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NASA’s BurstCube, a shoebox-sized satellite designed to study the universe’s most powerful explosions, is on its way to the International Space Station.

The spacecraft traveled aboard SpaceX’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission, which lifted off at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After arriving at the station, BurstCube will be unpacked and later released into orbit, where it will detect, locate, and study short gamma-ray bursts – brief flashes of high-energy light.

“BurstCube may be small, but in addition to investigating these extreme events, it’s testing new technology and providing important experience for early career astronomers and aerospace engineers,” said Jeremy Perkins, BurstCube’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Short gamma-ray bursts usually occur after the collisions of neutron stars, the superdense remnants of massive stars that exploded in supernovae. The neutron stars can also emit gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time, as they spiral together.Astronomers are interested in studying gamma-ray bursts using both light and gravitational waves because each can teach them about different aspects of the event. This approach is part of a new way of understanding the cosmos called multimessenger astronomy.

The collisions that create short gamma-ray bursts also produce heavy elements, such as gold and iodine, an essential ingredient for life as we know it.

Currently, the only joint observation of gravitational waves and light from the same event – called GW170817 – was in 2017. It was a watershed moment in multimessenger astronomy, and the scientific community has been hoping and preparing for additional concurrent discoveries since.

“BurstCube’s detectors are angled to allow us to detect and localize events over a wide area of the sky,” said Israel Martinez, research scientist and BurstCube team member at the University of Maryland, College Park and Goddard. “Our current gamma-ray missions can only see about 70% of the sky at any moment because Earth blocks their view. Increasing our coverage with satellites like BurstCube improves the odds we’ll catch more bursts coincident with gravitational wave detections.”

BurstCube’s main instrument detects gamma rays with energies ranging from 50,000 to 1 million electron volts. (For comparison, visible light ranges between 2 and 3 electron volts.)

When a gamma ray enters one of BurstCube’s four detectors, it encounters a cesium iodide layer called a scintillator, which converts it into visible light. The light then enters another layer, an array of 116 silicon photomultipliers, that converts it into a pulse of electrons, which is what BurstCube measures. For each gamma ray, the team sees one pulse in the instrument readout that provides the precise arrival time and energy. The angled detectors inform the team of the general direction of the event.

“We were able to order many of BurstCube’s parts, like solar panels and other off-the-shelf components, which are becoming standardized for CubeSats,” said Julie Cox, a BurstCube mechanical engineer at Goddard. “That allowed us to focus on the mission’s novel aspects, like the made-in-house components and the instrument, which will demonstrate how a new generation of miniaturized gamma-ray detectors work in space.”

BurstCube is led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It’s funded by the Science Mission Directorate’s Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. The BurstCube collaboration includes: the University of Alabama in Huntsville; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of the Virgin Islands; the Universities Space Research Association in Washington; the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington; and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Article is by Jeanette Kazmierczak, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Intelsat has expanded the firm’s partnership with Eutelsat Group related to that company’s OneWeb LEO constellation — the deal is a significant development for multi-orbit satellite connectivity solutions and positions Intelsat at the forefront of the next wave in global connectivity.

The arrangement provides a commitment of $250 million for LEO service over the first six years, with an option for an additional $250 million. This agreement will increase and further integrate LEO capabilities into Intelsat’s solutions offerings across its current and future customer base.

As part of the partnership, Intelsat will cooperate with Eutelsat in the development of its Next Generation OneWeb constellation – providing direct design and functionality input to help ensure that the new constellation will have the capabilities to meet real-world customer needs going forward.

“We’ve been partnering with Eutelsat for quite some time now, leveraging its OneWeb LEO constellation to offer a multi-orbit solution, primarily in commercial aviation,” said Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat. “We’re now seeing so many additional opportunities for customers to benefit from multi-orbit solutions. We believe it’s in Intelsat’s interests, Eutelsat’s interests, and our customers’ interests for us to expand the partnership that’s already in place – one that is working well and has strong demand. Our team is convinced that pairing Intelsat’s experience and our GEO and terrestrial network with the capabilities we will access via Eutelsat Group’s OneWeb LEO network will enable Intelsat to deliver the absolute best and most comprehensive customer solutions supporting networks, government and mobility sectors and fueling our robust growth trajectory.”

