SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE

Sponsored By Viasat

www.viasat.com/gov-uk

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27 Aug 20. Yahsat Boosts Thuraya’s Next Generation Capabilities With A Commitment Of Over US$500m.

– Airbus selected to build ‘Thuraya 4-NGS,’ the next generation L-band mobile telecommunication system

– Future system will expand coverage, boost speeds, and transform products and solutions

– Investment will reinforce Yahsat’s and Thuraya’s leadership in the industry for commercial and government solutions across the EMEA and APAC regions

Airbus has been selected by Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE’s leading global satellite operator, to build Thuraya 4-NGS, the next generation mobile telecommunications system that will drive the continued advancement of Thuraya’s L-band business. Thuraya 4-NGS will deliver higher capabilities and flexibility while increasing capacity and coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, enabling next generation mobility solutions for all customer segments, including defense, government and enterprise.

This is a major milestone in Yahsat’s commitment towards transforming Thuraya and rolling out its next-generation system, which entails a complete overhaul of its space and ground platforms, enabling a new set of services, products and solutions, across a greater coverage area. The new capabilities will drive leadership across many strategic product lines, such as maritime, IoT, and data solutions offering a wide spectrum of throughput capabilities and the highest speeds available in the market, while reinforcing Thuraya’s strengths in the MSS voice market.

Thuraya’s next generation system will provide a world of opportunities to customers, service partners, hardware manufacturers and integrators, enhancing user experience across land, sea and air to support multiple customer segments, including government, consumer and enterprise.

Furthermore, an advanced portfolio of solutions to support government and defense users will accelerate Thuraya’s leadership in this market, both within the UAE, regionally and globally. Meanwhile, all existing products and services will continue to be supported by Thuraya’s space and ground segments, enabling service continuity during and after the transformation programme.

This latest commitment from Yahsat takes its total committed investment to date to well over US$500m, and more is anticipated in the coming years, including an option with Airbus to build Thuraya 5-NGS (an additional satellite identical to Thuraya 4-NGS), strengthening its coverage and capabilities across the Asia Pacific region.

Khaled Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Yahsat’s Board of Directors and CEO of Mubadala’s Aerospace, Renewables & ICT stated, “The half a billion US dollar commitment, underscores our position as a market leader, pioneer and disruptor. We are creating a multipurpose and flexible satellite ecosystem that is attuned for growth and future diversification and Thuraya 4-NGS is a key milestone in our ongoing mission to provide advanced yet affordable satellite solutions with levels of performance, reliability and security at the leading edge of today’s technology.”

Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Thuraya and General Manager of Yahsat Government Solutions (YGS) continued, “Thuraya 4-NGS represents a significant evolution of our L-band capabilities, enabling a wider range of interoperable FSS/MSS solutions for Thuraya and YGS customers. This will be critical in delivering superior defense solutions, such as battlefield communications, to our government users, while offering a complete MSS portfolio to all of our current and future customers and partners to drive the next phase of innovation and growth.”

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems said, “Building on a relationship with Yahsat that dates back more than 10 years, our selection is testament to the innovation and engineering excellence of Airbus’ geostationary satellites. Thuraya 4-NGS, as well as being electric, will also benefit from our latest processed payload technology giving increased flexibility and adaptability over the course of its life in orbit. Yahsat’s new project reinforces Airbus Defence and Space’s position as the world’s number one in electric propulsion satellites.”

Based on the state-of-the-art all-electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform, Thuraya 4-NGS will incorporate a large 12-metre L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing providing advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams. It is scheduled for operation in 2024. (Source: PR Newswire)

26 Aug 20. NewSpace Prepares for Lift-Off in South Australia. Two South Australian companies are joining forces to launch Australia’s first space capable rocket from the outback next month.

Southern Launch will host the September 15 launch at its Koonibba Test Range (KTR) 40km northwest of Ceduna in the far west of South Australia on land leased from the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.

Launched northwards, the rocket will carry a small payload into the thermosphere where it will be released from the rocket to fall gently back to earth under a parachute where DEWC Systems, escorted by a local Aboriginal Cultural Monitor, will recover and examine it.

The rocket itself will be unlike any rocket ever launched in Australia. Designed and built in the Netherlands by T-Minus Engineering, the DART rocket will weigh only 34kg, have one rocket engine, yet will have two rocket stages.

The rocket will burn out of fuel 6 seconds after lift-off and be travelling at Mach 5, or approximately 1.5 kilometres per second.

The launch also marks the start of NewSpace launches from Australia.

“This event is more than just Australia’s first launch, but a testament to Australian companies coming together with our international partners to push the boundaries of the conceivable and inspire future generations to be spacefarers,” Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said.

The rocket will burn out of fuel 6 seconds after lift-off and be travelling at Mach 5, or approximately 1.5 kilometres per second.

The launch also marks the start of NewSpace launches from Australia.

Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation chief executive officer Corey McLennan said the corporation had been actively engaged with Southern Launch throughout the process and was excited that the venture had come to fruition.

“Our people continue to have a strong connection with the land, the sea and the sky, so with Southern Launch developing a rocket test range on our lands, we are excited to develop a partnership role in developing Australia’s space future,” he said.

South Australia’s history of rocket launches dates back to the 1950s when US, British, European and Australian scientists launched dozens of long-range missiles and sounding rockets from ranges in Woomera, north of the new launching site.

Next month’s Koonibba launch will also be a significant milestone in South Australia’s leadership of the Australian space industry, which has gained significant momentum since it was announced Adelaide would host the new Australian Space Agency in 2018.

South Australia is also home to major Tier 1 defence companies and several emerging space startups, including Fleet Space Technologies, Inovor Technologies and Myriota, which have all announced new IoT initiatives in the past year.

Southern Launch is also building a rocket launchpad on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

The 1190-hectare Whaler’s Way site is about a 35-minute drive from the regional town of Port Lincoln and will be used for launching small satellites over the Great Australian Bight into sun-synchronous or polar orbit. (Source: ASD Network)

28 Aug 20. Saber Astronautics supports space traffic services for the Pacific. Australia-based Saber Astronautics has successfully led the space traffic monitoring cell for the Pacific region as part of joint civil-military space operations exercises with the US military.

The event, called the “Sprint Advanced Concept Training” (SACT), is a United States Space Force-run event to test the combat readiness of its space forces. The exercise uses live data from real-world, commercial and defence sensors to track objects in space.

SACT also includes a civil space component, which allows military members to practice working with civilian and commercial space operators in what is early emergence of a civil space traffic management community.

Saber Astronautics provided leadership for the Pacific region from their Mission Control Centre, called the “Responsive Space Operations Centre” (RSOC) in Sydney, which combines a range of new technologies to support decision making for large numbers of spacecraft.

Saber was recently selected by the Australian Space Agency through a competitive grant process to establish its Mission Control Centre in Adelaide.

Saber’s CEO, Dr Jason Held, explained, “SACT explored our actions as a national civil Mission Control Centre if there was a war in space. Now we’re not space warriors, we’re more space traffic cops, as the RSOC’s primary mission during the event is ensuring safety of flight. But as a national centre, we also have a relationship to government, so it is important to explore how we can work with other agencies and the broader multinational community if something goes wrong.”

This project is funded by the Australian Space Agency’s International Space Investment: Expand Capability grant opportunity.

During the event, the RSOC conducted civil space traffic management while receiving additional requests from the military teams.

The RSOC then tasked commercial sensor networks from companies from the USA, Japan and Australia, and analysed changes to orbiting satellites. They received data from sensors, compared with known and expected satellite positions, and identified manoeuvres for live spacecraft.

Historically, SACT was a USA-only exercise. However, in 2019 Saber’s international presence allowed integration with the US Space Operations Center to Australia, providing “follow the sun” 24-hour operational readiness from Saber’s RSOCs.

The “civilian SACT” formed soon afterwards, with companies from the USA, France and Australia leading three regional cells, each responsible for their eight-hour windows. The USA recently moved the space traffic management mission to the Department of Commerce to prepare for this growth.

Now with the space industry tripling in size over the next decade, there is increased interest in forming a global space traffic management capability, and the companies involved in SACT could form a core for such a global system.

“We’re about to leave the barnstorming era of the space industry, and like the aviation sector, the space sector will also need cooperation, coordination and interaction between civil and military stakeholders worldwide,” Held explained. (Source: Space Connect)

27 Aug 20. Rocket Lab to launch dedicated mission for European space tech company OHB Group. Rocket Lab has announced a contract signing with European-based space technology company OHB Group for a dedicated launch on an Electron rocket. The launch was procured through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of the OHB Group. The mission will launch a communications satellite for an OHB customer and is scheduled for lift-off in early 2021 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula.

It is the first launch contract between Rocket Lab and OHB, one of Europe’s leading space systems integrators, which traditionally offers rideshare opportunities on large launch vehicles.

The mission will represent a rapid turnaround time of just six months between contract signing and launch. This streamlined path to launch and Rocket Lab’s ability to deliver payloads to precise and unique orbits were key factors in OHB selecting Rocket Lab as the launch provider.

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, said the contract highlights the growing need that small satellite operators have for responsive, dedicated launch.

“As a respected leader in space, OHB Group has been providing access to orbit through rideshare opportunities and dedicated launches on medium and large size rockets for many years. We’re excited to be enabling a new capability for OHB and its mission partners by delivering rapid turnaround, dedicated small satellite launch on Electron,” Beck explained.

Lutz Bertling, chief strategy and development officer of OHB Group, added, “OHB delivers an unmatched delivery time to its customer with this project. This would not have been possible without the impressive reactivity of Rocket Lab.

“For this mission, OHB Cosmos International Launch Service is not only providing the launch service procurement like for several previous OHB missions in the last 25 years. In the New Space Era, we are leading this specific spacecraft, payload and mission development supported by OHB divisions in Sweden, Germany and Czech Republic,” Indulis Kalnins, OHB Cosmos’ managing director, explained.

The OHB mission will be one of the first missions in a busy year of launch activity for Rocket Lab, with the company booked for launches every two weeks in 2021 across its two launch sites, Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 in Virginia. (Source: Space Connect)

27 Aug 20. US Space Force schedules pitch day for spring 2021. The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center will host a Space Force Pitch Day in spring 2021. While the current plan is to host the event in person in Los Angeles, California, SMC noted that it may move to a virtual environment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Air Force first introduced its pitch days in March 2019, and has since held several to find “defense unicorns” — nontraditional companies with innovative solutions that lack the resources and know-how to secure Department of Defense contracts. Inspired by the popular television series “Shark Tank,” select companies are given the unique opportunity to present their solutions to acquisition leaders, who are then able to award Small Business Innovation Research grants.

“Space Force is committed to procuring things differently. We continue to recognize the need for faster and smarter methods to quickly identify, procure and develop military space solutions. Space Pitch Day is one way SMC is bridging the gap between small businesses and the military,” said Maj. Ryan Pennington, project lead of SMC’s deputy space ventures.

A major draw of the events is the responsiveness, giving smaller companies the chance to forgo the traditional, lengthy DoD contracting process. The Air Force boasts that on its first pitch day, the service awarded a contract within three minutes of seeing the presentation. During the first Space Force Pitch Day in November 2019, the Air Force issued $9 million to 12 companies.

“The inaugural Air Force Space Pitch Day last year was very successful. Although SMC is hosting its second pitch day event, it really is the first under the USSF. We are excited to host another event that enables us to grow and leverage small-business innovation into thriving ecosystems,” said Roberta Ewart, SMC’s chief scientist. “The next SMC Space Force Pitch Day event will have the same focus and that is to open doors for innovative technologies and ideas and then create transition on-ramps into the USSF enterprise and architecture. We are fielding tomorrow’s Space Force faster and smarter and we do this by changing the way we buy things.”

SMC has laid out 11 focus areas for the upcoming Space Force Pitch Day:

Innovation in early missile detection and warning
Space situational awareness
Space communications
Space visualization
Multidomain command and control
Data mining
Operations within electronically contested environments
Artificial intelligence
Responsive launch systems
Space logistics
Protection of critical space assets

Interested companies can register and submit their proposals at www.spaceforcepitchday.com

(Source: Defense News)

27 Aug 20. Northrop Grumman Increases Collaboration with Space and Missile Systems Center by Implementing Agile Methodology.

Northrop Grumman’s Enhanced Polar System – Recapitalization (EPS-R) Control and Planning Segment (CAPS) program is essential to provide continuous coverage for secure, jam-resistant, strategic and tactical communications in the Earth’s North Polar Region.

As the company works on the program that facilitates military satellite communications, the team is implementing Agile methodologies to better enable increased customer collaboration, rapid adjustment to changing mission requirements and quality-enhanced efficiency. The program is working to move quickly and efficiently in bringing capabilities when and where the U.S. Space Force needs them most.

“Understanding the speed at which space operates in today’s contested environment, we can’t afford to continue developing space capability at the tempo of the past,” said 1st Lt. Brandon Lopez, EPS-R CAPS lead, Space Production Corps, Space and Missile Systems Center. “Our move to an Agile framework with DevSecOps, an approach that creates a cohesive collaboration between development, security and operations working towards continuous and rapid integration and delivery, demonstrates our commitment to accelerate war-fighting capability delivery and to the future of space systems development.”

Most recently, the legacy EPS CAPS program was called upon by the U.S. Navy to assist in exercises taking place in the Barents Sea with vessels returning to the area for the first time since the mid-1980s. EPS CAPS helped reinforce the foundation of Arctic readiness and assisted in building trust across the region. As the follow-on EPS-R CAPS program moves forward with an Agile framework and DevSecOps development principles, assisting in similar future missions will come with reduced time and labor, expenditures of software development and fully automated creation of the software build.

Why Agile?

In 2019, EPS-R CAPS customer leadership under the direction of Maj. Craig Zinck, EPS-R Ground program manager, U.S. Space Force, asked the program to provide an Agile Transformation Plan and path forward. Transitioning to an Agile framework with DevSecOps development would provide greater transparency and lead to increased cost savings. Agile and DevSecOps are complimentary approaches that promote a cohesive collaboration between development, security and operations working towards continuous and rapid integration and delivery. This is achieved through intimate and transparent collaboration across program teams and disciplines.

“The transition to Agile and DevSecOps practices is a perfect example of our team’s flexibility and Northrop Grumman’s commitment to helping our customers,” said Rob Fleming, vice president, strategic force programs, Northrop Grumman. “By transitioning to Agile we are able to work more collaboratively with our Space Force customer and quickly adapt to changing mission requirements, as we work to consistently and rapidly deliver important capabilities.”

To begin the transition process, a certified agile coach conducted agile 101 training for Northrop Grumman program personnel and the U.S. Space Force’s EPS-R CAPS program office. The team instituted agile scrum events, including sprint planning, sprint execution and reviews/retrospectives that are key elements in building an agile framework. A continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline was created and as a first step in this process. The software build creation is now 100 percent automated, reducing build time from 2-4 days to a couple hours.

In addition, increased transparency has been realized as part of the agile sprint-planning, reviews and retrospectives. Even as employees have had to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has been able to hold virtual sprint reviews that demonstrates the progress being made at the speed of need.

The agile methodology has reduced costs and provided increased efficiency on the EPS-R CAPS program. The long-term plan for the program is to keep improving and evolving processes leading to updated, high-quality deployments to operations at a higher frequency. To execute this vision, the program will continue to incorporate a collaborative, cross-functional, cross-segment approach incorporating customer and end-user feedback.

