SATELLITE SYSTEMS, SATCOM AND SPACE SYSTEMS UPDATE

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21 Dec 20. Exolaunch Integrates 30 Small Satellites for SpaceX First Dedicated Rideshare Launch.

Company Begins Launch Campaign for its U.S. and European Customers Flying Aboard Falcon 9.

Exolaunch, the leading rideshare launch and deployment services provider for the NewSpace industry, begins its launch campaign to integrate 30 small satellites from the U.S. and Europe aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rideshare mission scheduled for no earlier than January 2021. This is the first dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program and the first of several rideshares Exolaunch is manifesting on Falcon 9 as part of a multi-launch agreement the company signed with SpaceX earlier this year.

For each Falcon 9 launch, Exolaunch will provide comprehensive rideshare mission management, deployment, and satellite integration services for its customers. This launch will be one of the largest and most diverse rideshare missions of the company, which also announced it will open a U.S. office to better serve its U.S. customers. Most of the nanosatellites have been integrated into their launch deployers in the company’s Berlin facilities, at the moment the team of Exolaunch is performing the final integration of the diverse small satellite cluster with Falcon 9 at SpaceX’s facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Through our partnership with SpaceX, Exolaunch has become the bridge for multiple European smallsat developers and others from around the world interested to launch on Falcon 9,” said Jeanne Medvedeva, Vice President of Launch Services at Exolaunch. “As the SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program takes off and expands, more organizations will have the opportunity to launch their satellites into orbit though our tailored, flight-proven, and cost-effective launch and deployment solutions. The team at Exolaunch extends its gratitude to all customers for their loyalty and trust in Exolaunch’s services and wishes to thank SpaceX for their excellent launch preparations. We look forward to the upcoming successful launch opening up a new chapter in rideshare missions.”

Exolaunch’s manifest on the mission includes 30 small satellites for the U.S. and European customers, including satellites from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Dresden Technical University, NanoAvionics and other commercial companies for the IoT, Earth Observation and scientific applications.

Exolaunch will utilize its brand-new product, the EXOport, which is a flexible multi-satellite adapter designed to enable optimal accommodation of microsats and nanosats on the Falcon 9 ESPA ports. The company will also utilize its proprietary flight-proven separation systems – CarboNIX, the next generation shock-free separation system for microsatellites, upgraded modifications of EXOpod deployers and EXObox sequencers to flawlessly deploy its customers’ satellites into the target orbit.

About Exolaunch

Exolaunch provides rideshare launch and deployment services for NewSpace companies. Its flight heritage includes the successful deployment of more than 100 small satellites into orbit through its global network of launch vehicle providers. Exolaunch enables the visions of New Space leaders, the world’s most innovative startups, research institutions, government organizations, and space agencies. The company also manufactures flight-proven separation systems to deliver the best-in-class integration services and deployment for small satellites. For more information, visit: https://www.exolaunch.com/(Source: PR Newswire)

21 Dec 20. NRO partners with SpaceX for final launch of 2020. The National Reconnaissance Office successfully completed its final launch of the year on Dec. 19, wrapping up a 2020 that saw the agency launch six missions into orbit.

For NROL-108, the agency utilized a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was NRO’s second dedicated launch with SpaceX, with the first taking place with NROL-76 in May 2017.

“We are excited to partner with SpaceX again,” NRO Principal Deputy Director Troy Meink said in a statement.

As is the agency’s practice, NRO did not reveal details of the payload’s mission or capabilities, merely noting that it is “a national security payload designed, built and operated by the agency.”

“Data collected by NRO’s national security systems are used to provide intelligence to United States’ senior policy makers, the intelligence community and Department of Defense, as well as U.S. allied partners,” the agency explained in a statement. “Additionally, information collected by NRO systems can be used to assist emergency and disaster relief efforts in the U.S. and around the world.”

Over the last 12 months, the agency has used four different launch providers and five different types of rocket to get its payloads into orbit. NRO started the year with its first ever launch from New Zealand in January, utilizing an Electron rocket from relative newcomer Rocket Lab. The company provided a second launch for NRO with that rocket in June. In July, the agency switched things up by using a Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket for a mission. More recently, NRO partnered with United Launch Alliance for two missions: first in November with an Atlas V rocket, and then again in December with a Delta IV rocket.

“The successful launch of NROL-108 by SpaceX just days after the launch of NROL-44 by United Launch Alliance, underscores NRO’s commitment to a robust launch schedule supported by a growing number of partners and locations,” said Meink. “Despite the challenges of 2020, NRO this year has successfully launched six missions from two countries. We are dedicated to delivering reconnaissance capabilities that keep this nation and our allies safe, while prioritizing the security and health of our launch teams.” (Source: Defense News)

22 Dec 20. UK government ratifies Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory Convention. The United Kingdom, home to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Global Headquarters, has ratified the convention to establish the SKA Observatory.

The Convention stipulates that at least five nations, including the three host countries – Australia, South Africa and the UK – must ratify the text for it to enter into force.

Now the UK has formally ratified the convention, following its two fellow host countries and founding members Portugal, the Netherlands and Italy, the SKA Observatory can formally be established.

The Observatory is the intergovernmental organisation responsible for building and operating the SKA Telescope, which will be the world’s largest radio telescope and will enable scientists to study the universe in more detail than ever before.

UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway said, “The ambition of the Square Kilometre Array is one of the most important scientific endeavours of our generation that could open up unprecedented opportunities for astronomers across the world.”

The UK hosts the SKA Global Headquarters, located at the historic Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, near Manchester. The £20m SKA HQ building, inaugurated in July 2019, was co-funded by the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), The University of Manchester and Cheshire East Council.

SKA director-general Professor Philip Diamond said, “The UK ratification is fantastic news and means SKAO can now enter into being as soon as January. It has been an exciting journey since the signature of the SKAO Convention in Rome in March 2019 but given the uncertainty that continues in the world around us, wrapping up the year on such a positive note and having the Observatory’s founding members solidifying their commitment to the SKA is extremely heartening.”

Jodrell Bank, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 for its contributions to radio astronomy, is the central hub the UK’s e-MERLIN national facility. This network of seven radio telescopes spread across the UK, including the iconic 76m Lovell Telescope, together form an SKA pathfinder instrument.

Executive Chair of STFC Professor Mark Thomson said, “The Square Kilometre Array is one of the flagship international science facilities of this generation and I am delighted that the UK’s ratification of the Treaty means work towards the construction of this vast telescope array can proceed rapidly. This is an extremely important and exciting moment for astronomy. “

Scientists based at UK institutions make up 15 per cent of members within the SKA’s Science Working Groups and Focus Groups and were the largest contributors of the SKA Science Book that was published in 2015.

The UK has also, supported by STFC, led the design and delivery of key elements of the SKA during the pre-construction phase of the telescopes through its university partners at the Universities of Cambridge, Manchester and Oxford, UK industry and STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and UK Astronomy Technology Centre.

This included leading the SKA’s international Science Data Processor and Signal and Data Transport engineering design consortia. UK institutions were also heavily involved in the SKA’s Telescope Manager software element and in the design process for the SKA’s low-frequency antennas.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope. The SKA will eventually use thousands of dishes and up to a million antennas, spread over long distances. It will be constructed in Australia and South Africa with a later expansion in both countries and into other African countries.

The design has been led by the SKA Organisation based near Manchester, UK and supported by more than 1,000 engineers and scientists in 20 countries.

The SKA Organisation is transitioning to the SKA Observatory, an intergovernmental organisation established by treaty, to undertake the construction and operation of the telescope.

The SKA will conduct transformational science and help to address fundamental gaps in our understanding of the universe including the formation and evolution of galaxies, fundamental physics in extreme environments and the origins of life in the universe. (Source: Space Connect)

22 Dec 20. China’s new Long March 8 rocket makes maiden flight. A new Chinese carrier rocket made its first flight on Tuesday under a long-term plan to develop reusable launch vehicles aimed at reducing mission costs and speed up launch schedules for commercial clients.

The medium-lift Long March 8 Y-1 blasted off at 12:37 p.m. (0437 GMT) from the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying five satellites, state media reported.

China plans to develop reusable rockets under the Long March 8 series in the coming years, similar to the Falcon range already produced by U.S. private aerospace firm SpaceX.

State media did not say if the Long March 8 Y-1 itself was reusable, but future variants are expected to be capable of vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL), allowing them to be used for more than one launch.

China will develop its first VTVL vehicle around 2025, an official at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country’s main space contractor, told a local conference in November.

The Long March 9 Y-1 launch wrapped up a hectic year for China’s space programme.

Earlier this month, China brought back rocks and soil from the moon in the first lunar sample retrieval since 1976. In July, China launched its first independent mission to Mars.

Around 2022, China aims to complete a multi-module, inhabited space station.

By 2045, it hopes to establish a programme operating thousands of flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo and passengers. (Source: Reuters)

21 Dec 20. Space Launch System Exploration Upper Stage Passes Critical Design Review. Successful independent review advances more powerful Block 1B rocket to next phase in development and transition to hardware build.

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and NASA have successfully completed a critical design review for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), confirming the EUS design for continued development and transition to hardware build. Boeing has already started fabrication activities that will support building the first EUS at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The SLS rocket uses staged propulsion to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft and astronauts, plus supplies, to the moon and beyond. The Boeing-built core stage powers the SLS in early flight, eventually separating when the upper stage takes over and provides the power to send crewed vehicles, space habitats and other payloads on to the moon or other deep space destinations.

To accomplish NASA’s Artemis I lunar mission, the Block 1 variant of SLS will use a Boeing/United Launch Alliance Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage with one RL-10 engine to take an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight to the moon. SLS Block 1 rockets will be used for two subsequent crewed flights, including the first human mission to lunar orbit since the Apollo program.

The next version of SLS, Block 1B, will use EUS, which has larger fuel tanks and four RL-10 engines to give it a performance boost. That will allow SLS Block 1B to carry an Orion with a crew of four, as well as more than 10 metric tons of co-manifested payload.

“NASA’s SLS Block 1B with the EUS is capable of sending astronauts and essential supporting cargo to the moon and beyond,” said Steve Snell, EUS program manager for Boeing. “EUS was designed for crewed flights from the beginning, and the additional lift capability that comes with the EUS requires fewer flights to enable a sustained human presence in deep space sooner and more safely.

“The moon is 238,000 miles from Earth, and Mars at its closest has been 35 million miles away,” Snell added. “Transporting crews in the fewest flights, for shorter durations, is the safest approach to human deep-space travel. Only the EUS-powered SLS can carry the Orion, along with the necessary mission cargo, in one launch to the moon – or beyond.”

21 Dec 20. Thales delivers its newest generation of cryocoolers for the TRISHNA satellite mission dedicated to the monitoring of climate change.

Thales and Airbus Defence and Space have signed a contract for the delivery of cryocoolers for the TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment) satellite.
This is the first contract for the new LPT6510 cryocooler developed by Thales and Absolut system.
Thales demonstrates its ability to meet the demand for affordable high-performance cryocooling in space instruments.

Paris, 21 December – Thales has recently signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the delivery of two cryocoolers dedicated to the TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment) satellite. Thales Cryogenics, European leader in cryogenic technology and supplier of cryogenic coolers, demonstrates its ability to meet the demand for affordable high-performance cryocooling in space instruments.

The TRISHNA mission is a cooperation between the French (CNES) and Indian (ISRO) space agencies and includes a Thermal Infrared Imager (TIR instrument) to enhance our understanding of the Earth’s water cycle. This mission will help to improve the management of the Earth’s water resources and better understand the impact of climate change. The launch is expected by the end of 2024. TRISHNA will use ground-breaking technology in regards to resolution and refresh rate. For the first time, a mission will image the Earth every three days in the thermal infrared range, at 57m resolution, measuring a wide range of surfaces temperature, from approx. -20°C to +80°C, with high radiometric precision (0.2°C).

This is the first contract for the new LPT6510 cryocooler, the design of which has been self-funded by Thales Cryogenics and our partner Absolut System, a cryogenic technology company.

The LPT6510 cryocooler from Thales Cryogenics will be used to cool the infrared detector in the TRISHNA TIR instrument to a very low temperature to optimise its performance. The LPT6510 is a cost effective compact cryocooler targeting a wide range of applications from 60 to 150K with one design only. With the LPT6510 cryocooler, Thales meets the demand for high-performance cryocooling for space instruments, in alignment with Airbus’ strategy for affordable high-performance infrared instruments.

“We are proud to take part in this ambitious project with Airbus Defence and Space dedicated to the monitoring of climate change. Thales is again proving its capability to provide high performing and cost-effective cryocoolers for a demanding market.” Hein Druncks, Head of Cryogenics, Thales.

18 Dec 20. SmartSat CRC launches start-up spin-off to boost collaboration. The government-backed consortium has officially launched the Aurora Space Startup Cluster, in a bid to bolster industry collaboration.

SmartSat CRC has formally established Aurora Space Startup Cluster — a 65-member organisation representing every part of the space supply chain.

Aurora has been launched to develop a framework that encourages start-ups to collaborate with industry counterparts and other stakeholders to win business, accelerate R&D, and develop new world-leading capabilities.

Aurora’s inaugural board is comprised of directors Andrew Barton (Southern Launch), Troy McCann (Moonshot), chair Dr Tim Parsons (Delta-V Newspace Alliance), Conrad Pires (Picosat Systems), and Dr Anastasia Volkova (FluroSat).

Professor Andy Koronios and Peter Nikoloff will represent SmartSat CRC on the board.

A brand identity for Aurora has also been established, reflecting the organisation’s goal to help its members grow, soaring upwards to break through the boundary between Earth and space.

“Start-ups are, by definition, companies looking to grow fast by leveraging new technologies and disruptive business models,” Dr Parsons, who chaired the Aurora Steering Group in the past year through its formation phase, said.

“If we’re to have any chance of meeting the nation’s ambitious growth targets for space, we need to help our space startups grow faster, in technical readiness level, in capability to execute, and commercial acumen.”

SmartSat CEO Andy Koronios added, “SmartSat is committed to supporting the Australian space innovation ecosystem. We invite space start-ups to join Aurora and help us build the space industry.” (Source: Space Connect)

18 Dec 20. Rocket Lab successfully launches 17th Electron mission, deploys Synspective Satellite. Rocket Lab has successfully launched its 17th Electron mission, deploying the first spacecraft to orbit for synthetic aperture radar satellite data and solutions provider Synspective.

‘The Owl’s Night Begins’ launched from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 10:09 UTC, 15 December 2020, and successfully deployed Synspective’s StriX-α to a 500-kilometre circular orbit. The mission brings the total number of payloads deployed by Rocket Lab to 96.

The StriX-α satellite will demonstrate synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology developed by Synspective to be able to image millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space, independent of weather conditions on Earth and at any time of the day or night.

StriX-α is the first of more than 30 satellites planned by Synspective to form a constellation in low-Earth orbit to collate data on a daily basis that can be used for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response across Asia.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said, “Congratulations to the team at Synspective for the successful deployment of their first satellite. We’re proud to be able to continue to provide dedicated launch opportunities for small satellite customers like Synspective. Electron provides truly tailored access to space, enabling our customers to choose exactly when they launch and under their specific mission parameters.”

Synspective founder and CEO, Dr Motoyuki Arai, said, “Thanks to the efforts and hard work of both the Rocket Lab and Synspective teams we were able to achieve a successful launch as scheduled, despite the difficult environment of COVID-19. With the launch of StriX-α, Synspective will be able to demonstrate its satellite capabilities and data processing technology. This is the first step towards our constellation of 30 satellites and along with the development of our solutions, a full-scale business expansion will begin.

“Starting with this success, we will move tangibly closer towards the attainment of an advanced world, expanding people’s understanding and learning capabilities with new data and technologies.” (Source: Space Connect)

18 Dec 20. Bezos’ Blue Origin to deliver first flight-ready rocket engines next summer – ULA CEO. The chief executive of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint rocket venture between Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp, said it expects to receive two new rocket engines from billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin by next summer.

ULA, the Pentagon’s top launch contractor for national security satellites, had initially expected the shipment in 2020 for a debut flight in early 2021, but this was delayed by development hurdles.

The installation of Blue Origin’s reusable BE-4 engines into ULA’s next-generation Vulcan rocket will keep it on track for the debut launch of a moon lander dubbed Peregrine at the end of 2021, ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno said. The Vulcan rocket has won a slate of key U.S. defense missions through 2027.

“That is now our expectation, that Peregrine will go to space in the 4th quarter of 2021,” Bruno told reporters during a call on Thursday.

ULA picked Blue Origin’s BE-4 in 2018 to power Vulcan, a two-stage heavy-lift rocket that will succeed ULA’s Atlas 5 workhorse.

The delivery of Blue Origin’s BE-4 was delayed over an issue with the engine’s complex single-shaft turbopump, the part of a rocket engine that injects flammable propellants during ignition with forces of 80,000 horsepower.

Those challenges are “all behind us now and we are very confident in the final configuration,” Bruno said. (Source: Reuters)

18 Dec 20. Space Force Leader to Become 8th Member of Joint Chiefs. The Joint Chiefs of Staff will grow by one member when Space Force Gen. John “Jay” Raymond joins the highest-ranking military, deliberative body in the Defense Department on Dec. 20.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley inducted Raymond, the chief of space operations, into the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a ceremony on Dec. 11. He becomes an official member of the body on the same day the Space Force celebrates its first anniversary as an official service branch.

The law stated that the chief of space operations would become a member of the Joint Chiefs a year after it was signed. “But under your leadership and under [the] leadership [of] the vice chairman, you said ‘We’re not going to wait!,’ and you’ve treated me like a member ever since [the law was signed],” Raymond said during the ceremony at the Pentagon. “I can’t thank you enough. I can’t thank my teammates enough. It’s a real privilege to sit at this table.”

The induction of Raymond points to the growing importance of space in American life. It also highlights the increased importance of the domain to the military. “We recognize it clearly as a warfighting domain. And we also know that we, the United States, we’ve got to maintain capabilities in that domain if we are going to continue to deter great power war,” Milley said during the ceremony. “This is an incredibly important organization for the United States military and for the United States as a country. And it’s really important what we’re doing today, which is [to] induct you as an official member into the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

The United States Space Force is a separate service under the Department of the Air Force. It will grow to about 20,000 members with most coming from the Air Force, but with other services also providing personnel. The Air Force will provide all the services the new force needs, allowing the space professionals to concentrate on their missions.

“How fitting: The Chief of Space Operations is now officially a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in keeping with the pivotal role of space in national defense,” said Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett. “Incomparable Gen. Jay Raymond is building an agile, innovative and bold Space Force. With the other chiefs, Gen. Raymond will offer his best military advice to the president, National Security Council, Homeland Security Council and defense secretary as they implement the National Defense Strategy.”

Membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff is set by law. The members are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the vice chairman, the Army chief of staff, the commandant of the Marine Corps, the chief of naval operations, the Air Force chief of staff, the chief of the National Guard Bureau and, now, the chief of space operations.

The body has grown and changed since it was formed out of the destruction of World War II. When formed, the Joint Chiefs were the chairman, the Army chief of staff, the chief of naval operations and the Air Force chief. The commandant of the Marine Corps was included when issues pertaining to the Marine Corps were discussed by the chiefs but he was not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said David Crist, Joint Staff historian.

Through the Berlin blockade, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, the Vietnam War and its aftermath, the body remained the same. The first personnel change came in 1978 when the Marine Corps commandant became a full-fledged member of the body.

In 1986, came the Goldwater-Nichols Act. It would be hard to understate the legislation’s effects on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The legislation increased the visibility, responsibilities and reach of the chairman and added the office of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It changed the way the Joint Staff was manned and stressed the importance of joint duty for military officers and personnel.

The next change in the make-up of the body was the inclusion of the chief of the National Guard Bureau in 2012.

With the creation of the Space Force, comes the newest change.

Each chairman uses the body a bit differently, Crist said. The most recent three chairmen — Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford and current chairman Army Gen. Mark A. Milley — convened the chiefs regularly for deliberations on many issues, Crist said.

This is not to say the Joint Chiefs is a consensus organization. The chairman decides what the best military advice is for the defense secretary, president and the rest of the National Security Council. Still, the chairman can — and does — pass along dissenting opinions from the other members of the Joint Chiefs when appropriate.

The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force members of the joint chiefs are responsible for manning, training and equipping forces. But when they enter “the Tank” — the room in the Pentagon where they convene — they are expected to think and act for the good of the joint force. Their experience as a soldier, Marine, sailor or airman may color their perspective, but as members of the JCS, they are expected to embrace the larger military culture, Crist said. (Source: US DoD)

18 Dec 20. New satellite propulsion test facility to propel UK into new space age. A new gold standard national rocket test facility will soon open its doors, Science Minister Amanda Solloway has announced today. The new centre will allow UK companies and academics to fire up and test state-of-the-art space propulsion engines at up to 1.5kN in high-altitude vacuum, an equivalent test altitude of 140,000ft. It will cement the international reputation of the Westcott Space Cluster – where the site will be based – in propulsion.

Based in Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone, the facility, which is expected to create around 60 jobs, is due for completion in early 2021 and will offer companies a more affordable test facility than international rivals. It will also allow new types of more sustainable propellants to be tested, such as Hydrogen Peroxide and Liquid Oxygen which are more environmentally friendly in sourcing, storage and combustion.

At present, companies can test extremely small engines in the UK but have to go overseas to test bigger engines. The new facility will tackle this issue and help grow the UK’s status as a leading space player, giving industry resources that allow us to grow our technological edge.

Designed to support the growth of brand-new space technologies, the government is backing the new facility, dubbed the National Space Propulsion Test Facility (NSPTF), to the tune of £4m in funding.

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said, “The UK’s space industry is booming as we invest in our brightest space scientists, the facilities they work in and the technologies they are creating. Backed by a £4m government investment, this pioneering UK-based facility will elevate our most ambitious space businesses, enabling them to undertake complex spacecraft engine testing, while boosting the local economy by creating highly skilled jobs.”

How does the engine test work?

Engines will be fired up in a vacuum from early 2021, with a mechanical pump system generating a vacuum down to 1.5 milliBar in a test cell containing the engine; an equivalent test altitude of approximately 140,000ft, which ensures technology can be deemed ready for the space environment.
When firing, the pressure of the engine’s exhaust plume is partially recovered by a 7-metre-long supersonic diffuser and then cooled by a heat exchanger designed to rapidly reduce temperatures in excess of 2,000°C to just 50°C.
The gasses then travel along a vacuum manifold to be recovered to ambient pressure by the pump system in the vacuum generation plant.

The UK space sector is already a leader in satellite propulsion and, with a growing space manufacturing sector and plans for UK spaceports, the satellite propulsion field is set to grow substantially in the coming years.

Crucially, this range of engine testing will allow further innovation for the type of orbit-raising and station-keeping engines this facility will be able to test and it is the first step in a plan to test larger engine types.

The UK Space Agency has worked with the European Space Agency, Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space and NAMMO UK to develop this cutting-edge facility, and once up and running the site will use game-changing technology to test the propulsion engines that position orbiting spacecraft in conditions similar to those experienced in space.

The new capability of this facility will allow innovation in propulsion technology, as well as the cost-effective development and testing of even more powerful engines for interplanetary travel, and to drive forward the significant commercial telecommunications satellite market.

Nammo UK has been awarded a major contract to install and operate the equipment to be housed within this new facility at Westcott.

Rob Selby, Vice President of Nammo Space said, “Thanks to this key UK government investment, UK space now can compete favourably with the very best rocket test facilities in the world. The Nammo team have designed, created and produced this phenomenal, state-of-the-art hotfire test facility that is already driving further growth in UK based spacecraft propulsion businesses. We look forward to testing engines for customers from all over the globe and to further key developments that the NSPTF will enable.”

Rod Mordey, Director at PATRIZIA, which owns the 650-acre Westcott Venture Park, said, “This is yet another leap forward for the development of Westcott Venture Park in Buckinghamshire as a centre of excellence in the space propulsion and associated high-tech industries. Future Investment will ensure Westcott’s place at the heart of the UK space industry. Over the next 10 years, Westcott will become the UK Centre for the next generation of propulsion systems and small satellite manufacture.”

Richard Harrington, CEO of the Buckinghamshire LEP said, “The national rocket test facility at Westcott is a key step towards delivering a world-leading hub for the space sector in the heart of Buckinghamshire. We are delighted to support this new facility in our Enterprise Zone, which opens up the next stage in the evolution of the Westcott site to attract new business and investment to this world-class centre of excellence in space propulsion.”

The UK space sector is a huge economic success story, growing by over 60% since 2010. Satellites already support £300bn of UK economic activity through the use of satellite services and is expected to grow further as this new government support unlocks commercial opportunities.

Westcott is recognised as an integral part of the UK space sector growth strategy with a nucleus of well-established companies supporting rocket and satellite enabled research and development projects.

October saw the opening of the Westcott Innovation Centre, part funded by the Local Growth Fund and Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone, via Buckinghamshire LEP, and managed by the Satellite Applications Catapult.

This is the latest phase of the site development, which also now includes a 5G Step-Out Test Facility and Incubation Centre and is planned to include a Disruptive Innovative Space Centre for apprenticeships and further specialist testing sites.

Alongside office space and meeting rooms, the centre provides a fully flexible engineering facility, giving businesses working in space and related sectors the opportunity to use specialist equipment for light mechanical engineering and rapid prototyping activities. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)

16 Dec 20. ESA and CNES Sign Contract to Maintain and Modernise Spaceport. ESA will contribute to the maintenance, operations and modernisation of Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana over the period 2020-24. At the ESA Council meeting on 16 December, a contract for the ‘Maintenance of the Guiana Space Centre launch range in operational condition for the period 2020–24, including core launch range renewal activities’ was signed by Jan Wörner, ESA Director General and Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of CNES, France’s space agency.

This contract follows decisions taken at Space19+ on funding for Europe’s Spaceport. It allows ESA to:

contribute to maintaining Europe’s Spaceport facilities in safe and working order including for spaceport operations, as ESA has done since 1975.
additionally invest in the modernisation of the launch range and to the reduction of its recurring operating costs.

The launch range comprises the facilities and services inside and outside the Spaceport that are necessary to a launch campaign, including range safety and security.

Europe launches three types of rockets: Ariane 5, Vega and Soyuz. The upcoming arrival of Ariane 6 and Vega-C to Europe’s Spaceport is an opportunity to reorganise and renew the launch range to best adapt it to new mission requirements, enhancing facilities and improving availability of services.

These launch range updates will improve the availability and cost efficiency of the facilities, and will address end-of-life overhauls of certain systems such as the water and air conditioning underground networks as well as the road network. This will be covered under the ‘Core launch range renewal activities’.

Core launch range renewal activities

To reach targets for increased flexibility and especially reduced costs requires a fundamental restructuring of the Spaceport’s operational concept. This will be implemented through renewal activities which include building a new mission operations centre for centralised supervision. This will be used for remote control and monitoring of the launch range. Operations activities will be automated and artificial intelligence used where possible.

ESA with CNES also plan to lower energy costs by reducing the reliance on the French Guiana grid and transitioning to ‘green’ and renewable energy sources on site. These new energy sources are intended to provide 90% of the electricity consumed at the base by the end of 2025. These changes will make Europe’s Spaceport cleaner and achieve an overall significant reduction in operational costs.

“ESA’s role in maintaining and modernising Europe’s Spaceport is crucial in guaranteeing access to space for all customers, and in particular for European institutional missions. At the same time, ESA is also active in making the Spaceport more sustainable,” commented Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation. (Source: ASD Network)

17 Dec 20. HawkEye 360’s Next-Gen Satellites Ship to Cape Canaveral for Launch. January satellite launch will initiate build-out of most advanced commercial RF sensing constellation. HawkEye 360 Inc., the first commercial company to use formation flying satellites to create a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and data analytics, today announced it has shipped its second cluster of satellites to the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellites are scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 no earlier than January 2021 as part of Spaceflight Inc.’s SXRS-3 ride share mission. HawkEye Cluster 2 is the first of a series of next generation satellites HawkEye 360 is deploying to complete its baseline constellation.

“The upcoming launch of HawkEye Cluster 2 firmly establishes HawkEye 360 as the most advanced provider of RF geoanalytics,” said John Serafini, CEO. “These new satellites continue to push the boundaries of commercial RF sensing. Cluster 2 has up to ten times the collection capacity of our current cluster and improved geolocation accuracy. Our customers are asking for more data over more regions, so these next generation satellites are critical to supplying our customers with relevant and timely RF geospatial intelligence for national security, maritime domain awareness, environmental protection, and countless other applications.”

This shipment milestone means that Cluster 2 will soon be joining the company’s Cluster 1 satellites in orbit. The three Cluster 2 satellites are larger and more powerful, able to collect multiple types of signals simultaneously for longer periods of time. These workhorse satellites will allow HawkEye 360 to offer increasingly robust space-based RF data insights to its US government, international government, and commercial customers across a wide range of frequencies.

Each Cluster 2 satellite contains a customized RF payload developed by HawkEye 360. The satellite buses were manufactured by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory. Beyond Cluster 2, HawkEye 360 is fully financed for the launch of fifteen more satellites in 2021 and early 2022. HawkEye 360 is completing development of satellites for Clusters 3 and 4, anticipating launch in the middle of 2021. Clusters 5, 6, and 7 are in development with anticipated launch over the next 18 months. The average global revisit rate will be less than an hour.

HawkEye 360’s growing constellation identifies and precisely geolocates a broad set of RF signals from emitters such as VHF marine radios, UHF push-to-talk radios, maritime and land-based radar systems, L-band satellite devices, and emergency beacons. HawkEye 360 processes and analyzes this data using proprietary algorithms to deliver actionable insights to customers.

For more information on the HawkEye 360 satellite constellation and enhanced capabilities of HawkEye Cluster 2, please visit https://www.he360.com/constellation/. (Source: PR Newswire)

17 Dec 20. NASA, UN Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Peaceful Uses of Space. NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful use of outer space.

The MOU, signed Thursday, Dec. 17, brings together NASA’s wealth of publicly available Earth observation data and dynamic exploration opportunities with UNOOSA’s unique position as the only U.N. entity dedicated to outer space affairs.

“From suborbital flights, to the International Space Station, to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, our scientific and exploration activities represent a singular opportunity for the advancement of human knowledge and international partnerships,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “In cooperation with UNOOSA, NASA’s Earth observation data and capabilities can greatly improve life here on Earth, informing efforts to fight famine, support disaster relief efforts, and even improve water management and sustainable urban development.”

Through this cooperation, UNOOSA and NASA will develop ways to leverage NASA’s Artemis program as part of UNOOSA’s Access to Space for All Initiative, which offers opportunities for international researchers and institutions to take part in this unprecedented journey of discovery.

“We are proud to conclude this historic MOU with NASA. Our partnership will create new opportunities for the global space community, building on UNOOSA’s work helping countries leverage space to improve people’s lives,” said UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo. “NASA’s know-how and capabilities are unique and together we will be able to open doors for all countries, in particular developing ones, to take part in the benefits of the next exciting phase of space exploration and gain new tools to advance sustainable development.”

The two organizations also will work together on public outreach to increase awareness and understanding of the global benefits that can accrue from increased investments in the use of space.

NASA’s Artemis program will send the first woman and next man to the Moon while establishing a sustainable and permanent presence on the lunar surface by the end of the decade. The agency also will use the experiences gained exploring and living on the Moon to prepare for its next giant leap, the human exploration of Mars. (Source: PR Newswire)

17 Dec 20. Space Operations Chief Emphasizes the Importance of Partnerships. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond spoke today at TechCrunch’s Space 2020 virtual event. Raymond emphasized the role partnerships play in the Space Force. “I’m going to really work hard on cultivating partnerships,” he said, citing Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan.

Two days ago, he said he signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan for the Hosted Payload Program, which involves putting U.S. payloads on Japanese satellites. “It saves us dollars and gives us capability.”

Last year, the U.S. signed a Hosted Payload Program memorandum of understanding with Norway. Two payloads on their satellites saved the U.S. more than $900m, he said.

“We’re really turning these partnerships into partnerships where we operate together; we train together; we exercise together; we war-game together; we develop capabilities together, and it’s proven to pay significant advantages and there’s future growth opportunities ahead,” he said.

Raymond said he also wants closer ties to the commercial sector.

A few weeks ago, he mentioned watching NASA launch U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil aboard a commercial rocket to the International Space Station.

“I really believe with all this going on in the commercial industry that there’s a fused relationship to be had. And we’re trying to bring us closer together and to be able to capitalize on this innovative transformation that’s happening, especially in the national security space business,” he said.

Raymond said industry is heading toward autonomous launches and reusable rocket stages. “Those are going to be huge national advantages that we need to be able to capitalize on.”

All of the launch industry will eventually go to autonomous launch operations, he predicted, adding that he’s written a policy letter mandating that all Defense Department launches be autonomous by 2025. “It completely rewrites the rulebook on how we do range operations; reduces the footprint of the infrastructure that we have; reduces the amount of bodies that have to come to work to support a launch; allows us to launch more cheaply; allows us to have greater transaction rates, so we can launch more and turn the range around a lot quicker and reduces launch costs.”

Raymond said the U.S. has no desire to weaponize space.

“Our goals are to deter conflict from beginning or extending into space,” he said.

Unfortunately, adversaries such as China and Russia have robust programs to weaponize space, he mentioned.

Raymond said his goals are to keep the Space Force lean, diverse, agile and cutting-edge and to reduce bureaucracy.

There are currently about 2,400 uniformed personnel in the Space Force, and that number should soon climb about 6,400, he said. Additionally, there are another 10,000 Space Force civilians. (Source: US DoD)

18 Dec 20. NASA tech paying dividends for US economy. NASA’s technology is at the forefront of space exploration, but it can also be applied here on Earth – from improving mobile phone and wireless networks to saving lives in the pandemic – providing insight into the potential of Australia’s own growing space industry.

The latest edition of NASA’s Spinoff publication highlights dozens of companies that have benefited from co-operation with NASA – including several projects from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California.

This co-operation means investment in existing companies large and small, it eases the path for entrepreneurs to start new businesses, and it benefits the public as a whole through new jobs and cutting-edge products that improve daily life.

Whether upgrading air traffic control software or honing the food safety practices that keep our dinner tables safe, NASA has worked for more than six decades to ensure its innovations benefit people on Earth.

One of the NASA’s most important benefits is the way investment in the agency and its various missions and research and development programs support secondary dividends throughout the US economy.

Jim Reuter, associate administrator of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, said, “Whether working to send the first woman and next man to the moon or helping improve the technology that carries passengers from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, NASA innovators are constantly creating new technology.

“Often these advances have wide-ranging benefits well beyond the need they were first imagined to meet. Telling the public that story is one way we fulfill our mission to find homes for the technology beyond the agency for maximum benefit.”

In particular, this year Spinoff details more about innovations from NASA centres across the agency, including:

How JPL has developed a new kind of technology used in spectrometers that can also be used to improve 5G cellular networks;
How an array of new technologies aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover will help explore Mars but also enrich life on our own planet. For instance, a new kind of laser technology aboard the rover can be used on Earth to detect contaminants in pharmaceutical manufacturing, while a new kind of specialised drill bit is already assisting geologists in the field; and
How JPL roboticists have imitated the gecko’s gravity-defying grip to create a manufacturing robot that can grapple smooth objects with ease.

Daniel Lockney, technology transfer program executive, added, “Every spinoff story represents a product for sale, developed with NASA technology and expertise.

“The American public benefits not just from the products themselves but also from the infusion of innovations and investment that spur economic development in the form of new ideas, new companies, and new jobs.”

As NASA technology continues to blaze a path to the future, the methods of informing the public about their wide-ranging benefits also received an innovative makeover. NASA’s 2021 Spinoff publication features a modern, fresh design, making it easier than ever to learn how NASA technology and investments in the space program pay dividends for the US economy and the public.

The new Spinoff storytelling approach centres on big-picture trends, such as the far-reaching impact of NASA’s efforts to keep water flowing on the International Space Station, as well as a curated selection of spinoff “capsules” that offer quick hits of cutting-edge technology making life better around the world.

Digital versions of the latest issue of Spinoff are available at https://spinoff.nasa.gov. (Source: Space Connect)

SmartSat CRC has formally established Aurora Space Startup Cluster — a 65-member organisation representing every part of the space supply chain.

Professor Andy Koronios and Peter Nikoloff will represent SmartSat CRC on the board.

A brand identity for Aurora has also been established, reflecting the organisation’s goal to help its members grow, soaring upwards to break through the boundary between Earth and space.

16 Dec 20. EU Space Programme: Council Presidency Reaches Political Agreement with the European Parliament. EU Council and European Parliament negotiators today reached a provisional political agreement on the proposed regulation establishing the next EU space programme for the years 2021 to 2027.

A financial envelope of €14.8bn (current prices) has been set aside for the programme, broken down as follows:

(a) for Galileo and EGNOS: €9.01bn;

(b) for Copernicus: €5.42bn;

The regulation will ensure:

— high-quality, up-to-date and secure space-related data and services;

— greater socio-economic benefits from the use of such data and services, such as increased growth and job creation in the EU;

— enhanced security and autonomy of the EU;

— a stronger role for the EU as a leading actor in the space sector.

It will achieve this by:

— simplifying and streamlining the existing EU legal framework on space policy;

— providing the EU with an adequate space budget to continue and improve on existing space flagship programmes such as EGNOS, Galileo and Copernicus, as well as monitor space hazards under the ‘space situational awareness’ programme (SSA), and cater for access to secure satellite communications for national authorities (GOVSATCOM);

— establishing the rules for governance of the EU space programme; standardising the security framework of the space programme.

Next steps

The provisionally agreed text will be submitted to the Council’s permanent representatives committee for analysis/political endorsement on Friday 18 December. Following political endorsement by both the Council and the European Parliament, it will be the basis for the future adoption of the proposed regulation at second reading.

The regulation cannot be adopted before the adoption of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/European Council)

16 Dec 20. Space Systems Command finalized, coming in early 2021. Plans for the U.S. Space Force’s new Space Systems Command are all but set, with the new acquisitions organization expected in early 2021, said Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond.

“We’ve finalized the planning of that,” Raymond said during a Dec. 15 media call. “I just took a briefing within the last couple days and kind of did the table slap on what Space Systems Command is going to look like, at least initially as it comes out of the shoot.”

“But we’ve got the design down, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out,” the general added.

Space Systems Command is one of three commands being set up under the new Space Force, the other two being Space Operations Command and Space Training and Readiness Command. Space Operations Command is the first of the three to be established, officially created during a ceremony in October.

Whereas Space Operations Command will operate the nation’s military satellites, Space Systems Command will be in charge of developing, acquiring and sustaining those systems. The Space Training and Readiness Command will educate the service’s space professionals.

Raymond said the new Space Systems Command will build off of reforms implemented in SMC 2.0, a plan that refocused the Space and Missile Systems Center around a more enterprise approach to acquisitions.

In addition to SMC, Space Systems Command will oversee the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and the Space Development Agency, the latter of which operates outside the purview of the Space Force but will move to the service in 2022. With these and potentially other organizations purchasing space systems within the Space Force, Space Systems Command will foster “competition between disruptors, prototypers and more traditional acquisitions organizations,” said Raymond.

Of course, the Space Force has begun implementing some acquisitions reforms before the new command is set up.

“We’ve designed it in a way to really enable the delegation of responsibilities down to the experts that do the job. We’ve already started doing that. We took something called the head of contracting authority, which was an authority held here at the Pentagon, and we’ve delegated that down to the experts out at the Space and Missile Systems Center,” explained Raymond.

“We want to let the program managers manage their programs and not have to manage a bureaucracy,” he added.

That was one of several acquisition reforms the Space Force proposed to Congress earlier this year, some of which the new service was able to pursue without legislative action.

The Space Force plans to submit its proposal for Space Systems Command to the secretary of the Air Force in the coming weeks. With only two weeks left in the calendar year, Raymond said he expects to establish the new command in early 2021. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

16 Dec 20. AAR extends its relationship with Viasat for in-flight connectivity logistics, repair and aftermarket support. AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs and OEMs, has extended its agreement with Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, to provide logistics, repair and aftermarket management services for Viasat’s in-flight connectivity products.

AAR’s OEM Solutions team will continue to manage the aftermarket inventory pool of Viasat components including modems, antennas, radomes, wireless access points (WAPs) and power supply units (PSUs) as well as third party logistics and aircraft on ground (AOG) support.

“Our goal is to deliver the gold standard in support to our aviation customer base — from factory-new components to their aftermarket needs,” said John Daly, Viasat Vice President, Business Operations, Global Mobile Solutions. “By extending our relationship with AAR, we can ensure we are providing exceptional, comprehensive aftermarket services and support to meet growing in-flight connectivity global demand.”

“AAR’s services allow Viasat to further leverage our aviation aftermarket expertise through our comprehensive logistics and repair management,” said Eric Young, AAR Senior Vice President OEM Solutions. “This global program supports Viasat’s airline customers to maximize component availability. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with Viasat in bringing their advanced connectivity services to more airlines and passengers globally.”

16 Dec 20. OneWeb’s Satellites Are Ready for a Milestone Launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome. Thirty-six OneWeb constellation satellites for the initial commercial mission of Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate at Vostochny Cosmodrome have been encapsulated in the payload fairing, taking preparations one step closer to December 18’s medium-lift Soyuz launch from this location in the Russian Far East.

Designated Flight ST29 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, it will be the fourth for OneWeb. A total of 74 satellites were delivered by Arianespace into low Earth orbit for the connectivity constellation on two missions earlier this year and one in 2019.

OneWeb’s goal is to bring connectivity to everywhere where fiber cannot reach, delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors – including aviation, maritime, backhaul services, and for governments, emergency response services and more.

The dispenser system for Flight ST29 is filled to capacity with the cluster of 36 OneWeb spacecraft. RUAG Space AB of Linköping, Sweden is the prime contractor for this dedicated dispenser’s development and production, with the capacity sized to enable Arianespace’s delivery of OneWeb’s initial constellation spacecraft in a timely manner.

The modernized Soyuz 2-1b launcher

For the Arianespace/Starsem mission on December 18, the Russian-built Soyuz will release its satellite passengers in nine deployment sequences during a mission lasting just under 3 hours, 52 minutes.

The Soyuz 2-1b launcher version utilized for Flight ST29 is the result of a joint European/Russian upgrade program, adding a more powerful third stage engine that significantly increases the launcher’s overall performance. As a member of the modernized Soyuz-2 series, it features a digital control system that provides additional mission flexibility and also enables control of the launch vehicle fitted with the enlarged 4.1-meter-diameter ST payload fairing.

This mission’s Soyuz is equipped with a re-ignitable Fregat upper stage, which is routinely used on Arianespace missions to extend the launcher’s capability. For the upcoming OneWeb deployment, the Fregat stage will perform multiple reignitions/propulsion burns while delivering the OneWeb satellites into a near polar orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometers. After completion, the upper stage is to make a final burn for deorbiting.

Arianespace’s role in constellation satellite launches

The spacecraft prime contractor for OneWeb’s constellation is OneWeb Satellites – a joint venture founded by OneWeb and Airbus Defence and Space. A facility in Florida, U.S.A. built the passengers for Flight ST29, with the capacity to complete two spacecraft a day on a series production line dedicated to the assembly, integration, and testing of OneWeb satellites.

Flight ST29 underscores Arianespace’s position as a leading provider of launch services for constellation satellites. Since the late 1990s, it has launched a total of 205 such spacecraft. In addition to the OneWeb satellites, this involved: 56 for Globalstar; 30 for Planet; 20 for O3b; 12 for Swarm Technologies; eight for Spire; along with one each for Orbcomm, Satellogic, Kepler Communications, Orbital Solutions/GeoOptics and GHGSat. Additionally, 26 institutional satellites were launched for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission as part of the Galileo constellation project. (Source: ASD Network)

16 Dec 20. Multi-domain, mesh networking opportunities seen with new satcom terminal. Mobile satellite and telecommunications company Kymeta is seeking to make inroads toward solutions for the US armed forces’ multi-domain, mesh networking requirements via its new u8 satellite communications (satcom), senior company officials told Janes.

The u8 flat panel satcom terminal is the newest evolution of the company’s initial satcom terminal variant, whose initial focus was for use by law enforcement agencies and first responders. That said, that first-generation satcom terminal “has already been in the hands of the US military, and we have been getting a lot of feedback … from the 18 year-old kid using it at the point of use, to the purchasing guys and through the entire [acquisition] process, and as that feedback came in we fed that into the design of the u8”, Kymeta Corp Vice-President for Product Management Lilac Mueller said.

The u8 system is being made available as a full-up satcom terminal system and supporting software applications, but can also be procured as a solo satcom-capable vehicle-mounted antenna and as a “turnkey terminal” outfitted with an embedded satellite and cellular modem with software-defined, wide-area network (SD-WAN) software. Company developers are also weighing a more expeditionary variant of the u8, dubbed the u8 GO. A man-portable version of the standard u8, the system can also be vehicle mounted “to support operations on the pause and on the move”, according to a company statement. (Source: Jane’s)

15 Dec 20. Space Force selects new prototype consortium manager. The U.S. Space Force has found a new manager for its expanded prototyping organization — the Space Enterprise Consortium — which will oversee $12bn in awards for space-related projects over the next 10 years.

The Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development Corps selected National Security Technology Accelerator, known as NSTXL, to manage its SpEC Reloaded portfolio to adopt ever-evolving innovations before they’re outdated. SMC expects to issue the award on Dec. 31, following a required 30-day congressional notification period.

Launched in 2017, SpEC has doled out prototyping awards for everything from new ground systems to a Link 16-enabled space vehicle that shows the location of friendly and enemy forces. SpEC has reduced contract award timelines by 36 percent, grown membership by 55 percent year over year to 441 members, and awarded 80 prototype efforts cumulatively valued at $856m, according to SMC.

“There’s no question that SpEC has been an overwhelming success for the government programs that have utilized it to accelerate their prototyping, and for the consortium members to gain a better understanding on the USSF’s architectural direction,” said Col. Tim Sejba, program executive officer for SMC’s Space Development Corps.

Perhaps most importantly, SpEC provides an opening for nontraditional companies to begin working with the Department of Defense on space systems. SpEC helps connect vendors with organizations including the Space Rapid Capabilities Office or even the intelligence community’s National Reconnaissance Office using other transaction authorities.

OTAs allow “us to get on contract much faster than traditional approaches,” SMC head Lt. Gen. John Thompson said in November. “In addition, the vehicle really lowers the bar for nontraditional contractors to become part of national security space efforts, makes it easier for them to get in the door. In fact, 350 of those 430 members of the consortium are really nontraditional contractors or academic organizations.”

The Space Force awarded the initial $100m SpEC management contract to the Advanced Technology Institute in 2017 to manage the consortium through November 2022. However, the consortium’s early success convinced the Space Force to revamp the effort with a significantly larger budget and an increased focus on cybersecurity.

“We are honored to contribute to U.S. space advancement,” NSTXL CEO Tim Greeff said. “This has been a very successful program thus far, and we look forward to taking it to next level to unlock more value for the U.S. military by engaging more nontraditional defense companies and bringing great innovation to the nascent Space Force.”

NSTXL also supports the U.S. Army’s Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX), the Navy’s Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS), and the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Energy OTA. (Source: Defense News)

16 Dec 20. UK government funding to support UK companies at forefront of space innovation. Twenty-one UK organisations have been awarded a share of over £7m of funding to put the UK at the forefront of the latest advances in space innovation.

The cash injection is going to high-risk, high-reward projects that support companies and universities with radical ideas for how we tackle climate change through Earth Observation or address satellite communications challenges, from providing greater connectivity to remote places to increasing the efficiency of our homes.

Projects set for the cash boost include the Open University, which will use the money to create the UK’s first precision forestry tool, TreeView, which will support efforts to tackle the climate emergency through detailed measurement of tree-planting initiatives aimed at increasing carbon dioxide removal.

Surrey-based Global Satellite Vu will build a new compact, high-resolution infrared camera for satellites to measure thermal emissions from our homes, schools and places of work, supporting the government’s green economic recovery plan.

UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway said, “We want the UK to be a world leader in space technology, which is why we are supporting our most ambitious innovators who are developing first-of-a-kind technologies to help solve some of our greatest challenges.”

Space Forge will take advantage of the unique qualities offered by the space environment. By manufacturing in microgravity, the space start-up hopes to produce a next-generation computer chip for the terrestrial and satellite telecommunications industries and return them from orbit for use on Earth.

“From slashing carbon emissions to protecting the UK’s critical services from harmful cyber attacks, today’s funding will unshackle our most entrepreneurial space scientists so that they can transfer their revolutionary ideas into world-class products and services, while helping to boost the UK economy,” Minister Solloway added.

The funding comes from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), which is the first UK fund dedicated to supporting the space sector’s development of innovations, allowing the UK to compete internationally on the world stage with other countries, like France and Germany, which have dedicated national funding for space.

Businesses, universities and research organisations were awarded co-funding for projects that will help the space sector create new high-skilled jobs, while developing new skills and technologies on UK soil. Grants from the £15m funding pot range from between £170,000 and £1.4m per project.

Dr Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said, “Space technologies have become deeply embedded in, and critical to, almost every aspect of our daily lives. With rapid technological innovation, space offers a broad and growing range of opportunities to support economic activity and protect the environment.”

In addition, £5m of the program funding has been set aside for international projects, which will focus on increasing exports and securing new inward investment, supporting UK science and the prosperity agenda by funding working relationships between world-leading researchers and institutions, and developing space capabilities important to the UK’s security interests.

“From the satellites connecting our calls to the ones that tell us when to expect rain when we step outside, space technologies are fundamental to our day-to-day lives. Our space sector is constantly advancing and welcoming new ideas, and through this funding we are championing the best of this British innovation,” Dr Turnock explained.

The call for applications for this strand of funding closed in October and successful applicants will be announced in the coming weeks.

The UK space sector is a huge economic success story, growing by over 60 per cent since 2010. Satellites already support £300bn of UK economic activity through the use of satellite services and is expected to grow further as this new government support unlocks commercial opportunities.

The UK also remains a leading member of the European Space Agency, which is independent of the EU. ESA membership allows the UK to cooperate in world-leading science on a global scale, enabling UK scientists and researchers access to a range of international R&D programs. (Source: Space Connect)

15 Dec 20. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Midst of Revolution. In existence for almost a quarter-century, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has been providing geospatial intelligence to policymakers, the intelligence community and warfighters since 1996. Now, says its director for operations, when it comes to geospatial intelligence, the agency is in the middle of a revolution.

“From a strictly GEOINT standpoint, we’re in the midst of a revolution right now,” said Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland today during an online conversation with the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

One aspect of that revolution, he said, is the growth in commercial GEOINT capability.

“The explosion of commercial capabilities has just changed the entire opportunity for GEOINT,” he said. “We’re soon moving to a point where we think, essentially, every part of the planet will be imaged on a daily basis. And so we also then look at all that data coming in, and we struggle, and we think about the opportunity, though, with how to handle all of that data.”

One way to handle and extract value from large amounts of GEOINT, both from the commercial sector and from government assets, he said, is through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. That’s a second aspect of the revolution Cleveland identified — ways to use AI and machine learning to empower human workers with the best of what’s possible.

“We know that our adversaries really do have some significant capabilities,” he said. “They are in many ways beginning to close the gap on us. As we move forward … we really do think that, frankly, we are not going to be able to compete, we’re not going to be able to do what we need to be doing by just simply trying to do what we were doing yesterday just a little bit faster … we really do think that we’ve got to adjust the direction that we’re going.”

Already, he said NGA is heavily invested in AI and machine learning.

Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence

“We already have a number of efforts underway that are paying off and that are showing promise,” he said.

Some of that work, he said, is in capturing, cataloging, and tagging parts of images to be fed into larger systems. Another part is standardizing data and making sure it’s understandable and accessible to the entire workforce. Ultimately, he said, the goal is to get computers, AIs, to free up human employees to do more challenging work.

The NGA, he said, already has had some success on automatic reporting and automatic tipping and queuing, for instance.

“We want to be able to move our analyst workforce … from focusing on kind of the known-knowns to shifting that paradigm, so that they have time to think and they have time to work on the unknown-unknowns,” he said. “Frankly, we want those machines to be able to take care of things that machines should be taking care of, so of course we can get our team focused on the thoughtful efforts.” (Source: US DoD)

15 Dec 20. NSSLGlobal adds Iridium GMDSS to its suite of commercial service offerings. NSSLGlobal, the award-winning satcom and IT solutions provider, has today announced that it is an authorised launch partner for Iridium Communications’ new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

NSSLGlobal has a long and successful track record of providing GMDSS services to the Commercial Maritime and Navies around the world and has been chosen as one of the exclusive club of first providers of the Iridium GMDSS service and also as a Master Distributor of Lars Thrane equipment, the first approved terminal for use on the Iridium GMDSS service.

The new Iridium GMDSS service operates over the Iridium NEXT constellation and uses the Lars Thrane LT-3100S terminal to provide GMDSS features including distress alerts, maritime safety information and a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS), while also providing commercial voice, SMS, data and LRIT tracking capabilities.

Iridium GMDSS is the first and only GMDSS solution to offer truly global coverage, including the polar regions (Sea Area A4), enhancing safety at sea.

In December 2019, the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the GMDSS regulator, issued a Letter of Compliance to Iridium, fulfilling the final regulatory milestone to offer service for Iridium GMDSS. Iridium then selected NSSLGlobal as a launch partner, based on its proven maritime capabilities, global and regional market presence and commitment to full 365 24/7 customer support.

Sally-Anne Ray, Group CEO of NSSLGlobal comments: “The commercial introduction of Iridium GMDSS will enable us to provide our customers with choice for the first time with a truly global coverage over satellite including the polar regions. This is particularly important for those using the North East and North West Passage routes into the Arctic sailing areas from the North Atlantic.“

14 Dec 20. What’s With All the U.S. Space-Related Agencies? For centuries, the U.S. military has fought wars on land and sea. For that, America has the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps. Then, in 1909, the U.S. Army bought America’s first military aircraft with a $30,000 contract awarded to the Wright brothers. Less than four decades later, in 1947, the U.S. military gave birth to the U.S. Air Force to operate in the air domain.

Now, the Defense Department sees another domain beyond land, sea and air: space. To fight and win in that domain, the DOD created the U.S. Space Force, a new service, in December 2019.

The Space Force is not alone in its focus on space, however. Alongside the Space Force is the U.S. Space Command, which stood up in August 2019, and the Space Development Agency, which was created in March 2019.

All three are partners in ensuring the U.S. maintains and strengthens its leadership position in space. But all three also have different roles in that regard.

U.S. Space Force

The Space Force is the newest of the bunch, standing up in December 2019. Its current commander is Gen. John W. Raymond.

Like the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, the Space Force is a military service, and its mission is to organize, train, equip and provide forces and capabilities to the U.S. Space Command and the other unified combatant commands around the world.

But in the same way the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy rather than having its own department, the Space Force falls under the Department of the Air Force as it was originally Air Force Space Command.

Like its sister services, Space Force will recruit young men and women into service and those men and women will attend basic training and wear uniforms unique to their service.

As of late 2020, there are more than 2,000 uniformed personnel in the Space Force. As with the other services, there are civilian employees as well. About 6,000 civilian professionals are working within the Space Force.

At the same time, as a brand new service, there are individuals who are not in the Space Force, but for the time being, are assigned to it while it gets on its feet. Right now this includes about 8,000 additional military and civilian personnel.

As part of America’s new focus on space, the Space Force has a mandate to be both “pathfinder and protector” of America’s interests as a space-faring nation.

As the newest military service, the Space Force will partner with and lead others to further responsible actions in, and use of, space to promote security and enhance prosperity. Should an aggressor threaten U.S. interests, America’s space professionals stand ready to fight and win.

U.S. Space Command

The U.S. Space Command stood up for the first time back in 1985 as a functional combatant command. In 2002, it rolled up its flag and shut its doors. At that time it’d been in existence for nearly 17 years.

On Aug. 19, 2019, however, Space Command stood up a second time. This time, Space Command is a geographic combatant command. While the U.S. European Command is meant to protect and defend U.S. interests in Europe, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command protects and defends U.S. interests in the Pacific, U.S. Space Command protects U.S. interests in space. It’s domain starts at about 60 miles above the surface of the earth and goes up from there.

Army Gen. James H. Dickinson currently serves as the commander of Space Command, which includes about 1,000 people.

Like other combatant commands, the number of personnel assigned to Space Command can shrink and grow based on the nation’s needs. At the request of Space Command, and in the face of potential conflict, military services including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force will provide ready forces to Space Command so that it may carry out its mission to protect and defend the U.S. interests in space.

Space Command also has service components provided to it. From the Navy, there is Navy Space Command or NavSpace; from the Army, there is the Space and Missile Defense Command, or SMDC; from the Marine Corps, there is Marine Forces Space Command or MARFORSPACE; and from the Space Force, there is Space Operations Command or SpOC.

What is Space Command’s mission? The command’s mission focuses on four specific areas: deter aggression; defeat the nation’s enemies through posture and preparedness; deliver space combat power; and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

With warfighters represented by every service trained to seek out and deter hostile activity, Space Command is prepared to defeat threats to U.S. and allied interests. Should that deterrence fail, Space Command is ready to transition from competition to conflict and achieve space superiority.

Space Development Agency

The Space Development Agency, which stood up in March 2019, is a much, much smaller entity than either Space Force or Space Command. At about only 100 people now, and an expectation to grow to only twice that, it also has a very specific mission — but it’s a big one.

The SDA, led by its director, Dr. Derek Tournear, is tasked with one thing: build the National Defense Space Architecture. When completed, the NDSA will be a collection of satellites in space — hundreds and hundreds of them — that allow for the tracking and targeting of missile threats on earth and other time-sensitive targets.

The NDSA includes seven “layers.” Those are transport, tracking, custody, deterrence, navigation, battle management and support layers. The whole architecture will eventually include equipment on the ground and a lot of small satellites in low-earth orbit. Everything that makes up the NDSA, and the goal of the SDA in creating it, are focused on one thing: making sure America’s warfighter has the best tools possible to do their job.

The SDA is using a “proliferation” model to build the NDSA. In the case of SDA’s development of the NDSA, this means to rapidly increase the number of satellites in space every other year. SDA hopes to launch hundreds of satellites into space every two years, in tranches, and to keep doing it for a long time.

To keep the pace needed by the NDSA to design, build, procure and launch so many satellites, the SDA is relying heavily on industry and is encouraging new ways of thinking within the industry about how to provide capabilities to the government. Instead of the kinds of big contracts that end up producing things like new airplanes or carriers, SDA wants the industry to understand that there will be an ongoing market for satellites — lots of them. And that if they keep making the right kind of satellite, the SDA will likely be interested.

Tranche 0 of the NDSA, to be ready in 2022, includes 28 satellites: 20 for transport and 8 for tracking. Tranche 1, due in 2024, will include a couple hundred satellites in the transport layer, and a few dozen in the tracking layer. With Tranche 2, in 2026, the SDA would continue to build out the system as needed.

By the time Tranche 2 satellites are going up, SDA leaders say, the agency would have global coverage, ensuring that the capabilities provided by the NDSA could be available to warfighters anywhere in the world. Ultimately, that means that the NDSA would be able to deliver information, including things like ultimately fire control solutions to the battalion level, in a very reduced timeframe over what exists today. (Source: US DoD)

14 Dec 20. Russia successfully test launches heavy lift space rocket after long hiatus. Russia on Monday successfully test launched its heavy lift Angara A5 space rocket after a six-year hiatus in a project President Vladimir Putin describes as having huge significance for national security.

First test-launched in 2014, it is being developed to replace the Proton M as Russia’s heavy lift rocket, capable of carrying payloads bigger than 20 tonnes into orbit. A launch pad for the new rocket is due to open in 2021.

The Angara has however been dogged by manufacturing delays and technical issues, including the discovery last year of a defect in its engines that scientists said could destroy it in flight.

The defence ministry and space agency Roscosmos said Monday’s launch, from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the country’s northwest, had been successful however.

Roscosmos has suffered a series of setbacks and corruption scandals in recent years, including during the construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s far east where contractors were accused of stealing state funds. (Source: Reuters)

14 Dec 20. Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE), a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, announced an update following its recent test flight on December 12, 2020. During the test flight, the rocket motor did not fire due to the ignition sequence not completing. Following this event, the pilots conducted a safe landing and return to Spaceport America, New Mexico as planned.

Virgin Galactic is now conducting post-flight analysis and can so far report that the onboard computer which monitors the propulsion system lost connection, triggering a fail-safe scenario that intentionally halted ignition of the rocket motor. This system, like others on the spaceship, is designed such that it defaults to a safe state whenever power or communication with sensors is lost. The pilots in the spaceship, as well as the engineers and pilots in mission control, are well prepared for any off-nominal results, as they plan and rehearse many potential scenarios during pre-flight simulation practice sessions, including a scenario where the rocket motor does not ignite after release from the mothership.

Michael Colglazier, CEO, Virgin Galactic said: “Our flight landed beautifully, with pilots, planes, and spaceship safe, secure, and in excellent shape — the foundation of every successful mission!

The flight did not reach space as we had been planning. After being released from its mothership, the spaceship’s onboard computer that monitors the rocket motor lost connection. As designed, this triggered a fail-safe scenario that intentionally halted ignition of the rocket motor. Following this occurrence, our pilots flew back to Spaceport America and landed gracefully as usual.

When I became CEO, I was briefed on the safety engineering of our Spaceflight System, which is purposely designed to enable our pilots to safely glide back to the Spaceport at any point during the flight profile. Seeing firsthand how our pilots brought Unity in for a picture perfect landing after an off-nominal condition confirmed this approach. I am even more confident that this is the level of safety that consumers will want and will be expecting from us.

As we do with every test flight, we are evaluating all the data, including the root cause assessment of the computer communication loss. We remain focused on the test flight program we have previously announced, beginning with a repeat of this test flight, which included two pilots and NASA payloads. This will be followed by another test flight which will include mission specialists in the cabin. And following that flight, we will have another test flight which will include our founder, Sir Richard Branson. We look forward to sharing information on our next flight window in the near future.”

13 Dec 20. SiriusXM’s New SXM-7 Satellite, Built by Maxar and Launched Aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, Performing Properly After Launch. SiriusXM’s new 1300-class satellite will provide continuous and expanded delivery of its audio entertainment and information services across North America.

Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, SiriusXM, the leading audio entertainment company in the United States, and SpaceX, today announced that the SXM-7 satellite was successfully launched and is performing properly.

SXM-7, a high-powered digital audio radio satellite, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, earlier today. Shortly afterward, SXM-7 deployed its solar arrays and began receiving and sending signals. Next, SXM-7 will begin firing its thrusters to commence its journey to its final geostationary orbit.

SXM-7 will provide continuous, reliable delivery of SiriusXM’s audio entertainment and information services to consumers in the United States, and will expand SiriusXM’s coverage area in Canada and the Caribbean for years to come. SXM-7 will deliver the highest power density of any commercial satellite on-orbit, sending more than 8,000 watts of content to the continental U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, increasing the power and reach of the signal for SiriusXM.

“Maxar and SiriusXM have worked together for more than two decades to build world-class digital audio radio satellites that bring entertainment to almost every new car in America,” said Megan Fitzgerald, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery. “We are proud to have built the latest addition to the SiriusXM constellation and look forward to the launch of their next Maxar-built satellite, SXM-8, next year.”

“SXM-7 plays an important role in bolstering the continuity and reliable delivery of SiriusXM’s audio entertainment, as well as our traffic, weather, data and information services for years to come,” said Bridget Neville, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Satellite and Repeater Systems Engineering and Operations. “With the addition of SXM-7, our satellite-delivered service coverage area in North America is larger and more powerful than ever before. We congratulate our engineering team, Maxar and SpaceX on a successful launch.”

“We had a beautiful Falcon 9 launch today, safely delivering SXM-7 to orbit,” said Lee Rosen, SpaceX’s Vice President of Customer Operations and Integration. “This was the seventh flight for this rocket’s first stage booster, and we are grateful SiriusXM chose our flight-proven hardware to help broaden its coverage area.”

SXM-7 weighs almost 7,000 kg and is built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform, the world’s most prevalent geosynchronous spacecraft platform. The satellite is designed to provide service for greater than 15 years. Maxar has previously built a total of seven satellites for SiriusXM, including its first-generation Sirius satellites that launched in 2000 and its second-generation Sirius satellites that launched in 2009 and 2013.

SXM-7 joins XM-3, XM-4, XM-5, FM-5 and FM-6 in SiriusXM’s active satellite fleet. SXM-7 and SXM-8 together will replace XM-3 and XM-4, extending SiriusXM’s satellite delivered services through at least 2036.

11 Dec 20. Joint Press Release on French Space Policy from Bruno Le Maire and Peter Altmaier. Bruno Le Maire, minister for the Economy, Finance and the Recovery of France, and Peter Altmaier, minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, discussed European space policy matters in a bilateral meeting yesterday in Berlin.

The Ministers agreed that industry and services in the space sector are key for European competitiveness and a prerequisite for its strategic capability. Independent European access to space, based on a technology-open approach within European companies, has to be maintained and strengthened.

For this reason, Germany and France are determined to successfully conclude the Ariane 6 project while at the same time urging industry to reap efficiency gains and to become more competitive.

In addition, the further development and industrial implementation of micro-launchers is crucial. Cooperation between European corporations in this field have to be market driven. France and Germany will promote cooperation in this field.

Both Ministers agreed that the European space sector needs to keep innovation at a high level. This implies, in addition to public support and commitment, an increase in private sector financing of space activities.

The Ministers decided to set up a joint high-level working group in order to identify ways to enhance competitiveness, market-driven activities and efficiency with a priority on how to prepare the future of European launchers. Moreover, the group should contribute to reaching common European positions in space policy to keep and develop the prominent role of Europe in shaping the regulatory framework.

The group should deliver a report with political recommendations based on analytical work by mid-2021. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/French Ministry of the Economy)

10 Dec 20. United Launch Alliance Rocks NROL-44 Mission Launches to Support National Security. This morning’s notification indicated a delay of ULA’s Delta IV Heavy rocket on a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

To recap, the United launch Alliance rocket departed Space Launch Complex-37 at 8:09 p.m. EST on its mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The outer boosters separated about four minutes into flight, followed by staging and ignition of the second stage two minutes later.

The eight-and-a-half-hour countdown started at 9:45 a.m. EST under the guidance of ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney. Retraction of the Mobile Service Tower began at 10:32 a.m., final configuring of the pad then followed and was cleared of all personnel. The “go” for fueling was given by ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri at 3:33 p.m. Tanking operations were successfully performed as 470,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were placed into the rocket’s eight tanks.

The clear to launch was given at 8:03 p.m. EST by NRO Mission Director Col. Chad Davis, who serves as the director of the NRO’s Office of Space Launch.

The Announcement from ULA is as Follows

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 on Dec. 10 at 8:09 p.m. EST. To date ULA has launched 142 times with 100 percent mission success.

“We are honored to launch the first payload from the newly renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. I want to thank our mission partners for their collaboration and teamwork as we worked through technical challenges that culminated in the launch of this critical national security payload,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “The Delta IV Heavy again demonstrated its success as the nation’s proven heavy lift vehicle, through its unique capability to deliver this mission to orbit due to a combination of performance and fairing size.”

The Delta IV Heavy is recognized for 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 spacecraft in history while surfing through the sun’s atmosphere.

This was the 41st launch of the Delta IV rocket, the 12th in the Heavy configuration and ULA’s 30th launch with the NRO.

This Delta IV Heavy was 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 was powered by an AR RL10B-2 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine.

ULA’s next launch is the STP-3 mission for the U.S. Space Force, scheduled for first quarter 2021 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 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. (Source: Satnews)

10 Dec 20. No Pot Of Gold In Commercial Constellations. According to New Euroconsult Analysis. In its latest analysis of satellite manufacturing and launch services, “Satellites to be Built and Launched by 2029,” Euroconsult anticipates almost a quintupling in satellite demand in the next decade with an average of 1,250 satellites to be launched on a yearly basis.

In comparison to the 260 yearly satellites launched in the previous decade, this skyrocketing number cements the structural changes occurring in the market and the industry, not only in the number of satellites but also in terms of satellite missions and operators, both governmental and commercial.

Several key market trends are catalyzing the satellite industry’s structural changes:

For the first time in a single year more than 1000 satellites were launched, of which 70% from Starlink alone. This symbolic threshold will become a new standard for the next ten years with significant annual variations mainly driven by the replacement of the commercial constellations.
The orders of GEO comsat have been exceptionally high in 2020 at 18 units, of which 13 for the accelerated C-band clearance plan of the FCC in the USA. In addition, proof of a structural slowdown of that market in satellite numbers, GEO comsat replacement is also challenged by fleet rationalization approaches, in-orbit life extension and transitioning of some of the traffic to upcoming NGSO constellations. Manufacturers’ GEO comsat product portfolios are diversifying, ranging from a few hundred kilograms to 6 Tons VHTS. Digital payloads become the rule for a data-centric market (rather than a broadcasting market).
Beyond the “commercial space” momentum, governments will remain the first customers with 80% satellite manufacturing and launch revenues for the period. Investments by defence operators is driven by security applications and a growing endorsement of smallsats, COTS and constellations while civil agencies focus on large Earth observation systems.
Access to the space industry is diversifying with a few smallsat-dedicated launchers now operational and more expected to perform maiden flights in 2021. A new generation of GTO-capable launchers is expected to enter the market within the next two years with a design-to-cost approach. Meanwhile, SpaceX masters reusability and executes Starlink’s launches at marginal cost, with Falcon 9 recovery and reuse becoming a standard endorsed by customer.

“The satellite industry will indeed experience a quick and radical transformation when it comes to satellite numbers. However, despite this spike in satellite demand, we are looking at half of the market concentrated around a handful of mega constellations. In addition, some being vertically integrated means that their procurement will not be done on an open competition basis. