistic and integrated system from the start. Secondly, working with a research institute ensures that our solution is, and stays, cutting edge.” 

The FCC’s Action 107, which looks after the sale of frequencies covered by the release of the satellite sector’s C-band 3.7 GHz spectrum, continues to break all records.

Two bidding rounds on December 23 took the overall amount of cash on the table to a thumping $69.83 billion.

The position added some $3.5 billion during the two sessions to the previous $66.4 billion already registered as of December 22. January 4 will see another five rounds (Rounds 46-50) taking place.

Also being reported is that OneWeb, the would-be, broadband-by-satellite constellation backed by the UK and India, is contemplating switching its current Florida satellite production line to the UK.

The Mail on Sunday reported that “executives behind OneWeb briefed civil servants” on the merits of moving satellite production from Florida to the UK. Currently, satellite production takes place under a joint-venture between OneWeb and Airbus.

In an interview carried in the same report, Richard Franklin, MD for defence and Space at the UK arm of Airbus, said his company is keen to make the switch. “There’s a real intent and desire in Airbus that manufacturing is done from the UK,” he said.

OneWeb is building its Mark 1 version satellites in Florida at a rate of two craft per day, but there is a plan to start a second-generation version which would include GPS-type functionality. However, first there are obligations to turn out the target 650 satellites needed to get a full service up and running.

Airbus, while headquartered in Toulouse, France, has major British satellite production facilities in Portsmouth and Stevenage in the south of England.

ThrustMe and Spacety have announced a new space launch, the 3rd in an ongoing series — this time, Spacety launched their Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, Hisea-1, which is the world’s first, commercial, C-band, smallsat SAR with a phased array antenna.

On board is ThrustMe’s Iodine Electric Propulsion system to provide the satellite with crucial orbit maintenance, collision avoidance and de-orbiting at the end of its three years expected lifetime. The satellite was successfully launched into space on the inaugural flight of the Chinese medium-lift Long March 8 rocket, from Wenchang, China.

Hisea-1 has a mass of 180 kg, and uses a phased-array antenna. It has three imaging modes with its finest resolution at 1m x 1m.

Hisea-1 was launched to meet the needs for the monitoring of ocean and coastal areas and for ocean research. The imagery from the satellite will also be used for disaster management, agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, etc.

Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) functions basically like a bat’s echolocation system — they are much less effected by daylight and weather conditions compared to optical sensors. Now the era of SAR satellites has come, and Spacety is planning a constellation of 56 smallsats.

Spacety and ThrustMe announced just a month ago the launch of the first iodine electric propulsion on-orbit-demonstrations missions, which has successfully completed the commissioning phase, and the longer thruster firings will take place soon. For ThrustMe, the technology demonstration phase is now transitioning into entering the commercial market where Spacety is one of their early adopter clients. Streamlined and true turnkey propulsion is more important than ever before. As Euroconsult announced recently, there will be, on average, 1,200 satellites launched per year over the next decade.

“Hisea-1 is the first launched satellite of TY-MINISAR, the first generation of light and small SAR satellites being developed by Spacety. The constellation based on TY-MINISAR benefits from low cost, fast deployment, strong coverage capability, and flexible scheduling. As a result, the constellation can produce images of high resolution with a high revisit frequency, wide-coverage, and with continuous monitoring, and providing customers with more efficient remote sensing services,” said Justin Feng, the Founder and CEO of Spacety.

“As for most miniaturized SAR satellites operating in Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO), the orbital precision will drive the quality of the data we receive. Therefore ThrustMe’s iodine electric propulsion will be a crucial sub-system to ensure our mission’s success,” noted Ren Weijia, CTO of Spacety.

“We have worked with Spacety for over one and a half years now, testing step by step our unique propulsion solutions in space, and as a result we can now deliver true turnkey and streamlined propulsion systems to Spacety in time for their SAR constellation deployment,” added time for their SAR constellation deployment,” added Ane Aanesland, the CEO of ThrustMe.

“Because of the exponential growth in the number of satellites launched into LEO and MEO orbits, every actor needs to take responsibility, and having on-board propulsion is the only way we can ensure that our satellites can perform collision avoidance if needed, and can de-orbit at the end of life,” said Jame Zheng, CEO of Spacety Luxembourg, who stressed the importance of sustainable actions before it is too late to do so.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. and Adaptive Launch Solutions (ALS) have signed a multi-year Launch Services Agreement (LSA) that includes four Alpha launches beginning in 2021.

Firefly is preparing for the first launch of the Alpha vehicle in early 2021. Acceptance testing of both Stage 1 and Stage 2 for Flight 1 have been completed, and Firefly’s Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 2 launch site is nearing completion and activation.

“Small launch provides small satellite owners right sized, right priced access to space meeting their program and business goals,” said Phil Smith, CEO of ALS. “Our agreement with Firefly Aerospace will provide the flexibility and responsiveness demanded by government operators and commercial owners. Under the agreement, ALS is the launch service provider for Alpha Flights 2 and 3, planned for launch in 2021. These two missions offer our customers the earliest commercial launch opportunities on Firefly Alpha. ALS brings to our Firefly partnership decades of launch integration experience, most recently utilized on the United States Space Force (USSF) Launch Manifest Systems Integrator (LMSI) program. The LMSI program team delivers capabilities and integration approaches that establish U.S. government enterprise-wide capability for small satellite delivery to space.”