26 Aug 20. US Space Force tests new anti-jamming capability. The U.S. Space Force has tested a new anti-jamming capability that will make the military’s main satellite communications constellation more resilient than ever, the Space and Missile Systems Center announced Aug. 26.

On June 18, SMC successfully tested the Mitigation and Anti-Jam Enhancement, or MAJE, capability for Wideband Global SATCOM. WGS provides global satellite communications to American forces. MAJE includes both software and hardware upgrades to the Army’s Global SATCOM Configuration Control Element, the ground system the detects, identifies, locates and mitigates interference with WGS satellites.

According to SMC, the test demonstrated MAJE’s ability to detect and suppress interference as well as optimize performance in a contested environment. Once MAJE is fielded, it will allow the military to quickly isolate unwanted signals interfering with WGS and restore affected communications faster than before.

“MAJE will double the anti-jam SATCOM capabilities for six Geographic Combatant Commands,” Col. John Dukes, SMC’s Geosynchronous Polar Orbit Division senior materiel leader, said in a statement.

The First Article Test Increment 3 was the first such test on WGS to take place since the establishment of Space Force in December 2019. Increment 4 is slated for this fall and will test MAJE’s geolocation ability. The final and fifth increment will complete multi-capability and end-to-end testing, allowing the program to move forward into interface verification with Army subsystems. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

26 Aug 20. Space for Growth. Cluster-2 (Hawkeye 360) – Hawkeye-360 is enlarging its satellite constellation with an additional three satellites expected to be launched by the end of 2020. This will improve revisit rates for any point on the planet.

One year after launching its first three RF sensing and geolocation satellites, Hawkeye 360 is planning a major enlargement of its constellation.

Hawkeye 360 sent its original three Hawkeye-A/B/C satellites aloft on 3rd December 2019 onboard a Space-X Falcon-9 rocket launched from Vandenburg airbase, California. Known collectively as Cluster-1 these satellites detect and locate radio frequency transmissions across wavebands of 144 megahertz/MHz to 15 gigahertz.

Capabilities

The spacecraft collect a broad range of signals. These include transmissions from Very High Frequency (30 megahertz/MHz to 300MHz) radios, from marine Automatic Identification System transponders (161.975MHz to 162.025MHz), marine X-band (eight gigahertz to ten gigahertz) navigation radar and mobile satellite communications.

Multilateration

Multilateration is at the heart of the geolocation techniques used by the spacecraft. Multilateration notes the tiny differences in the time that it will take the same signal travelling at light speed (161,595k knots-per-second/299,274 kilometres-per-second) to arrive at each satellite. The spacecraft’s signal processing software notes the position of the emitter relative to each satellite, determining the emitter’s location. This information is matched with satellite imagery collected by other constellations to identify the emitter. For example, a merchant vessel in the South China Sea may have altered its AIS transponder to announce that the vessel is a large trawler sailing off the coast of east Africa. By geolocating the AIS emissions to the South China Sea and matching this with imagery intelligence of the merchant ship in this stretch of water, this claim can be disproved: A vessel transmitting false information may indicate that the ship is involved in nefarious activity.

More Clusters

According to a written statement provided by Hawkeye 360 to Armada International, Cluster-2 has improved coverage over higher frequencies which had experienced some gaps with Cluster-1: “Beyond Cluster-2 we are actively looking to further expand frequency range,” the statement continued. Other improvements conferred on Cluster-2 the ability to process multiple signals simultaneously and a doubling of the satellite’s bus power to collect and send comparatively more data back to Earth than was possible with Clustet-1. Software enhancements in the satellites’ architecture improve the geolocation accuracy of the satellite. As Cluster-2 will double the size of Hawkeye 360’s satellite fleet this will half the revisit times for any point on Earth.

Over the long term, the firm wants to continue enlarging the fleet. Plans are afoot to add nine more satellites to Clusters-1/2 providing an additional three clusters reducing revisit times. The statement continued that the existing fleet could increase to seven clusters of three allowing revisit times to fall to under once per hour. Hawkeye 360 hopes to launch Cluster-2 by the end of 2020, and to launch the next three clusters in 2021. Further launches in 2022 will realise the planned seven clusters. (Source: Armada)

27 Aug 20. UK seeks UN resolution to deter conflict in space. The UK has proposed a UN resolution that aims to set an international consensus for ‘responsible’ behaviour in space and avoid conflict in the domain.

The draft resolution calls for a ‘global discussion’ on what responsible behaviour in space looks like. The UK said ‘all countries will be invited’ to take part in the discussion and submit views on ‘responsible and threatening behaviour’ which will be included in a report to the UN General Assembly.

The move follows increasing concerns around the militarization of space and the threat of disruption to the domain which is relied on for mobile phones, banking, GPS and a number of other systems. The UK said that as space becomes ‘increasingly congested’ the risk of ‘accidents, misunderstanding and miscalculations’ is escalating.

Commenting on the move, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “The UK is leading the global discussion on what responsible behaviour in space looks like.

“We believe a new approach is urgently needed to increase trust and confidence between countries operating in space to prevent an arms race or a conflict that could have catastrophic consequences.”

Systems including ground-based satellite interceptors, cyber and space-based anti-satellite weapons threaten the use of both military and civilian satellite infrastructure.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace added: “Conflict in space has potentially profound consequences, and all powers should recognise the importance of this not only to their economies, but to global security.

“Preventing malign activity and reducing the risk of accidents is incredibly important for the safety of the UK, and to the successful military operations that rely on systems in space.”

In July, the UK and US accused of Russia of testing a space-based anti-satellite weapon. At the time the US State Department called the test ‘hypocritical and concerning’.

Commander of US Space Command and US Space Force Chief of Space Operations General John Raymond said: “The Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same satellite system that we raised concerns about earlier this year, when Russia manoeuvred near a US government satellite.

“This is further evidence of Russia’s continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin’s published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk.”

In Russia’s test, one satellite launched an object close to another in a simulation of how an in-orbit anti-satellite weapon would be deployed.

At the time of the incident, Royal United Services Institute Space Policy and Security Research Fellow Alexandra Stickings told Air Force Technology that Russian test did not come as a surprise adding: “Russia, along with other major space powers such as China and the United States, have been developing capabilities that can deny space assets, whether that is through anti-satellite missiles (a capability which is also possessed by India) or other means, which can range from GPS jamming, cyber-attacks or other non-kinetic activities such as using lasers to dazzle optical sensors on a satellite.

Stickings added: “This is in response to more states seeing space as a warfighting or operational domain. But it is also important to understand that the concept of anti-satellite capabilities goes back to the beginnings of the use of space – this is not new.

“As long as space remains important for military operations and national security, it will be contested, and states will look at how they can gain advantage.”

While nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are banned in space, there are few constraints on the deployment of space-based weapons systems or systems that can destroy satellites from the ground. Both threaten satellites as resulting debris can spread and cause collateral damage to other systems.

Ground and air-based anti-satellite weapons have been tested in the past. In 2019, India test-fired a rocket that brought down one of the country’s own satellite systems. China has also tested similar weapons. (Source: airforce-technology.com)

27 Aug 20. Australia’s first launch from Australia’s first people. In a major milestone for Australia’s burgeoning space industry, Southern Launch partnering with DEWC Systems, T-Minus Engineering and the Koonibba Community will enter the history books when Australia’s first space-capable rocket is launched to the edge of space.

The launch expected to take place on 15 September 2020 will be undertaken at Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range 40km northwest of Ceduna in South Australia, from a range head leased from the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corp.

South Australian Premier, Steven Marshall welcomed the milestone, stating, “South Australia is already home to the Australian Space Agency, SmartSat CRC, Mission Control and the Space Discovery Centre. This Launch will further cement our state’s reputation as the ‘space capital’ of the nation – and is a prime example of what the collaboration between local companies can achieve across this high-growth sector.”

Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch, welcomed the milestone, stating, “This event is more than just Australia’s first launch, but a testament to Australian companies coming together with our international partners to push the boundaries of the conceivable and inspire future generations to be space farers.”

The rocket will burn out of fuel six seconds after lift-off and be travelling at Mach 5, or approximately 1.5 kilometres per second. The front “Dart” section, emblazoned with artwork developed by the Koonibba Community, will detach from the rocket and continue into the thermosphere while the larger rocket motor will fall back to earth.

The miniature payload, built by DEWC Systems, will be a prototype electronic warfare unit capable of detecting radar signals. Future versions of the payload will go into orbiting satellites and keep our soldiers safer from enemy forces abroad.

Ian Spencer, CEO of DEWC Systems, added, “This mission is an important step to developing true sovereign space capability for defence and is an excellent way to showcase the power of collaboration between innovative Australian industry partners. Now is the time for industry to be bold and to lead. The challenging question for Australia now isn’t “Can industry deliver?” it is “Can government and regulators keep up?”

This rocket represents the epitome of NewSpace, the name given to the new revolution in how companies get to space, and what the satellites do when they get to space such as monitoring the seas for piracy, observing the growth of crops across the world, or connecting the rural farmer to a distant water tank through the power of internet of things.

The unique location of Koonibba has meant that it is perfect for test flying NewSpace rocket and satellite technologies. The uninhabited National Parks to the north of the town represent a location from which companies can recover their rockets and satellite payloads and learn how to design and develop next-generation technologies.

Operations at the Koonibba Test Range will provide ongoing employment for the local communities in Koonibba, Ceduna and greater Eyre Peninsula, and usher a new economy into the area.

Corey McLennan, CEO of Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corp, welcomed the collaboration and the opportunity presented by the launch, saying, “Our people continue to have a strong connection with the land, the sea and the sky, so with Southern Launch developing a rocket test range on our lands, we are excited to develop a partnership role in developing Australia’s space future.”

The launch of the T-Minus Engineering Dart rocket, with DEWC Systems payload, from the Southern Launch Koonibba Rocket Test Range with the Koonibba people marks the start of space launches from Australia and a future where all Australians can truly reach for the stars.

The team at DEWC Systems provides research and development of electronic warfare and related technologies to solve current and emerging challenges for the Australian Defence Force and Defence Industry.

The tiny payload called DEWC-SP1 will be going to the edge of space at almost 100km altitude to perform a radio frequency sensing mission to enhance our capability and to progress our larger program delivering sovereign space-based EW capability to Australia.

Southern Launch is an innovative space company providing the infrastructure and logistics support for orbital and sub-orbital launches of satellites and space payloads.

The Koonibba Test Range is designed to be an incremental test and evaluation range used by customers of Southern Launch’s Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. (Source: Space Connect)

26 Aug 20. ULA to Launch NROL-44 Mission to Support National Security. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket is in final preparations to launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to support national security. The launch is on track for Aug. 26 at Space Launch Complex-37 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is planned for 2:16 a.m. EDT. The live launch broadcast begins at 1:55 a.m. EDT on Aug. 26 at www.ulalaunch.com.

“ULA is proud of the long-standing history of supporting critical national security missions and the continued partnership with our mission partners,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “Only the Delta IV Heavy possesses the capability to deliver this unique mission to orbit due to a combination of heavy lift and the largest flight-proven payload fairing.”

The Delta IV Heavy is the nation’s proven heavy lifter, delivering high-priority missions for the U.S. Space Force, NRO and NASA. The vehicle also launched NASA’s Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to become the fastest robot in history while surfing through the sun’s atmosphere.

This Delta IV Heavy is comprised of three common core boosters each powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine producing a combined total of more than 2.1 million pounds of thrust. The second stage is powered by an AR RL10B-2 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine.

This will be the 41st launch of the Delta IV rocket, and the 12th in the Heavy configuration. To date ULA has launched 140 times with 100 percent mission success.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation. For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). (Source: ASD Network/United Launch Alliance)

26 Aug 20. Milley To Sign New Unified Command Plan; Defines SPACECOM’s Roles.

“They’re cleaning up a bit of ‘the who’s in charge’ of deciding which mode is a particular sensor going to be in on any given time of the day,” one Pentagon expert said of the UCP’s changes to SPACECOM’s roles.

A revision of the highly classified Unified Command Plan (UCP) will delineate Space Command’s authorities more clearly, so its relationships with the other commands are clearer in the wake of the new command’s creation.

This will include giving SPACECOM the lead in deciding who gets priority use of communications satellites during combat, and what targets missile warning and space surveillance sensors are tasked to monitor, DoD sources say.

The UCP defines the authorities of and relationships between Combatant Commands, and is normally updated every year or two by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the president’s approval in his role as commander in chief. A new draft is siting on the desk of current Chair Gen. Mark Milley, according to DoD officials. The UCP also is usually updated whenever a new command is formed, or a standing command is given new jobs.

“The current UCP was signed by POTUS on 24 May 2019. The newest UCP is a draft titled ‘UCP 2020’ and is currently with the Chairman for his recommendation to SECDEF. The SECDEF can then, after his review, recommend approval by POTUS,” a spokesperson for the Joint Staff told Breaking D.

Army Gen. Tim Lawson, acting SPACECOM deputy said last Friday: “We’ll very shortly be picking up some responsibilities for global responsibilities, such as global sensor manager and global satcom bandwidth manager.” He was speaking to the National Defense Industries Association Space Warfighters Forum last Friday.

Update Begins. “For Global Sensor Management, there are a significant number of sensors that contribute USSPACECOM’s Space Domain Awareness and Missile Warning mission as well as to the Department’s Missile Defense activities,” a SPACECOM spokesperson told Breaking D in an email this evening. “The effective management of these global sensor networks is critical to ensure the capabilities are matched with missions. As for Global SATCOM Bandwidth Management, SATCOM is a critical capability to ensure the success of the Joint Force. USSPACECOM provides, protects and defends this capability to ensure communications for all Combatant Commands.”

As Breaking D readers know, SPACECOM was established as a new geographic command with an “area of responsibility (AOR)” that begins at 100 kilometers above sea level and stretches to, essentially, infinity. (At least it goes as far as the cislunar region between the Earth and the orbit of the Moon, according to the new Spacepower Capstone Doctrine.)

The upcoming revision of the UCP is thus necessary to enshrine SPACECOM’s authorities, responsibilities and roles in relation to the other Combatant Commands. While most of those responsibilities for space operations previously were assigned to Strategic Command (STRATCOM), DoD sources explain, some are being tweaked to reflect the Pentagon’s shift to a more space strategy more focused on combat.

There are six other geographic Combatant Commands: European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command, Northern Command, Southern Command and Africa Command. There are four functional commands: STRATCOM, Cyber Command, Special Operations Command and Transportation Command.

(In the past, there was a very bright line drawn between the role of the geographic commands as commands who were supported by the functional commands, also called supporting commands. However, as Breaking D readers know, those barriers have eroded as the US military gears up to fight globe-spanning war with Russia and China. Indeed, there has been a long-standing debate about whether the distinctions should be eliminated altogether — and while we don’t know for sure, it is unlikely the new UCP will do so.)

At the direction of Milley, and his predecessor Gen. Joe Dunford, the Combatant Commands have been undertaking a series of Globally Integrated Exercises to sort out how to conduct operations that span more than one command’s AOR.

“The fact that the challenges posed by China and Russia go beyond the boundaries of INDOPACOM and EUCOM, respectively, call for a re-think of the UCP,” Tom Mahnken, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, told Breaking D. “Dunford made those two commands global coordinators for thinking about those two competitors, but there is a real question in my mind whether the current construct of Combatant Commands fits the security environment of the 21st century.”

The results of those exercises and the developing global force management strategy being spearheaded by Milley will feed into what is expected to be a groundbreaking Joint Warfighting Concept, due to Defense Secretary Mark Esper by the end of the year, DoD sources say.

