SpeQtral has now accepted the operations of the SpooQy-1 smallsat on behalf of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore.

SpooQy-1 is a shoebox-sized, 3U cubesat hosting a quantum payload developed at CQT. The smallsat was launched April of 2019 and then deployed from the International Space Station on June 17, 2019. The quantum payload is the world’s first entangled photon source compact enough to fit on a smallsat and qualified for the harsh space environment.

The primary objective of the SpooQy-1 mission is to produce and characterize entangled photon pairs in space such that they violate the CHSH (Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt) Bell’s inequality. This is a core capability for future quantum communication networks. The CQT team is analyzing scientific data from the mission and expects to publish results on the source’s performance in 2020.

The SpooQy-1 smallsat.

In the meantime, CQT and SpeQtral have signed an agreement allowing SpeQtral to manage ongoing operations. Formed as a spin-out company to commercialize quantum communications technologies developed at CQT, SpeQtral will monitor the long-term performance of the quantum payload for radiation damage and other degradation effects in the space environment. This information will help guide the development of long-lived quantum systems in space, necessary for the commercial deployment of space-based QKD systems.

Artur Ekert, Director of CQT, said establishing a partnership for the SpooQy mission plays to all of the firm’s strengths: at the Centre for Quantum Technologies, the organization will concentrate on scientific objectives, while SpeQtral focuses on commercial applications.

Chune Yang Lum, Co-Founder and CEO of SpeQtral, added that SpooQy-1 is pioneering quantum technologies for space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. Being involved in this mission gives SpeQtral know-how that serves the company;s goal of delivering next-generation secure communication networks.

Additional information is available at this infolink…

Israeli students at work on the Duchifat-3 satellite.

Duchifat-3, the third satellite in the Duchifat satellite series, is an experimental and educational spacecraft developed by high school students at the Space Laboratory of the Herzliya Science Center (HSC) and students from the Sha’ar HaNegev High school in Israel’s southern region.

The smallsat was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C48), which lifted off at 3:25 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, from the Srikarikota launch site.

According to the posting at JewishPress.com by author Arye Green, alongside its educational purpose, the Duchifat-3 smallsat has two missions which will be carried out in parallel, featuring an on-board camera for Earth imaging and a radio transponder for communication missions. The satellite images will be used for ecological research.

The Duchifat-3 smallsat.

The Duchifat-3 satellite measures 10x10x30 centimeters and weighs 2.3 kilograms.

The students worked on the project for nearly two and a half years, during which they designed the satellite, programmed its software and put it through rigorous tests until they were certain it was prepared for launch.

During their work, the students faced various scientific and technological challenges including the preparation of the satellite for its scientific mission, managing its energy resources, communications system, and more.

Additionally, the satellite must be stabilized in space for successful space-borne photography, a complex task that requires control of the satellite’s position in orbit.

Funding for this project was provided by the ICA charitable organization in Israel, whose main focus is agriculture and education-related projects.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites were brighter than many expected.SPACEX

SpaceX has said it is taking measures to tackle some of the concerns raised by astronomers about its Starlink constellation, as it gears up to launch more than a thousand satellites in the next 12 months.

The company’s Starlink mega constellation, which will add up to 42,000 satellites to orbit (only 2,000 active satellites in total orbit Earth today) to beam high-speed internet around the globe, has been taking shape in 2019. The company launched its first 60 satellites in May, followed by a second launch in November.

A third launch is planned in late December, and a fourth in January – with 24 in total planned by the end of 2020. The company hopes to launch 60 Starlink satellites roughly once every two weeks, adding more than 1,500 satellites to orbit by the end of next year alone.

While this has raised considerable concerns about space debris, it has also rankled astronomers. Already, some have reported that their observations of the night sky have been ruined by passing Starlink satellites. As more launch, many fear that the views of the universe could be changed forever.

One issue is that each Starlink satellite, weighing about 225 kilograms, is brighter than expected, and clearly visible at dusk and dawn. However, in a meeting with reporters on Friday, December 6, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company wanted to do “the right thing”, and prevent such an impact on the night sky.

Shotwell said that one of SpaceX’s next Starlink satellites launched in December would be “treated with a special coating designed to make the spacecraft less reflective and less likely to interfere with space observations”, reported SpaceNews. 

“We are going to get it done.”

Starlink trails seen in an astronomical observation of nearby galaxies.
CLIFF JOHNSON/CLARAE MARTÍNEZ-VÁZQUEZ/DELVE

In the meeting, Shotwell said there would be “a coating on the bottom” of one of the satellites, and the company would “do trial and error to figure out the best way to get this done.”

