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Perspectives Video Interview with Stephen Jurczyk, Associate Administrator, NASA

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Speaking of the DEMO-2 mission to the ISS, I’m very proud of the NASA and Space X team and the courage of Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. This event was something for the nation and world to rally around during these challenging times.

– Stephen Jurczyk

Mr. Stephen Jurczyk became NASA’s associate administrator, the agency’s highest-ranking civil servant position, effective May, 2018. Prior to this assignment he was the associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate, effective since June, 2015.  In this position he formulated and executed the agency’s Space Technology programs, focusing on developing and demonstrating transformative technologies for human and robotic exploration of the solar system in partnership with industry and academia.

He previously was Director at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Named to this position in May 2014, he headed NASA’s first field Center, which plays a critical role in NASA’s aeronautics research, exploration and science missions.  Jurczyk served as Langley’s Deputy Center Director from August 2006 until his appointment as director.

Jurczyk began his NASA career in 1988 at Langley in the Electronic Systems Branch as a design and integration & test engineer developing several space-based Earth remote sensing systems.  From 2002 to 2004 Jurczyk was director of engineering, and from 2004 to 2006 he was director of research and technology at Langley where he led the organizations’ contributions to a broad range of research, technology and engineering disciplines contributing to all NASA mission areas.

Jurczyk received several awards during his NASA career, including two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive in 2006, and the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive in 2016 — the highest honors attainable for federal government leadership.

Jurczyk is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1984 and 1986.  He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

New HawkEye 360 Radar Signals Can Now Deliver Comprehensive Maritime Awareness

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HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced that the company’s flagship RFGeo product can now map an expanded catalog of marine navigation radar signals to further improve global maritime situational awareness.

With this update, HawkEye 360 introduces the first S-band radar signal and quadruples the number of X-band radar signals in the company’s library. HawkEye 360 can now cover the most used frequencies for X-band magnetron-based radar systems, providing a more comprehensive view of maritime activity.

Vessels continuously operate marine radar to avoid nearby obstacles and safely navigate from point to point, making it an excellent signal to track vessels that have otherwise ceased AIS transmissions and gone dark. Commercial vessels 300 gross tonnage or larger are required to be equipped with X-band radars (9 GHz). The largest vessels also carry S-band radars (3 GHz) to penetrate deeper through rain or fog. Each new signal improves HawkEye 360’s ability to develop vessel profiles and help clients identify dark vessels that might be involved in illicit activities, such as smuggling or illegal fishing.

HawkEye 360’s RFGeo identifies and geolocates RF signals collected by HawkEye 360’s proprietary satellite constellation. RFGeo is the first commercially available product offering global spectrum awareness across a broad range of radio signals. In addition to the newly announced signals, RFGeo can independently geolocate VHF marine radios, UHF push-to-talk radios, L-band mobile satellite devices, EPIRB emergency distress beacons, and vessel Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). HawkEye 360 is continually adding signals to the catalog to broaden the reach of RF identification across land, sea, and air domains.

Executive Comments

John Serafini

“We’re addressing critical gaps in Maritime Domain Awareness by revealing an entirely new data layer for vessel monitoring,” said John Serafini, CEO, HawkEye 360. “We’re excited to introduce our first signal in the S-band frequencies. By expanding our signal catalog, we’re not just collecting new and diverse RF data sets, we’re providing actionable intelligence to support the increasing number and scale of our customers’ missions.”

“Our customers need to maintain accurate and consistent visibility of vessels,” said Alex Fox, EVP for Business Development, Sales and Marketing, HawkEye 360. “Vessels are continuing to evade AIS detection to conduct illicit activities, making it difficult for organizations to identify and monitor their behaviors. We’re able to provide unique data sets that enable our customers to keep their finger on the pulse of vessel activity.”

Recent HawkEye 360 news

HawkEye 360’s Keen Eye Adds More Defense Industry Expertise to their Board of Directors

HawkEye 360 Reveals Iranian Tankers Evading Sanctions

HawkEye 360 Reveals Coronavirus Effect on Italy’s Maritime Sector

Series A Investment Round Successfully Completed by Leaf Space

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Leaf Space, an Italian company that provides ground segment services for smallsats, has recently closed a Series A investment round to finance the scale-up phase of its business model.

The company, founded in 2014 in Milan by Jonata Puglia, Michele Messina and Giovanni Pandolfi, has a well-established presence in Europe, North America, and APAC and with this round has raised another €3 million that will allow it to consolidate and expand its services dedicated to microsatellite operators.

The objective of this investment is to strengthen Leaf Space’s presence in the New Space Economy by supporting both the expansion of its current satellite antenna infrastructure as well as the development of new services and technologies. This activity will favor and further strengthen the existing and solid commercial base, which is embedded in a sector that is focused on the satellite communications of the future and is therefore also of more strategic importance for facing the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economic system.

This new €3 million round was carried out by an investment group in which Whysol Investments is the Lead Investor, followed by RedSeed Ventures. The latter has already been present in Leaf Space since its first steps, having invested a total of €1.4 million of capital between 2016 and 2019.

Today, Leaf Space has globally-distributed satellite communications infrastructure, with 5 antennas installed and operational. The Leaf Line communication service has been used by over 14 customers. Companies such as Astrocast, Pixxel, Virgin Orbit, D-Orbit, and many others around the world use Leaf Space’s services to expand and consolidate their business, together with major institutional clients including the European Space Agency (ESA), Telespazio-Leonardo, the German Space Agency (DLR), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

With this investment, the company has raised a total of more than 7 million Euros and is moving away from the world of start-ups to take a more mature path as an Innovative SME. Considering the positive results of its commercial service in Europe and the US three years after its market entry, Leaf Space will use the funding to further expand its already active ground station network, with new sites in North America, the Azores, the equatorial zone, and the southern hemisphere.

In particular, the expansion of the network will reduce communication latency in Europe, the US, and Australia, being able to provide data uplink and downlink service once per orbit in SSO (Sun-Synchronous Orbit) and equatorial orbit. By the end of 2020, the network will have a total of more than 10 ground stations dedicated to the multi-customer service Leaf Line, in addition to several stations dedicated to the Swiss customer Astrocast, using the exclusive Leaf Key service.

The new capital raised will also finance technological development activities, to expand towards higher communication frequencies, and to increase the supported data-rate, allowing Leaf Space to serve other satellite classes, launch providers, and High Altitude Platforms (HAPs).

“The New Space market has been growing for years, a real boom linked to the birth and development of microsatellites. So far, the sector is proving more resilient than others to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and Leaf Space is a clear example. The closing of this round is an extraordinary achievement for which I want to thank our investors, all our partners, and employees for the commitment and professionalism shown in recent months,” said Jonata Puglia, CEO and co-founder of Leaf Space.

“Innovation is the connective thread that has always guided us in our investment selection. During the start-up phase, Leaf Space has proven to be able to rapidly develop and provide a range of innovative services and technologies in the ground service segment, starting with the transmission and collection of data. We have decided to continue to support them also during the scale-up phase because we firmly believe in the multidisciplinary skills of the management team and in the potential of the New Space Economy,” added Alberto Bitetto, Founder and Chairman of Whysol Investments.

“This is a further demonstration of how Made in Italy is competitive at the global level even in very technological sectors like the New Space Economy. Leaf Space is now a global-level company of reference in the microsatellite ground segment sector, able to compete with giants that have operated on the market for decades,” said Elisa Schembari, Founder and Managing Partner of RedSeed Ventures and Leaf Space Chairman.

Orbital Transports Unveils Their ‘Get Spaceborne’ Service for On-Orbit Demos and Qualifications

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Orbital Transports, Inc. has revealed their new service, Get SpaceborneTM .

Get SpaceborneTM is a new resource for smallsat component manufacturers. Rather than requiring an expensive, dedicated mission for on-orbit testing and qualification, products being qualified will share a spacecraft bus with other hosted payloads.

The spacecraft bus provides the hosted payload with power, two-way communications and propulsion. Payload slots are available in standard CubeSat form factors ranging from 1U to 6U, accommodating a range of products. A standard payload management API simplifies integration of the product with the spacecraft bus. Several launch opportunities to Sun-synchronous orbit and potentially other orbits are now available starting in Q2 2021.

Get SpaceborneTM is one of many services and products featured in the Space Catalog. Orbital Transports’ Space Catalog showcases a wide variety of small satellite hardware components, small satellite buses specialized for common space missions, mission analysis services, ground station services, mission operations software and more from industry partners. Orbital Transports has brought together many of the industry’s most innovative and reliable companies to offer a wide set of solutions while meeting client’s quality requirements.

Executive Comment

David Hurst

“Our turnkey service for on-orbit demonstration is a fast and cost-effective way for smallsat manufacturers to acquire flight heritage for their products including communications, imaging, data processing, propulsion, power, and other components,” said David Hurst, CEO of Orbital Transports. “We handle all the logistics of planning your mission, integrating your smallsat component with the satellite bus, operating the mission, and getting your flight qualification data back to you.”