As Vice JCS Chair Gen. John Hyten explained back in January at the Center for Strategic and International Security (CSIS), the Joint Warfighting Concept will serve as the overarching concept for how the US actually fights in the future. And underneath that, he said, “will be capabilities and attributes that we need to be able to fight effectively in the 2030s and 2040s and beyond.”

Under the draft UCP, SPACECOM will take the reins in prioritizing which space-related sensors are tasked to what missions during global, all-domain operations. In particular, the UCP is aimed at ensuring a command authority has the power to balance between missile defense and space domain awareness (SDA) missions, one Pentagon expert explained. Why? Both largely rely on the same satellites and ground-based (radar and optical) sensors, including the current Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellites. They will soon be replaced by the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system satellites; as well as ground-based tracking radar such as the Missile Defense Agency’s Cobra Dane in Alaska.

“Global sensor management, similar to global SATCOM management, is something that’s been happening for a long, long time,” the Pentagon expert told Breaking D. “It’s just that they’re cleaning up a bit of ‘the who’s in charge’ of deciding which mode is a particular sensor going to be in at any given time of the day.”

The change will help clarify what has long been a bit of a sore spot as multiple commands and agencies have jockeyed for primacy regarding decision-making about tasking.

(However, as we reported back in April, the UCP is not expected to change the fact that the Director of National Intelligence is in charge of deciding what tasks take priority for the nation’s highly classified US spy satellites.)

SATCOM Squeeze

Another of the UCP updates will officially transfer management of access to military SATCOM networks and bandwidth (as well as those commercial networks used by the military) from STRATCOM to SPACECOM, the Pentagon expert said. This will be followed by an update to the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction on Department of Defense Satellite Communications (CJSCI 6250.01F) dated Feb. 26, 2019.

For example, Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Regional Satellite Support Centers will shift their reporting lines from STRATCOM to SPACECOM.

As we’ve extensively reported, managing access to limited SATCOM bandwidth is a job that is only going to grow more difficult as All-Domain Operations become the norm, especially as increasingly powerful, autonomous command and control networks suck up even more of the radio waves. This is one of the challenges that Gen. Jay Raymond, who earlier this month divested his SPACECOM commander’s hat to Army Gen. James Dickinson, sought to address in the Vision for Enterprise Satellite Communications (SATCOM) he signed in February.

Indeed, managing who gets top priority for SATCOM use on what network will be the job of SPACECOM’s new SATCOM Integrated Operations Division in Colorado Springs, along with figuring out how to cope with the increasing threat of jamming.

As Breaking D readers may remember, Army Brig. Gen. Tom James, now the head of Space Command’s Joint Task Force-Space Defense (JTF-SD), announced the plan this past August for the new division during the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville.

The new division also will figure out how to “allocate the bandwidth across wideband and narrowband satellite systems in conjunction with geographical combatant J-6s (responsible for Command, Control, Communication, and Computers, C4),” James said. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)

25 Aug 20. Prescient regulation changes for smallsats provide lifeline through Covid-19. New regulations from the FCC came into effect on the 19th August, streamlining and reducing the cost of licensing smallsat systems for commercial use. This regulatory change appears prescient, arriving at a moment when the smallsat industry requires support. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy in its entirety, but some sections have been impacted more deeply than others. The small launch and small satellite industry has been repeatedly identified by the Department of Defense as one of the most vulnerable sections of the entire defense industrial base.

Harry Boneham, Associate Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “this new regulatory change will reduce the cost of obtaining a license for a smallsat system by 93.6%, from $471,575 to just $30,000. This sizeable saving, combined with shorter processing times, may prove a lifeline for smallsat companies during COVID-19. The savings resultant from this regulatory change, in addition to CARES Act and Payment Protection Plan funds, will allow companies to retain a highly skilled workforce throughout the current crisis and will sustain a competitive environment in the industry beyond COVID-19.”

However, in the long term, greater regulation could be on the horizon. With an increasingly crowded sky, driven by rising demand for satellite capabilities such as broadband, there is growing concern regarding the issue of space debris.

Boneham continues, “an increasingly dense sky not only translates to more debris in orbit, but also renders a collisional cascade, where collisions create debris which generate further collisions, more likely. Also known as the Kessler effect, this would render use of space difficult, or even impossible, for decades. With large constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s 3,200 satellites Kuiper, combined with the increase in smallsat systems expected due to this regulatory change, the need for greater traffic control and oversight will only increase, lest we lose access to space for generations.” (Source: army-technology.com)

25 Aug 20. Inmarsat joins forces with CPN and MinFarm to simplify connecting low-power wide-area networks to satellite. MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge enables data from IoT sensors operating on low-power wide-area networks (LoRaWAN™) to be transmitted over Inmarsat’s IsatData Pro service.

Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has teamed up with CPN Satellite Services and MinFarm Tech to launch the MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge incorporating Inmarsat’s IsatData Pro (IDP) service. The solution enables data from IoT sensors operating on LoRaWAN™ networks to be optimised for transmission over Inmarsat’s IDP service, which will bring much-needed additional connectivity to IoT devices deployed in remote locations across a range of different sectors.

The success of a remote operation – such as dam monitoring or agricultural resource management – depends on having robust, reliable equipment in place to do the job. IoT devices are having a significant impact in this area, due to their ability to record and transfer data in a way that reduces the need for expensive on-site visits and lowers overall maintenance costs. However, operating in remote regions means that backhauling data from LoRaWAN™ networks is not always possible via terrestrial connectivity so posing a connectivity challenge for organisations.

The MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge offers organisations an off-the-shelf and ready-to-use solution to meet these challenges, simplifying the connectivity between sensor and application. Powered by a single 80W solar panel and with battery backup capacity of 2-3 days, the device uses protocol optimisation to forward sensor payload traffic over the high-latency, non-IP packet data satellite services of the Inmarsat IDP. This ensures unrivalled global connectivity, while keeping airtime costs per sensor to a minimum, lowering the complexity of installation and reducing the power requirements at the Edge.

Tara Maclachlan, Vice President of IoT, Enterprise at Inmarsat, commented: “IoT is already proving to be hugely influential in enabling effective remote operations across many different sectors, and we are continually focused on innovation with the objective of making our services even better. Backhauling LoRaWAN™ network data over satellite utilising the MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge is a major step forward in this regard, and one which underscores the strength of the collaboration between Inmarsat, CPN and MinFarm.”

Christian Nicolai, M2M and IoT Consultant at CPN Satellite Services, added: “We are delighted to be launching this product in conjunction with Inmarsat and MinFarm. The MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge will solve some of the major problems facing organisations operating IoT sensors in remote regions. Connecting these devices to Inmarsat satellite networks brings added reliability and resilience, with the guarantee that accurate data can be transmitted and received regardless of location.”

Stephen Lynam, CEO of MinFarm, added: “MinFarm Tech is dedicated to enabling LoRaWAN™ to work seamlessly over satellite networks. We are very excited to partner with Inmarsat and CPN to deliver the MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge product. This product will enable customers to pick a truly global and trusted satellite service provider in Inmarsat, while continuing to use their existing LoRaWAN™ hardware and cloud solutions. It promises to be a game-changing technology for the industry.”

The launch of the MF 400 IoT Satellite Bridge supports Inmarsat’s wide ranging and fully-funded Future Technology Roadmap programme. In addition to working with partners to introduce new and enhanced services, Inmarsat is undertaking the largest investment in its history to extend the capacity, agility and resilience of its industry-leading space and ground-based infrastructure still further. This includes two new L-band satellites (I-6 F1 & F2), which are scheduled to launch in 2021 and to take our L-band portfolio into the mid-2030s and beyond, as well as seven further GX Ka-band satellites, which will enter service over the coming four years.