Eva Berneke, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat Group, said, “This expanded partnership with Intelsat represents a strong vote of confidence in the capabilities of the OneWeb constellation, today and well into the future, and it showcases the necessity in today’s world for major satellite operators to have the ability to offer multi-orbit solutions to their customers.”

Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU) has established two-way communications with its state-of-the-art, 3D-printed satellite, LizzieSat, focused on Earth Observation (EO) and remote sensing solutions powered by Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (Geo-AI).

Using a state-of-the-art production process, the Sidus Space LizzieSat uses Markforged’s flame-retardant Onyx FR-A material to produce the bus structure with metal-like strength, while also reducing cost, weight, and production time. Once full production cadence is achieved, the expected time to manufacture the satellites is 45 days and that includes printing and assembly. Following on the successful launch and deployment of its first LizzieSat earlier this year, Sidus has two additional LizzieSats manifested for launch before the end of the year.

Capable of integrating multiple sensors, LizzieSat facilitates simultaneous data collection to support agriculture, maritime, oil and gas and other industries. These sensors and receivers include hyperspectral, multispectral, automatic identification system (AIS), and optical technologies. Additionally, the satellite features Sidus’ onboard FeatherEdge AI hardware and software solution for near real-time, actionable intelligence processing of imagery and sensor data.

“Sidus’ cutting edge, state-of-the-art LizzieSats are at the core of our high-margin Data-as-a-Service business model,” said Carol Craig, Sidus’ CEO and Founder. “The combination of our rapid, 3D-printing production process, our multi-sensor coincident data collection, and the integration of on-orbit AI gives Sidus an edge as we build our satellite constellation to collect and sell data to our customers.”

Tyvak International SRL (“Tyvak International”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terran Orbital has completed the formal delivery of the Hera Milani satellite to the European Space Agency.

Hera Milani is a nanosatellite funded by Italy and developed by Tyvak International for the European Space Agency, devoted to the visual inspection and dust detection of the Didymos asteroid following DART impact. As of the first of ESA’s deep-space smallsats, Milani will be launched aboard ESA’s Hera mothercraft in 2024 and will travel for hundreds of thousands of kilometers to reach the asteroid. Milani will be the first nanosatellites to orbit an asteroid.

Tyvak International is responsible for Milani’s design, build testing, and mission operations. This exceptional development has been carried forward together with the valuable support of companies, entities and universities from Italy, Finland and Czech Republic: Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, ALTEC, Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, VTT, HULD, Brno University of Technology, KUVA Space, University of Helsinki, and the Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The Italian Space Agency and European Space Agency decided to dedicate the Mission to Prof. Andrea Milani, who passed away in 2018. Special guest Franco Ongaro [Chief Space Officer of Leonardo and former ESA Director] said, “When Prof. Milani proposed the Don Quijote concept to ESA we were only dreaming of protecting future generations from potential asteroid impacts. Today we are writing a page of Space history, science-fiction has become reality. Even more, innovative and miniaturized systems are pushing reality further, Milani as we saw it today was not even conceivable in 2003!”

The Tyvak International team will support the next system level testing phase in ESTEC, in view of the launch planned for October 2024.

“This is a paramount achievement for Tyvak International,” Margherita Cardi [Tyvak International VP Programs and Milani Program Manager] said. “Milani is now ready to be delivered to ESA and undergo the system tests with Hera, to ensure the validation of the interfaces and the end-to-end communication prior to the launch. The journey is not over, but we are a step closer to Didymos, and it was a real honor to host the ceremony allowing all those who contributed to this amazing project to celebrate together.”

Ian Carnelli, HERA ESA project manager, said, “ESA’s first deep-space CubeSat was developed in record time by an incredible team. ESA is extremely impressed by the skills, motivation, and commitment of Tyvak International. We are eager to see the spacecraft in action and help us unveil the many mysteries around the Didymos asteroid system.”

About Tyvak International
Tyvak International SRL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation, is a leading European nano and microsatellite provider, based in Torino, Italy. A front runner in miniaturization and specialized in mission development for commercial and institutional customers, Tyvak International has launched 10 missions, most of them still in nominal operations through the Mission Control Center in Torino.