Recent Orbital Transports news…

Smallsat Catalog Published by Orbital Transports Offers Total Mission Support

Blending Their Smallsat Expertise — Orbital Transports + Innovative Solutions in Space (ISISPACE)

Gilmour Space Successfully Completes First Tech Demo of the Year

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Gilmour Space’s test firing of the company’s upper-stage hybrid rocket engine.
Photo is courtesy of the company.

Rocket engineers at Gilmour Space Technologies in Queensland, Australia, have completed the first in a series of major technology demonstrations this year — a successful 45-second ‘hot fire’ of their upper-stage hybrid rocket engine.

Unlike most commercial launch vehicles fueled by solid- or liquid-propulsion engines, Gilmour Space is developing new cost-effective, safe and green hybrid-propulsion technologies.

2020, the year of testing

As with most companies in Australia, Gilmour Space has been impacted by the severe bushfires and global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, the company is tracking to complete a number significant tests this year, including a series of low-altitude flight tests of their guidance, navigation and control systems, a thrust vector control system test, and a more powerful static fire of their first-stage rocket engine.

Now with 50 employees in the company’s Gold Coast rocket facility, Gilmour Space is pushing the frontiers of Australian manufacturing and growth across the commercial, civil and defence space.

In December last year, the company signed a Strategic Statement of Intent with the Australian Space Agency to demonstrate its commitment to delivering ‘Access to Space’ as a civil priority area. In May, it signed a collaboration agreement with Australia’s Defence Science Technology Group to work on technologies that will enable sovereign launch capabilities in Australia.

Executive Comment

Adam Gilmour

“This was our longest and most efficient test fire to date,” said Gilmour Space CEO and Co-Founder, Adam Gilmour. “It’s a key demonstration of our ability to produce repeatable, stable, and high-performance combustion over a long duration burn; and a significant achievement in hybrid rocket development,” he added. “This engine will have the capability to power the upper stage of our Eris orbital launch vehicle, and deliver our customer payloads to required orbits. Our next test will be a full duration mission duty cycle firing of this engine.” He added, “Clearly, the momentum for launch is building here. With the right focus, investment, and hopefully a ready launch site by 2022, we believe that space could be a significant future industry for Australia – one that builds on our advanced manufacturing capabilities, and offers real opportunities for jobs, recovery and growth.”

Recent Gilmour Space news…

Strategic Space Technologies Agreement Signed by Gilmour Space with the Australian Defense Science Technology Group

Gilmour Space Receives Millions in Funding for Australian Government Flight-Ready Cryotanks

Relativity Space Selected by Iridium as an On Demand, Single Satellite, Launch Partner

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Artistic rendition of a Relativity Space Terran 1 rocket launch.

Relativity Space has announced that Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) has signed a launch contract to deliver satellites to orbit.

The contract includes flexible timing for up to six dedicated launches to deploy Iridium’s ground spare satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).  The launches will occur on an as-needed basis, determined by Iridium and using Relativity’s Terran 1, the world’s first 3D printed launch vehicle. Launches are planned for no earlier than 2023.

The second-generation Iridium constellation was completed in January 2019 and consists of 66 operational satellites and 9 on-orbit spares.  An additional six satellites were manufactured as ground spares and remain in storage.  Should the need arise to launch a ground spare, Relativity’s Terran 1 offers a cost-effective, efficient response time option for Iridium to quickly deploy a satellite to one of its six orbital planes. Relativity’s disruptive large-scale robotic 3D printing technology enables launches within months, instead of years.

Relativity Terran 1 rocket engine.

On June 24, 2020, Relativity also announced a Right of Entry Agreement with the United States Air Force, 30th Space Wing, for development of rocket launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base. These launch site facilities will support flights to the polar orbits needed for the Iridium satellite constellation.

Relativity continues to grow its customer manifest and public-private partnerships. This agreement is the fifth announced launch customer for Relativity, and the first to take advantage of the company’s recently announced Right of Entry at Vandenberg Air Force Base. A potential launch site at Vandenberg is Relativity’s latest addition to its portfolio of major infrastructure partnerships, which also include a launch site Right of Entry at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex-16 and an exclusive-use Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA) agreement for NASA test sites E4 and E2 at the NASA Stennis Space Center.

Relativity is the first and only venture-backed company with a Right of Entry directly with the U.S. Air Force at historic Launch Complex 16.

Executive Comments

Matt Desch

“The upgraded Iridium satellite constellation is operating incredibly well, but it’s prudent to have a cost-effective launch option available for future spare delivery,” said Matt Desch, the CEO of Iridium. “Relativity’s Terran 1 fits our launch needs to LEO well from both a price, responsiveness and capability perspective. And we know based on our previous experience that there are great benefits to engaging with a provider early on during development of the launch vehicle and it evolving around our particular needs.”