Inmarsat’s Tara Maclachlan commented: “As the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, we have an ambitious vision for the future and are progressing the most innovative technology development programme in our history to achieve this. We believe that reliable, agile, seamless connectivity is now more vital than ever and will play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of digital technology.”

20 Aug 20. Ball Aerospace Completes Successful Small Satellite, Green Fuel Mission. Ball Aerospace is the primary contractor for NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission. Ball Aerospace has successfully completed on-orbit testing of NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), which included ASCENT, a non-toxic, high-performance propellant developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), on board a Ball-built small satellite.

GPIM launched on June 25, 2019 at 2:30 a.m. EDT on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and was commissioned in early July of the same year.

“The successful completion of this mission advances in-space propulsion for the entire user community, which opens up the possibility for a variety of missions,” said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. “GPIM has the potential to inspire new ideas and new missions, which could mean smaller spacecraft, faster and easier ground processing, longer design lives and more – enabling science at any scale.”

Ball designed and built the small satellite, which contains NASA’s first opportunity to demonstrate the practical capabilities of a “green” propellant and propulsion system in orbit – an alternative to conventional chemical propulsion systems. The propellant is a Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate fuel and oxidizer monopropellant developed by the AFRL.

GPIM is part of NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), and Christopher McLean of Ball Aerospace serves as the principal investigator. Aerojet Rocketdyne designed and built the thruster payload for GPIM that provides propulsion for the spacecraft.

“Aerojet Rocketdyne’s specially-engineered green propulsion system proved that satellites can operate on orbit utilizing hydrazine-alternative propellant,” said Jim Maser, senior vice president of space at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “With an extensive offering of flight proven chemical and electric propulsion systems, green propulsion was a natural progression for the company and we’re excited to help usher in a new era of satellite operations.”

Ball Aerospace and its partners tested the satellite thruster capabilities by verifying the propulsion subsystem, propellant performance, thruster performance and spacecraft attitude control performance. While in orbit, GPIM is testing the fuel and compatible propulsion system – which includes tanks, valves, and thrusters – by conducting orbital maneuvers to demonstrate the propellant’s performance during attitude control maneuvers and orbit lowering.

With approximately 95 percent of the demonstration completed to date, the flight mission has proven that the ASCENT fuel and compatible propulsion system can be a viable, effective alternative for NASA and the commercial spaceflight industry. GPIM will soon begin a final series of burns that will deplete the remainder of the ASCENT fuel and the spacecraft will reenter the earth’s atmosphere to complete the mission.

As the prime contractor for GPIM, Ball Aerospace is responsible for system engineering; flight thruster performance verification; ground and flight data review; spacecraft bus development; payload assembly integration and test; and launch and flight support. GPIM uses the Ball Configurable Platform (BCP) small satellite, which is about the size of a mini refrigerator. The BCP small satellite provides standard payload interfaces and streamlined procedures, allowing rapid and affordable access to space with flight-proven performance. There are currently two additional BCP small satellites performing on orbit: STPSat-2, which launched in November 2010, and STPSat-3, which launched in November 2013. The two STP satellites were built for the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program’s Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) project.

Powered by endlessly curious people with an unwavering mission focus, Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet, deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. (Source: PR Newswire)

20 Aug 20. The Pentagon’s new space organizations start to take shape as leadership comes onboard. Gen. James Dickinson on Aug. 20 took the reins of U.S. Space Command, becoming the second-ever leader of the organization and the first Army officer to hold the position.

Dickinson’s promotion signals a new era for Space Command, the military’s space operations arm established in August 2019, which will now have a commander solely dedicated to standing up a new unified command focused on protecting military space assets against new threats posed by Russia and China.

“To be clear, our objective is to deter conflict,” Dickinson said during the ceremony. Defense News traveled to the change-of-command ceremony with Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

“However, should deterrence fail, our imperative is clear. We will win. To do so, we will require a space warfighting culture that permeates the entire command,” he said. “My pledge to you is that my focus on a commander will be developing, nurturing, and embracing a space warfighting culture.”

For the past year, Space Command was led by Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, who also held the position of the head of the Space Force, the new military service formed in December. That arrangement was intended to ensure that both organizations remained interlocked as they were established.

Space Force and Space Command are seen as complementary organizations, with the former training and equipping forces that will make up the core of Space Command’s warfighting cadre tasked with manning and operating the service’s satellites and space assets.

Both are still in their infancy, with major decisions about culture — everything from the Space Force uniforms to Space Command’s headquarters location — still to be determined.

“You have to have two different people doing this, because the organize, train and equip side [that Space Force does] can’t distract from the warfighting piece that Space Command does,” said Brig. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy director for operations at United States Space Command.

“Gen. Dickinson clearly has got the warfighting piece down. General Raymond continues with the standup of the Space Force. It lets those respective commanders have singular focus on the two different pieces without them clashing into each other.”

Asked by Defense News about the next steps to move Space Command to full operational capability, Dickinson — who has served as Raymond’s deputy since December — said that he would continue to pursue the current plan for standing up the organization.

The last week has been an eventful one for the Space Force and Space Command, with both swearing in a number of senior officials that will shape the direction of the organizations.

On Aug. 14, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman pinned on his third star and was promoted to the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations, nuclear and cyber —becoming the 89th member of the Space Force and its second general officer after Raymond. That was followed on Aug. 17 with Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno swearing in as the first female general officer for the Space Force, taking the position of Raymond’s director of staff.

As more senior officials come onboard, the most consequential change for space operators is just being allowed a seat at the table as critical national security decisions are made, Saltzman told Defense News after his promotion ceremony.

“The Department of Defense is a big organization, and to get service-level attention on key issues, sometimes you just have to be in the room,” he said. “And a lot of times those rooms get filled up by very senior people, and if you’re not senior enough, you’re not in the room. That’s the big benefit of the Space Force: A Space Force perspective is in the room. My responsibility is to make sure we’re in the room for the operations discussions.”

Saltzman most recently served as acting director of the Space Force staff, coming off a yearlong deployment as deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command — a rare appointment for a space officer. In 2017, he was handpicked by former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein to oversee a yearlong study on multi-domain command and control.

Those experiences will directly shape how he believes Space Force operators can add value in a combat scenario by better integrating with forces on the ground, at sea or in the air.

“I’m really going to lean on what I learned when I was out in the Middle East, watching how operations are done, how we decide if we’re achieving the effects we want or if there are some things we can do differently to get better effects,” Saltzman said.

“It starts with figuring out how to integrate both the experts that are out there, the data that they use, and then the weapon systems that we employ,” he said. “We can get caught up in little clusters of excellence. The fighters are doing great things for air superiority and the intel people are collecting [intelligence,] and they share, but there are ripe opportunities to try to get better integration across all the domains, all the data that is available so that we can produce the maximum number of options for our decision makers.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)

20 Aug 20. OneWeb Requests FCC Rules Relaxation + SpaceX’s $$$ Injection. OneWeb, currently proceeding slowly through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, is asking the US government to relax its rules on importing satellite components and materials under its Foreign Trade Zone regulations. The Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) rules permit businesses to lower import duties and easier customs processes.

OneWeb has made its application via its joint-venture (OneWeb Satellites North America LLC) with Airbus, which is based in Merritt Island, Brevard County, Florida, and turns out OneWeb’s satellites.

The US Dept. of Commerce announced the application on the government’s Federal Register on August 19th.

“Airbus OneWeb already has authority to produce satellites for commercial, private, and military applications within FTZ 136. The current request would add foreign status materials/ components to the scope of authority. Production under FTZ procedures could exempt Airbus OneWeb from customs duty payments on the foreign- status materials/components used in export production. On its domestic sales, for the foreign-status materials/ components, Airbus OneWeb would be able to choose the duty rates during customs entry procedures that apply to its already authorized finished products (duty- free). Airbus OneWeb would be able to avoid duty on foreign-status components which become scrap/waste. Customs duties also could possibly be deferred or reduced on foreign-status production equipment,” explained the Department of Commerce.

Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions should be addressed to the Board’s Executive Secretary and sent to: . The closing period for their receipt is September 28, 2020

The cash-raising exercise follows on from SpaceX raising $346m in May.

The news comes as Musk achieves 4th position as the world’s richest person and helped by the rocketing value of Tesla shares. Musk is now worth $85bn, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, behind Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, in that order.

The injection of new money has been helped by solid performances from SpaceX and its delivery and return of astronauts from the International Space Station (the first-ever by a private business) and the now extremely regular launches of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. SpaceX has launched 653 Starlink craft, although it is know that there have been some orbital failures.

The latest Starlink launch occurred on August 18th. SpaceX has launched 14 times this year, with 9 of those efforts carrying its own Starlink satellites. That launch cadence is good; however, the company’s efforts were better in 2018 when there were 20 launches of its Falcon 9 and one Falcon Heavy.

SpaceX, in an SEC regulatory filing, said the cash was raised on August 4th and 75 investors participated. The response now values SpaceX at some $46bn. The investors will receive shares in SpaceX.

The cash will be used for general purposes and capital intensive projects at SpaceX which likely includes more rockets, more Starlink satellites and more investment on Musk’s giant Starship spaceship.

The firm’s Starship project is coming along nicely. A test ‘flight’ (SN5) on August 4th managed a journey of some 175 meters altitude, but there’s some way to go before Musk’s longer-term ambition bears fruit, which is to take 100 people to Mars and back. (Source: Satnews)

17 Aug 20. BlackSky’s Freshly Orbited Fifth + Sixth Satellites Already Capturing Imagery. BlackSky has completed initial system checkouts and has begun delivering imagery from its fifth and sixth satellites, 58 hours after launch.

Taking full advantage of the advanced analytics offered by the company’s Spectra AI platform, BlackSky is now providing customers with high velocity insights that were previously unattainable.

The addition of these satellites to the BlackSky constellation increases opportunities for intraday observation of customer targets and reduces decision-making timelines. In collaboration with satellite manufacturing partner LeoStella, BlackSky has an active assembly line delivering two satellites per month.

BlackSky’s latest two satellites were launched into an inclined orbit at 1:12 a.m. EDT on August 7 via SpaceX’s Starlink mission. The satellites provide panchromatic and color imagery with sub-meter resolution. BlackSky now has six satellites on-orbit and plans to launch six, additional satellites by the end of Q1 2021, advancing the firm’s dawn-to-dusk global monitoring capability.

“The rate and volume at which our customers are consuming global monitoring information is increasing dramatically,” said Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “To help customers immediately access critical information, BlackSky has developed GEOINT technologies combined with machine learning to rapidly deploy and seamlessly integrate satellites into our product suite. The speed with which we were able to reach first light, demonstrates our ability to move industry benchmarks forward so our customers are always the first to know.” (Source: Satnews)

19 Aug 20. Eutelsat: No New C-Band Satellite + Intelsat Balancing FCC Requirements. Eutelsat, which is also involved in the restructuring of C-band frequencies over the US, has confirmed to the FCC that it will not be buying a dedicated C-band satellite to serve the company’s North American clients.

Eutelsat, back in June, had cautioned the FCC that an additional satellite might be needed – at a cost of about $150m – but now says in its transition plan that it will rationalize its US capacity so that its existing satellites will be sufficient.

“Eutelsat now expects that prudent management of capacity and demand for C-band satellite services during and after the transition will allow it to provide ‘substantially the same or better service to incumbent earth station operators’ without launching any new C-band satellites,” Eutelsat told the FCC.

Eutelsat has four operational satellites that are serving US clients: Eutelsat 117 West A, Eutelsat 115 West B and Eutelsat 172B. Eutelsat 113 West A is also active but will be retired in 2023 and not replaced. Two other satellites serve the market, including 117 West B. Eutelsat’s craft all operate under its Eutelsat American subsidiary and reflect its acquisition of SatMex in 2013.

Eutelsat has revised downward its likely expenses at just $14.9m in supplying Earth station modifications, re-tuning, filters and clearing costs. Those costs will be reimbursed by the FCC and Eutelsat will also get the incentive bonus payment from the FCC.

Eutelsat says it has to handle 536 antennas at 291 sites, of which 476 antennas will need to be re-pointed with 60 to be returned.

To make its transition as painless as possible, Eutelsat says it will dual-emit any programming/broadcasts carried on the ‘old’ frequency as well as on the ‘new’ frequency. This exercise will cost a total of $5.9m for the three months of dual illumination plus a further $468,320 for equipment.

However, Eutelsat (along with EchoStar, Hughes Network Systems and Inmarsat) has had a dig at rival SES and its satellite orders. It asks that the FCC “requires each such subsidized satellite to serve the CONUS for the duration of its useful life, and that the Commission specifically clarifies that the costs of spare satellites and “backup” launches are ineligible. Eutelsat continues to urge the Commission to act on that Petition, in order to bring greater clarity and consistency to the process under which C-band satellite operators are developing these Transition Plans.”

9kIntelsat’s submission to the FCC for its transition plan explains that its client list – in normal non-Covid times – requires a large slice of capacity to support Occasional Use (OU) and Contribution services.

In 2019, without the problems of Covid-19, amounted to some 20 transponders-worth of bandwidth at maximum demand and supporting 16,000 C-band service reservations for sports, news and special events during the year.

There are also demands on Intelsat for back-up “Restoration Services” which “ensure that Contribution or Distribution services have continuity should a satellite suffer a transponder or payload failure, or a terrestrial network anomaly occurs.”

Intelsat added, “Restoration services are critical services integrated into the Galaxy fleet to ensure service/business continuity and to protect the enterprise value of Intelsat’s customers. Restoration services are contracted for, paid for, and provided as part of the cable distribution service bundle and similarly, to broadcaster and data network customers as well. Customers that desire this service have historically relied on and will continue relying on the continuity of their services, pre-planning the go-to locations with their earth stations for service restoration and on near real time or swift implementation of restoration to minimize any service disruptions.”

Intelsat explained to the FCC that, while it is conforming with the FCC’s order to clear spectrum in an accelerated timeline and, at the same time, provide “same or better” services to its clients, it has to balance a range of requirements.

These cover:

Focus on use of existing ‘penetrated’ orbital locations.
Prioritize CONUS services on the upper 200 MHz and transition non-CONUS services to the lower 300 MHz.
Replace Galaxy satellites at penetrated orbital locations and deploy compression to customer services where it materially reduces going-forward capacity and allows programming to fit within the top 200 MHz.
Simplify many replacement C-band satellite payloads to ten transponders, while building a minority of C-band payloads with 24 transponders for Alaska, Hawaii, and off-shore applications.
Maintain proven component, system, satellite, and on-orbit redundancies to meet contracted service levels of 99.999 percent availability or greater. (Source: Satnews)

17 Aug 20. Smallsat Lab @ University of Georgia Building Two For Orbit. The University of Georgia‘s Small Satellite Research Laboratory (SSRL), located in the basement of the Physics building, is developing two satellites that will be sent into orbit to map and image oceanic and coastal ecosystems.

SSRL was created, thanks to funding from two grants for the design, integration, and testing of cubesats. These smallsats are comprised of units(U), each one under 1.33 kg and measuring 10x10x11 cm in size. Both projects, one funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) University Nanosatellite Program (UNP), and the other funded by NASA’s Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP), are for building two, 3U cubesats.

The projects are supervised by Dr. David L. Cotten with physics faculty members Dr. Susanne Ullrich and Dr. William Dennis, along with 12 other faculty across five departments at UGA, creating a truly interdisciplinary group. As a result of these funding opportunities, SSRL established an official Space Act Agreement with the NASA Ames Research Center for testing of satellite components and sharing of information.