“We want to make sure we do the right thing to make sure little kids can look through their telescope,” she added. “Astronomy is one of the few things that gets little kids excited about space.”

Shotwell noted that lowering the reflecitivity of the satellites “definitely changes the performance of the satellite, thermally,” according to Business Insider. However, they would experiment with different ideas to see what works best.

And she noted, too, the impact this could have on professional astronomy. “There are a lot of adults that get excited, too, who either depend on [the night sky] for their living or for entertainment,” she said, reported SpaceFlight Now.

“There are lots of people that have looked at Starlink and looked at the satellites, lots of people knew what we were doing, and no one thought of this,” she added. “We didn’t think of it. The astronomy community didn’t think of it. It happened… Let’s go figure that out.”

Several astronomy groups are currently in contact with SpaceX, including the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS), to work out better solutions to the problem. The latter, in a recent statement, said that things were “moving in a hopeful direction after our last two telecons [with SpaceX].”

Now, many astronomers will be hoping SpaceX’s efforts can ensure the night sky is not permanently altered. While about 120 Starlink satellites have already launched, with 120 more to follow in the coming weeks, it may well be a case of “better late than never” if a solution can be found.

Jonathan O’Callaghan, Forbes

Rocket Lab has officially opened Launch Complex 2, the company’s first U.S. launch site, and confirmed the inaugural mission from the site will be a dedicated flight for the U.S. Air Force.

Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 located at
NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia.

Photo is courtesy of the company.

Located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 represents a new national launch capability for the United States. Construction on the site began in February of 2019, with the site completed and ready to support missions just 10 months later. Designed to support rapid call-up missions, Launch Complex 2 delivers responsive launch capability from home soil for U.S. government smallsats. The ability to deploy satellites to precise orbits in a matter of hours, not months or years, is increasingly important to ensure resilience in space.

At a press conference held at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program has been announced as the first customer scheduled to launch on an Electron vehicle from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2. The dedicated mission will see a single research and development micro-sat launched from the site in Q2 2020.

Rocket Lab’s Founder and Chief Executive, Peter Beck, says the completion of Launch Complex 2 represents a new era in frequent, reliable and responsive space access from the United States.

Press conference participants at the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 on opening day.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be launching a U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program payload as the inaugural mission from Launch Complex 2. We’ve already successfully delivered STP payloads on Electron from Launch Complex 1, and we’re proud to be providing that same rapid, responsive, and tailored access to orbit from U.S. soil,” says Mr. Beck. “With the choice of two Rocket Lab launch sites offering more than 130 launch opportunities each year, our customers enjoy unmatched control over their launch schedule and orbital requirements. Rocket Lab has made frequent, reliable and responsive access to space the new normal for small satellites.”

“Rocket Lab’s launch site at the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, strengthens the United States’ ability to provide responsive and reliable access to space.  We look forward to Rocket Lab successfully launching the STP-27RM mission from Launch Complex 2 next spring, which will test new capabilities that we will need in the future,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, Director of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise.

Virginia Space CEO & Executive Director, Dale Nash, said, “The opening of Launch Complex 2 is a significant milestone and a remarkable achievement made possible by the strong partnership with Rocket Lab and NASA.  Almost immediately after Rocket Lab’s selection of MARS as its U.S. launch site; engineers, managers and technicians worked tirelessly together across multiple time zones and two continents to make LC-2 a reality.  Also, the strong support from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Air Force, as well as the skilled contractor team have contributed greatly to this success.  We look forward to a busy manifest of Electron launches coming off LC-2.”

Rocket Lab’s VP of Launch, Shaun D’Mello, said the rapid pace of construction was made possible by the tireless support of teams from Virginia Space, which owns and operates MARS, and NASA Wallops Flight Facility. “The fact that we have an operational launch site less than a year after construction began is testament to the hard work and dedication of the Virginia Space and NASA teams, as well as the unwavering support of our local suppliers. Thank you for being a huge part of enabling us to open access to space. We’re excited to embark on the next phase of working together – regular and reliable Electron launches from the United States.”

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced that Saturn Satellite Networks (SSN) has selected the OmegA space launch vehicle to launch up to two satellites on the rocket’s inaugural flight scheduled for spring 2021.

OmegA will launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B and insert the SSN satellites into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Northrop Grumman Signs Customer for First Flight of OmegA™. Last October, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $792 million Launch Services Agreement to complete detailed design and verification of the OmegA launch vehicle and launch sites.

Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket will launch up to two satellites manufactured by Saturn Satellite Networks in the spring of 2021.