Tim Ellis

“Iridium offers critical communications over the planet’s entire surface, and we are very proud to be their launch partner that supports this capability,” said Tim Ellis, CEO and co-founder, Relativity Space. “As the first 3D printed launch vehicle, Terran 1 offers uniquely disruptive flexibility, cost, and performance advantages, especially for medium-payload missions that need dedicated launches.”

Recent Relativity Space news…

Relativity Space is in a New Space … Terran 1 Rocket Manufacturing to Long Beach, California

Smallsat Operators Lose in DC Court Decision Regarding FCC Auction

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A court case has been heard by the US Court of Appeals between ABS, Hispasat and Arsat — these companies had been arguing that the FCC should pause the date of Commission’s Dec auction of C-band frequencies over the US.

The trio were deliberately excluded by the FCC from its incentive plan for C-band compensation given to Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, Telesat and Claro/StarOne.

The Appeal Court ruled against the three small satellite operators saying the Court was not satisfied that the small operators had satisfied the stringent requirements for a “stay pending appeal.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai welcomed the Court’s decision, adding that the ruling was great news for US consumers and leadership in 5G. The FCC had decided the three smaller operators were not eligible for the incentive payouts.

Ajit Pai

“I am very pleased that the D.C. Circuit rejected this attempt by small satellite operators with no US operations in the C-band to delay our efforts to repurpose critical mid-band spectrum,” Pai said. “The FCC will continue to defend our order on the merits, and I look forward to our C-band auction beginning on December 8th.”

However, the arguments may not be over — at least two of the players (Hispasat of Madrid and Arsat of Argentina) are already appealing this decision.

Article source: Chris Forrrester, Advanced Television infosite

Tethers Unlimited Delivers 15 SDRs to Millennium Space

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Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) announced it has completed delivery of 15 S-band Software Defined Radios (SDR) in support of a smallsat constellation mission being developed by Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company.

TUI delivered all 15 radios on schedule, demonstrating success in its efforts to stand up a radio production line capable of meeting the aggressive timelines of small satellite constellation program.  The deliveries also included the first small satellite mesh networking solution to support inter-satellite data transfer.

The SWIFT-SLX radio is a compact, affordable software defined radio designed to provide S-band and L-band communications for small satellites.  Its suite of “software defined apps” make it readily configurable to support a wide range of mission needs, from aviation to cislunar missions. TUI supports a wide range of band frequencies and makes an effort to work with the customer to meet their requirements. The SWIFT-SLX SDR has 11 units flying in LEO orbit and several dozen more in the launch pipeline.


Tethers Unlimited’s SWIFT-SLX SDR.

TUI has had a long-standing partnership on advanced space technologies with Millennium dating back over a decade.


Dr. Robert Hoyt

“Hitting this delivery rate has taken substantial investments in automating our radio testing infrastructure,” said Dr. Rob Hoyt, TUI’s President. “The space industry has traditionally focused on producing satellite components one at a time, and there wasn’t much experience in the industry with mass production.  We’ve brought in experts in lean production from outside the space industry, and that has paid off in a transformation of our radio manufacturing capability.”

“The culture of collaboration and teamwork between both Millennium Space Systems and Tethers Unlimited has contributed to this and many other past successes.” said Seckin Secilmis, TUI’s COO.

Recent Tethers Unlimited news…

Tethers Unlimited to Participate in NASA’s PUNCH Mission

AMERGINT Holdings Tethers … Through Acquisition … Tethers Unlimited

Space Networking Solution for Smallsats Unveiled by Tethers Unlimited

Diverse Defense Apps = Profitable Path for Smallsats

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A new report by XploreMR studies the growth drivers, trends, restraints, and highlights of the global small satellite (smallsat) market. Presenting exclusive insights into the market from 2018 to 2028, the report projects that the market will witness notable growth during the forecast period.

The growth of the market is mainly attributed to the growing demand for smallsats for Earth Observation (EO) services in diverse end-use sectors such as energy, telecommunication, oil & gas, and media, to name a few. Similarly, smallsats are extensively used in the defense sector in a wide range of applications, such as tactical communication, geospace and atmosphere research, and medium-resolution imagery.

Furthermore, the satellite communications segment is anticipated to remain the leading end-use segment and will continue to complement the growth of the market. Backed by the aforementioned factors, the global small satellite market is anticipated to create an absolute opportunity of $2.31 billion and reach a valuation of $8.94 billion during the forecast period.