The primary scientific goals of these cubesat missions are to develop and operate the first moderate resolution coastal ecosystem and ocean color CubeSats in Georgia.

The AFRL mission, the Mapping and Ocean Color Imager (MOCI) will use an onboard RGB camera to take images from multiple perspectives to create a 3D point cloud of land features.

The NASA mission, the SPectral and Ocean Color Satellite (SPOC Sat), will generate hyperspectral moderate resolution imaging products to monitor coastal wetlands status, estuarine water quality, and near-coastal ocean productivity in compliance with some of the NASA’s strategic objectives. The designing and building of the hyperspectral imager for SPOC is being done in house and will have 60 bands to acquire image data between 400 and 850nm. In addition, the SPOC mission has been chosen as a candidate of NASA’s eight CubeSat Launch Initiative, meaning that SPOC will be launched to the International Space Station for deployment between 2018 and 2020.

Both 3U cubesats will contain all relevant flight systems such as: S-band and UHF/VHF communications, Electrical Power Systems, an On Board Computer (OBC), Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) with reaction wheels and sun sensors, and data storage. The two missions and the establishment of the lab have the primary goals of teaching and developing students for STEM careers by training undergraduates in a broad range of fields through hands-on, experiential learning and creating a pipeline for high school students to attend UGA through the Physics and Astronomy Department. While the majority of members in the lab are undergraduates, there are graduate students that serve as mentors. The team currently consists of 45 students from around campus.

The student groups have already been through multiple reviews with the Air Force and NASA regarding communications, engineering, orbital parameters, power specifications, data management, temperature regulation, attitude control, project management, and budgeting. The team is divided into 5 subteams: Mechanical, Electrical, Mission Operations, Research, Testing, and Lab Operations in order to address the many aspects of the missions.

The undergraduate students have also been very active in outreach activities: giving a three day workshop in SSRL with NSF-funded LISEL-B teachers to help communicate science to middle and high school students, serving as guest lecturers at Cedar Shoals High School presenting on orbital mechanics, giving four guest lectures around campus, and will be giving a series of workshops related to empowering women in STEM with Chick Tech Atlanta.

These and future projects in the lab will provide a unique opportunity to enhance the growth of UGA educational programs by exposing undergraduates to the challenges of space exploration, creating more experiential learning opportunities for classes, helping students transition into the STEM related workforce, and attracting new students to the University.

The lab is currently equipped with a 140 sq ft clean room rated ISO 7, a 200-liter vacuum chamber capable of reaching 10-6 torr and multiple Electrostatic Discharge workstations, all of which are suitable for the integrations and testing of flight ready equipment. The lab is leading the way in developing a Small Satellite Course that will form the foundation of an aerospace-based curriculum at UGA. This program will have all levels of students from undergraduate to doctoral, with faculty based in numerous departments.

SSRL aims to teach, to develop, and to discover through undergraduate involvement. For years to come, the lab hopes to continue: teaching students how to build and use space ready equipment, developing the local community by getting local K-12 students interested in both space exploration and the University, and discovering, by using space based equipment to observe phenomenon on Earth from an orbital perspective through national funding opportunities, creating new technologies that can be used on future missions, and demonstrating how small satellite systems can make large scientific discoveries. (Source: Satnews)

15 Aug 20. Mission Accomplished with Arianespace’s Launch of Three Satellites. Success came today as Arianespace‘s Ariane 5 was launched and sent three satellites into orbit. The following is Arianespace’s announcement.

For its third launch of the year from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, Ariane 5, operated by Arianespace, placed three satellites in geostationary transfer orbit (GTO): the B-SAT-4b satellite for the Japanese operator B-SAT, the Galaxy 30 satellite for the global operator Intelsat, and MEV-2 (Mission Extension Vehicle) for Space Logistics LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, the first customer of which will be the Intelsat 10-02 satellite, in orbit since 2004. MEV-2 will provide mission extension services enabling the Intelsat 10-02 satellite to gain five additional years of operation.

“Arianespace is delighted to have served two loyal customers – Intelsat and B-SAT – as well as Northrop Grumman’s subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC,” declared Stéphane Israël, the Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace. “As part of this mission, three satellites were deployed by the most powerful Ariane 5 ever launched, thus demonstrating the competitiveness of our launch solutions and our capability for continuous innovation.”

The total performance of the launcher was 10,468 kg, with the three satellites accounting for 9,703 kg. The payloads were injected into an orbit inclined 6 degrees to the equator. As a result of the performance continuous improvement program, the Ariane 5 launcher once again increased its payload capability on this flight by approximately 85 kg of additional payload, thanks to the use of a new optimized Vehicle Equipment Bay (VEB). Since 2016, Ariane 5 has increased its payload capacity to geostationary orbit by 300 kg.

“The summer sees Ariane 5 back in service, and more efficient than before, with even more payload capacity and carrying new significant parts produced using 3D printing. Seeing this year’s third Ariane 5 lift off, the first since the beginning of the COVID crisis, was a really emotional moment of pride. The flight was made possible by the unfailing commitment and dedication of the teams,” said André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of ArianeGroup. “I want to salute that commitment from all the teams who have been doing such an incredible job, and to sincerely thank all the engineers and technicians at ArianeGroup, Arianespace, and all our industrial partners, whose expertise and talent are the foundations on which the past 40 years of Ariane success have been built. My thanks also go to the teams at ESA and CNES, for their unflagging confidence and support.”

For this launch, the Ariane 5 launcher once again benefited from the use of 3D printing, specifically laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Parts designed in this way, which will be used extensively for Ariane 6, have already been employed on Ariane 5 since 2016, notably the Vulcain 2 engine gimbal joint. For this flight, the launcher was fitted with two new parts produced using additive manufacturing: an upper-stage cable support and six check valve bodies for the upper-stage propulsion system. The engineers at ArianeGroup’s Future Launchers Architecture department in Bremen, Germany qualified the entire manufacturing process for structural components for the first time. Previously only individual 3D-printed components had been certified (the gimbal joints, for example). Parts manufactured in this way are generally lighter than conventionally-produced components, a major advantage in terms of launcher payload capacity.

This latest Ariane 5 flight also saw the first use of the KASSAV autonomous range safety system developed by French space agency CNES in partnership with ArianeGroup. The first-version KASSAV system enables autonomous launcher tracking capability for enhanced launch base safety. Using a dedicated telemetry link, information about the launcher’s position and speed are downlinked in real time to safety personnel independently of the launcher’s own systems. For this first CNES-led campaign, ArianeGroup was supported by KASSAV system-developer Safran for its integration on the launcher and checks carried out at the Launcher Integration Building (BIL). Integration on the Ariane 5 launcher was qualified under European Space Agency (ESA) supervision. CNES funded system development and checks for its safe use, while ESA funded and oversaw installation on the launch vehicle. Going forward, all Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 launchers operating from the European spaceport in Kourou will carry the KASSAV system.

ArianeGroup is the industrial prime contractor for the development and deployment of Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 launchers. The company coordinates an industrial network of more than 600 companies (including 350 SMEs) in 13 European countries. ArianeGroup oversees the entire industrial supply chain, from performance optimization and the corresponding studies associated with Ariane 5 to production, from the supply of mission-specific data and software to the marketing of the launcher through Arianespace. This chain includes equipment and structures, engine manufacturing, integration of the various stages, and launcher integration in French Guiana. ArianeGroup delivers a flight-ready launcher to the launch pad of its subsidiary Arianespace, which operates the flight from the moment of lift-off, on behalf of its customers.

The Ariane 253 flight in figures:

109th launch of an Ariane 5
84th consecutive nominal ignition of the Vulcain®2 engine
109th consecutive nominal ignition of the EAP solid propellant boosters
149th consecutive nominal ignition of the HM7B engine

(Source: Satnews)

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