Image is courtesy of Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman has a distinguished heritage in space launch. In 1990, the company developed Pegasus™, the world’s first privately developed space launch system. The company’s Minotaur launch vehicle has achieved 100 percent success on its 18 space missions and nine suborbital missions. Northrop Grumman’s Antares™ rocket has launched more than 70,000 pounds of food, equipment and supplies to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Scott Lehr, VP and GM, flight systems, Northrop Grumman, said the OmegA rocket expands Northrop Grumman’s launch capabilities beyond our small and medium class rockets, which have successfully launched nearly 80 missions. Expanding the company’s launch capabilities to the intermediate/heavy class with OmegA complements our national security satellite portfolio and enables us to better support customers.”

Jim Simpson, CEO of Saturn, said the company is excited to launch Saturn’s NationSat on Northrop Grumman’s OmegA launch vehicle’s inaugural mission. OmegA’s performance, payload accommodations, and rigorous certification program assures us it is a great fit for NationSats and the firm’s customers.

Charlie Precourt, VP, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman, added that the first flight of OmegA is a key step in the company’s certification process for the U.S. Air Force National Security Space Launch program. Having Saturn’s NationSat on board for this mission further demonstrates the versatility of OmegA to serve other markets, including commercial and civil government. Northrop Grumman designed OmegA to use the most reliable propulsion available—solid propulsion for the boost stages and flight proven RL10 engines for the upper stage—to ensure exceptional mission assurance for the firm’s customers. Northrop Grumman’s technical expertise is both broad and deep, and the company brings unmatched experience, stability and a strong customer focus to every partnership.

Approximately 2,000 artificial satellites orbiting Earth relay analog and digital signals carrying voice, video, and data to and from one or many locations worldwide.

Satellite communication has two main components: the ground segment, which consists of fixed or mobile transmission, reception, and ancillary equipment, and the space segment, which primarily is the satellite itself.

Both the commercial and military satellite communication industry is evolving, as evidenced by numerous trends that one can expect to see on the horizon over the coming 18 months and beyond. The increase in smallsats, the use of LEO, launches on reusable rocket launch vehicles and new use cases for 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) are some of the most important developments to watch.

Market Forecast’s latest report “Global Commercial and Military Satellite Communications Market and Technology Forecast to 2028” examines, analyzes, and predicts the evolution of satellite systems, technologies, markets, and outlays (expenditures) over the next 8 years – 2020 -2028 in the Global Commercial & Military Satellite Communication industry. It also examines commercial and military satellite markets geographically, focusing on the top 95% of global markets, in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The commercial and military satellite market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 76.6% during this period with a cumulative $195.11 billion over the period 2020-2028.

The report shows how satellite communication is used today to add real value. To provide the most thorough and realistic forecast, this report provides a twin-scenario analysis, including “steady state,” emergence of new satellite communication technology.

In this report, light is shed on major technologies and services in this domain. These include…

• Laser SATCOM Communications
• Terrestrial Based Fiber Optics
• Smallsats
• C-band
• Ka-band
• Ku-band

In particular, this report provides an in-depth analysis of the following…

Overview
Snapshot of the various satellite communication tech in the aerospace market during 2020-2028, including highlights of the demand drivers, trends and challenges. It also provides a snapshot of the spending with respect to regions as well as segments. It also sheds light on the emergence on new technologies

Market Dynamics
Insights into the technological developments in this market and a detailed analysis of the changing preferences of governments around the world. It also analyzes changing industry structure trends and the challenges faced by the industry participants.

Segment Analysis
Insights into the various Systems market from a segmental perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each segment.

Regional Review
Insights into modernization patterns and budgetary allocation for top countries within a region.

Regional Analysis
Insights into the Systems market from a regional perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each region.

Trend Analysis
Key satellite communication markets: Analysis of the key markets in each region, providing an analysis of the various Systems segments expected to be in demand in each region. Key Program Analysis: Details of the top programs in each segment expected to be executed during the forecast period. Competitive landscape Analysis: Analysis of competitive landscape of this industry. It provides an overview of key companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives and a brief financial analysis.

Frost & Sullivan forecasts in their Small Satellite Launch Services Market, Half-Yearly Update, HJ1 2019, Forecast to 2033 analysis and report, that the total number of satellites to be launched during the period 2019 to 2033 to be 20,425, with North America leading the way, followed by Europe.

Such demand could take the smallsat launch services market past the $28 billion mark by 2030 and present significant growth opportunities throughout the industry. To keep up with market requirements, Frost & Sullivan anticipates high-volume demand for component manufacturers, dedicated launch service providers and low-cost ground station services. Government agency investment in R&D, capacity purchase, public-private partnerships, and establishing the enabling regulatory framework will be significant enablers for new entrants and established players.

“With the successful launch of Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX)’s 60 satellites and One-Web’s six test satellites, momentum has been built for further constellation installations. In addition, H1 has witnessed favorable test launches of small constellation players like Astrocast and NSLCom,” said Prachi Kawade, Research Analyst, Space, Frost & Sullivan. He added, “Serial production and rapid manufacturing will play a pivotal role in meeting market demands. To ensure the success of the industry, it’s imperative that launch frequency, inventory and manufacturing capability are optimized.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Small Satellite Launch Services Market, Half-yearly Update, H1 2019, Forecast to 2033, tracks the number of small satellites, payload mass, and launch revenue on the basis of defined scenarios, satellite mass classes, and user segments. The study also includes the launch capacity forecast for both rideshare and dedicated launch services; it analyses the alignment between the small satellite launch demand and capacity supply across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America.

The company’s experts have identified the following areas that represent growth opportunities for market players:

The small satellite launch services market will keep expanding with a key upturn in 2024 due to the overlap of new installations and replacement satellites.

• Small satellite payload mass demand is observed to be the highest in the 150-500 kg mass segment, accounting for 82% of the total.
   
• A 32-fold increase in the payload mass supply, from 249.42 tonnes in 2019 to 7,983.25 tonnes in 2030, will be mainly driven by the dedicated launch services attempting to have multiple launches per year, with improved manufacturing capability.
   
• The demand will continue to grow for communication applications in both replacement and new installation phases. The cumulative share of satellites for communication applications is 46%; Earth Observation (EO) accounts for 28% and IoT applications for 23%.

Dedicated launch services providers are still transitioning to continue to service their customer base in a timely manner. Transitions include serial manufacturing facilities and better methods for test and evaluation to increase inventory in line with demand.

Small Satellite Launch Services Market, Half-yearly Update, H1 2019, Forecast to 2033 is part of Frost & Sullivan’s global Space Growth Partnership Services program.

For further information on this analysis, please contact Jacqui Holmes on jacqui.holmes@frost.com

Isar Aerospace has closed a 15 million euros Series A investment round led by Earlybird and Airbus Ventures to develop low-cost launch vehicles dedicated to deploying and resupplying satellite constellations.

Existing investors Vito Ventures and UVC Partners participated in the round with Bulent Altan, who served 12 years at SpaceX including Vice President positions as well as Christian Angermayer’s Apeiron Investment Group.

Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 by Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann, and Markus Brandl, all of them having studied at the Technical University of Munich and all have backgrounds in Aerospace Engineering. The company is leveraging advanced manufacturing to enable high performance, yet low-cost, access to space, serving small and medium satellite manufacturers who drive innovation and digitization with data from space.

Over the past year, Isar Aerospace has been developing its Spectrum rocket, with the development fully on track for a first launch in late 2021, while key milestones such as propulsion system hotfire testing and agreements for launch site access have been achieved.

The Isar Aerospace launch manifest is also picking up momentum with governmental and commercial customers including a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus Defence and Space for multiple satellite constellations launches.

Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace, said that space is becoming the new internet and its commercialization is in full swing. This funding round enables the company to progress substantially in the development of sustainable, environmentally-friendly launch vehicles and further deliver on the firm’s vision to make space access affordable for everyone.

Airbus Ventures Financial Officer and EMEA team member, Claas Carsten Kohl, at Airbus Ventures stated the company is de Isar Aerospace to the firm’s global portfolio of innovative launch systems.

Mathieu Costes, also at Airbus Ventures Partner, added the firm is pleased to entrust Daniel and his outstanding team, bringing impressive new technologies and approaches to the challenges of Low Earth Orbit, to represent this first deal in Germany for the company. Together with this investment round co-leader Earlybird, and under the continuing guidance of Bulent Altan, Airbus Ventures Partner is pleased to help draw together the ecosystems of new space excellence in both Germany and in the wider Airbus universe.

Bulent Altan noted that he has been able to watch Isar Aerospace’s progress closely and they have made impressive progress in their quest of building a cost-effective medium-sized launcher and differentiating themselves in this ever-growing launcher market by targeting the correct segment with solid engineering. As such, this investment decision was an easy one to make.

Hendrik Brandis, partner at Earlybird, commented that there is a new spirit of optimism in aerospace. The firm sees the New Space segment as a business of the future around rockets and satellites. Isar Aerospace convinced Earlybird with its professional, motivated and highly talented team. This is the company’s first investment in this field are proud to support Isar Aerospace as their Series A lead investor and look forward to accompanying them on their journey as investors and supporters.