The military segment is anticipated to remain a prominent end-use segment and will continue to bestow lucrative growth opportunities to the smallsat market. Defense sectors of numerous nations, both developed and developing, are focusing on enhancing their existing communications framework to gain a military advantage over their bordering and enemy nations. To cater to the increasing demand, manufacturers of smallsats are resorting to cost-effective approaches and are implementing industrial passives at each stage of development to manufacture satellites on a large scale.

On this premise, cubesats are gaining prominence in defense sector as they aid in enhancing battlefield communications, gathering information from unattended sensors, and in monitoring space weather. Moreover, as compared to conventional satellites, smallsats have shorter development cycles and require a smaller development team, thereby reducing the manufacturing and operational expenses. The aforementioned factors will continue to drive the small satellite market on a positive growth trajectory in the forthcoming years.

North America is a prominent regional market for small satellites, currently accounting for nearly 55% of market share, on the back of numerous satellite launches by the US-based companies and universities throughout the year. The region is anticipated to grow in market value at a stellar CAGR of 13.1% through the forecast period.

Moreover, the United States Commission has approved licenses for several commercial Earth Exploration Satellite Services (EESS) constellations that use smallsats operating on the cubesat concept. Such development will continue to support the regional growth of North America. On the other hand, it has been observed that the smallsat market has been gradually shifting from North America to Asia-Pacific (APAC), backed by significant investments in Japan, India, and China.

Increased expenditure by governments and private organizations is augmenting the market growth in China, which is anticipated to metamorphose into a leading region for the smallsat market. Backed by continual developments in space infrastructure, APAC is forecast to create an incremental opportunity of $594.9 million during the forecast period and will hold a respectable share in the global market value.

Some of the major market players in the global smallsat market studied in the report include, but are not limited to, The Boeing Company, Aerospace Corporation, Airbus Defense and Space, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Thales Group, Planet Labs Inc., Spire Global Inc., Thales Alenia Space, GomSpace Group AB, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.

Stellar CAGR Predicted for Smallsat Market

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The $2.31 billion small satellites market is slated to reach beyond US$ 8.9 billion in revenues by the end of 2028, this according to a report from Future Market Insights.

Attributed to surging government funding, increasing support from private entities, soaring satellite adoption for R&D purposes, and increasing demand for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) services, Future Market Insights expects the global market for small satellites to observe robust growth at an estimated CAGR of 13.5% over a 10-year period, 2018-2028.

During the assessment period, small satellites market is anticipated to encounter with a few challenges such as space debris problems, insufficiency of skilled resources, and multiple regulatory hurdles; however, advances in space technology and strong governmental support will collectively help the market overcome the restraints and thrive at a stellar pace, globally.

Technological Advent and Surging Applications to Boost Nano-satellites Segment

By satellite type, nano-satellites are presumed to remain the largest as well as fastest growing segment throughout the forecast period. With around 41% revenue share of the market attained in 2017, nano-satellites segment will continue to gain traction due to growing applications in cellular communication. Innovations in IoT technology has also been a significant factor impacting the demand for nano-satellites in a positive manner since the recent past. Up from $946.8 million achieved in 2017, this segment is expected to reach beyond $3,000 million by the end of 2028.

Within this 10-year period, nano-satellites segment will reportedly expand at a healthy CAGR of 14%. Other satellite type segments are also anticipated to see impressive growth, including mini-satellites, micro-satellites, and pico-satellites. While micro-satellites represent a substantial market value share of above 25%, mini-satellites segment will continue to hold a considerably large share of above 22% by value, over the forecast period. Future Market Insights records growing demand for mini-satellites for weather forecasting and R&D applications.

Market Taxonomy: Overview

Among end-users, defence sector is likely to represent the largest shareholding segment by 2028 end, whereas commercial sector is anticipated to witness higher growth. Defence area has been generating substantial demand for small satellites, covering over 42% market value share by 2017 end, whereas the consumption from commercial sector is slated to increase at a high rate and bring in above 31% share of the market value for commercial segment during the assessment period. As per the regional segmentation analysis, North America will remain the largest market share contributor through to 2028. Western Europe, and SEA and others of APAC will exhibit significant growth over the decade.

Key Market Players: Overview

Some of the leading players in the global market for small satellites include Orbital ATK, Inc., Ball Corporation, Airbus S.A.S., Boeing, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., QinetiQ, ISIS- Innovative Solutions In Space B.V., OHB SE, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., and Planet Labs Inc. While Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin Corporation have been identified to be the predominant players, it has been found that the winning strategies of these three giants will provide a major thrust to the global small satellites market in near future.

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