“Firefly is very pleased to welcome ALS as a customer and partner for missions in 2021 and beyond,” said Dr. Tom Markusic, Firefly CEO. “In addition to providing launch services to ALS, Firefly plans to leverage ALS’ unique primary and secondary payload integration capability, processing experience and proprietary hardware for current and future launch campaigns.”

“Firefly’s agreement with ALS will allow us to pursue strategic opportunities to support Firefly on both our Western and Eastern ranges,” added Firefly’s Chief Revenue Officer Bradley Schneider. “Firefly has now nearly filled our 2021 launch manifest and is focused on finalizing our 2022 flight opportunities. The demand for access to Low Earth Orbit is rapidly expanding, and Firefly will provide the most dependable and economical small launch vehicles in the industry.”

2020 was the time when the space scene was lively again, with the Thai government pushing for space-activity-related legislation and creating mechanisms to promote and support both the government and the private sector to develop the space industry together. This is one of the target industries in the new S-curve that will increase Thailand’s investment capacity and its role in developing the space industry and ultimately add value to the Thai economy.

The private sector also plays an important role in developing the economy and stimulating investment in the space industry. This year, mu Space and Advanced Technology Public Company Limited (mu Space Corp.) attracted investors from several industries and businesses to invest in the space industry, such as TOT Public Company Limited, executives from Dow Chemical Group, SCG, as well as the current investors, including Nice Apparel Group, B.Grimm Group, Majuven Fund, a private business group as well as a group of other minor investors, i.e., executives from the UCLA Foundation. The value of ‘mu Space’ has increased to more than $100 million through a Series B fundraising.

‘mu Space’ CEO, Varayuth Yenbamroong, on December 25th, 2020, stated during a soft opening event of the first spaceship factory in Thailand that “the fund recently raised will be used on quickly build a large-scale factory to produce and assemble the first spaceship of Thailand, along with satellite parts and commercial spaceships for domestic affairs, communications, national security such as creating a locally made GPS (Global Positioning System), robotic testing, autonomous system testing for unmanned vehicles to be used on the Moon mission. The factory will be equipped with the 5G communication system. It will also serve as a platform to develop “Space IDC” technologies, with a plan to test the “Space IDC”(Space Internet Data Center) simulation in the first quarter of 2021.”

“Space IDC,” or Space Internet Data Center services, is a project jointly created by ‘mu Space’ Corp. and TOT Public Company Limited that aims to provide a data center service with a server, both located in space.

“mu Space’ is planning to build 11 gateway stations initially in Bangkok to operate the upcoming LEO satellite while preparing to propose as many as 8 projects from US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the start of 2021. ‘mu Space’ has gains a lot of experience and has grown significantly from submitting 7 space technology development projects, with its Tipping Point Solicitation Project passing the first hearing. “There is a good chance that ‘mu Space’ will be awarded with the project contract,” said Varayuth.

Despite the presence of COVID-19 pandemic, ‘mu Space’ is planning to hire about 100 positions, starting with the first 50 positions in Q1 2021 to create skilled laborers, in line with the national space technology and industry development plan.

Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. (Voyager) has announced the company’s intent to acquire a majority stake in XO Markets and that firm’s largest subsidiary, Nanoracks.

Nanoracks is a leading provider of commercial space services and, as part of the transaction, Voyager will be infusing significant growth capital into the business to support the continued growth of Nanoracks use of the International Space Station (ISS) on behalf of itself and its customers, and the Nanoracks Space Outpost Program for private space platforms.

Nanoracks has launched more than 1,000 projects to ISS, including microgravity research, smallsats and missions to both LEO and deep space. Nanoracks and also recently launched the first commercial airlock – The Bishop – on the SpaceX CRS-21 mission on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The Bishop Airlock is the first-ever commercial, permanent addition to the International Space Station, bringing five times more customer volume than currently available through the existing, government-operated airlock.

The company is also actively working toward its long-term Outpost Program, which will enable Nanoracks to own, operate and leverage commercial space stations, repurposing in-space hardware to make discoveries that will change life on Earth.

Voyager recently announced that it would be expanding its footprint within the space supply chain via the acquisition of a majority interest in The Launch Company, which would join current subsidiaries Pioneer Astronautics and Altius Space Machines. In addition to the firm’s growing subsidiary list, Voyager has also continued to increase the members of their executive team. The company recently expanded a Washington, D.C. office with the appointment of industry veteran Eric Stallmer as EVP of Government Affairs and Public Policy.

“Over the past decade my team and I have worked to grow Nanoracks from a garage-based start up into the first commercial space company with customers,” said Jeffrey Manber, CEO of Nanoracks. “We continue to push the envelope of what’s possible in commercial space. This critical leap forward takes place as we have worked closely with NASA, the European Space Agency and industry partners to equip the International Space Station with our Bishop Airlock. With Voyager, we’re confident in our expanded team’s ability to continue to deliver game-changing technology industry-wide.”

“Voyager is always on the lookout for organizations doing things differently. Our model is best suited for companies like Nanoracks, who are at the forefront of innovation and growing rapidly,” said Matthew Kuta, President and COO of Voyager Space Holdings. “With Voyager’s support, Nanoracks can continue to do what it does best: develop in-space services and technology that is poised to transform life on Earth and in space.”