About Terran Orbital
Terran Orbital (NYSE: LLAP), is a leading manufacturer of satellites primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers.

Startical, the company created by ENAIRE (Europe’s fourth-largest air navigation services provider), and Indra will use a satellite produced by Kongsberg NanoAvionics to test the systems of the company’s future constellation of more than 270 smallsats that are set to provide air traffic services from space.

Startical has chosen NanoAvionics’s MP42 microsatellite bus, weighing approximately 110 kg, for a series of tests lasting six months. The mission will assess the performance of the smallsat’s VHF radio communication systems and the ADS-B surveillance systems directly from space. The test satellite will become operational in 2025.

NanoAvionics will be tasked to provide the bus, integrate the payload, and to launch and execute the first mission operations to enable Startical’s experts to manage the ATM systems onboard.

Startical will carry out these tests in the wake of the International Telecommunication Union’s approval last December of the use of the aeronautical communications band from space – a historic milestone and a definitive boost for this pioneering project and a milestone for the aviation world, the company said.

J. Enrique González Laguna, CEO of Startical, said, “Our goal is to become the main global provider of air traffic management technology in the space segment and a market leader in satellite surveillance and voice and data communications services. Our constellation will call on highly innovative and distinctive technological solutions, including the incorporation of pioneering links between satellites and the use of artificial intelligence to make controlling them easier. Partnering with NanoAvionics will provide us with satellite technology and market-leading experience and allow us to test our new technology. This in turn will open new markets and services for us. They understand our requirements, have the skills to perfectly integrate our technology into their satellite bus and operate it from the ground.”

Žilvinas Kvedaravičius, CEO of NanoAvionics, said, “This is an excellent opportunity for us at NanoAvionics to become Startical’s partner. We will bring our leadership and expertise in small satellite technology, which will be ideally complemented by Startical’s advanced vision of air traffic management. We are committed to this mission and we will strive to demonstrate the capabilities and ongoing reliability of our small platform and mission services geared towards the customer. We are striving to speed up the deployment and lifespan of our systems in space in order to move New Space initiatives such as Startical on to their next phase of development. Bringing performance standards to the industry requires the robust quality and procedural assurance to which we are dedicated.”

About Startical
Startical is a public-private initiative for satellite technological innovation created by ENAIRE and Indra. The goal of Startical is to develop and deploy a constellation of small satellites at low altitude to enhance air traffic management with a global service vision across the entire planet. Startical aims to build and launch a satellite platform that will expand surveillance and communication coverage with aircraft, especially over vast oceanic or remote areas without coverage from ground-based air navigation infrastructure systems. Startical will be the first satellite platform for air navigation that includes, alongside aircraft position surveillance services (ADS-B), a VHF radio communication system between the controller and the pilot compliant with aeronautical standards. This represents a differentiating factor compared to similar initiatives. These new services will enhance safety, capacity, efficiency, and punctuality of flights, providing clear benefits for both airlines and passengers.

About Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics)
Kongsberg NanoAvionics is reshaping the space economy with our standardized small satellite platforms. We offer efficient, cost-effective satellite products and services that help organizations launch their space missions swiftly. Since 2014, over 120 projects in 50 countries have trusted us for our experience, technology and higher return on their satellite investment. We’re a globally local team of close to 300 international professionals with dedicated facilities in Lithuania, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As part of Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace since 2022, we’re further strengthening our commitment to robust, innovative, secure and reliable space solutions.

The U.S. Space Force’s Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, part of Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) program executive office, has issued a solicitation to on ramp additional launch providers to the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Periodic on ramp opportunities ensure all eligible launch providers within one year of their initial orbital launch are included in OSP-4 mission competitions.

OSP-4 is executed as part of the Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP). It allows for the rapid acquisition of launch services to meet mission requirements for payloads 400 pounds or greater, enabling launch within 12-24 months from task order award. Task orders under the contract can be tailored to meet more demanding timelines for Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) missions or other needs. The contract has a $986 million ceiling with ordering through October 2028. The Space Force will compete each mission ordered under the contract among the IDIQ awardees.

This is the second OSP-4 on ramp opportunity. SSC initially awarded the OSP-4 contract in 2019 followed by the first on ramp in 2021. While there is not an upper limit on the size or performance of launch systems available on the contract, OSP-4 missions are typically structured with an emphasis on small launch capabilities.

There are currently 10 launch providers on the contract: ABL Space Systems, Aevum, Astra, Firefly Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), and X-Bow.

“The OSP-4 contract has been a valuable arrow in the quiver of the Space Force’s full spectrum launch arsenal since 2019, serving as a complement to the National Security Space Launch program,” said Lt. Col. Justin Beltz, chief of SSC’s Small Launch and Targets Division. “Small launch brings a great deal of responsiveness and flexibility that opens exciting possibilities for future missions. There have been both opportunities and challenges in the small launch industry over the past couple of years, which make it more important than ever that we bring in emerging industry solutions. OSP-4 launches like last year’s groundbreaking VICTUS NOX mission highlight how impactful these capabilities can be.” 

Astranis has developed a new partnership with Orbith, a fast-growing, Latin American ISP and the company will provide a dedicated MicroGEO communications satellite for Argentina. 

This new partnership with Orbith is a great opportunity to expand the company’s services to another fast-growing market and to work with a local partner who deeply understands the communications needs of the Argentinian people.

Orbith provides a variety of communications services for customers across Latin America: from hospitals, to schools, to businesses, to consumers and beyond. Their growing foothold in the market has been built on the back of fractional capacity rentals from the existing large players — but both availability and price have held them back from expanding their footprint in countries like Argentina.

The Orbith satellite will launch in 2025 as part of Astranis’ third launch. With this program, the company’s next two full launches of MicroGEO satellites are are already committed.

Airbus has been awarded a contract to design and build the GRACE-C twin spacecraft by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL (Pasadena, California). This new mission of NASA and the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will strengthen the more than 20 year long partnership between the USA and Germany to ensure uninterrupted measurement of the Earth’s gravity field, which started in 2002 with GRACE and continues with GRACE Follow-On, launched in 2018.

During its five year nominal mission lifetime, the GRACE-C Mission (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment-Continuity) will continue the series of measurements observing how Earth’s groundwater, oceans, ice sheets, and land shift, month-to-month, by measuring changes in the planet’s gravity field.

GRACE-C consists of two identical satellites flying around 200 km apart at an orbit altitude of 500 km with an inclination of 89 degrees. Each satellite will measure approximately 3 x 2 x 1 meters and weigh around 600 kg. Launch is planned no earlier than late 2028 from the USA.

Like its predecessors, the GRACE-C mission is designed to precisely measure small distance changes between the satellites due to gravity variations, with an unprecedented precision down to the micron. As the pair of satellites circle the Earth, areas of slightly stronger gravity (greater mass concentration) will affect the spacecraft’s positions and hence the distance between them. The extremely precise microwave ranging system will detect these changes and enable the mapping of Earth’s gravity field with unmatched accuracy.

Over the months and years, the comparison of these gravity maps, or the evolution of mass concentrations, will enable scientists to assess the global water balance, including groundwater tables and ice sheets, and the influence of climate change. It will also provide insights into deep and surface currents in oceans and ocean height contributors.

GRACE-C is a rebuild of the two GRACE Follow-On satellites with upgraded avionics based on state-of-the-art technology and the joint U.S.-German Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI), already flown on GRACE Follow-On as an experimental payload, now being the main ranging instrument.

The mission is based on a NASA/DLR interagency partnership: German contributions are funded by the Federal German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action as well as the Federal and Ministry of Education and Research. The optical bench of the LRI instrument is built by SpaceTech GmbH in close cooperation with the Max Planck Institute Gravitational Science (Albert Einstein Institute).

Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen will design, build and deliver the satellites to the launch site, including Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) support for NASA/JPL. The mission will be operated by the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) of DLR.

Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said, “It is amazing to think that, without looking down at Earth, two satellites more than 200 km away from each other, can tell us how quickly our ice sheets are melting. In environmental monitoring, continuity is key. The valuable data provided by the previous GRACE missions is testament to their success and it is great news that Airbus continues to be part of this international mission providing the tools to measure how our climate is evolving.”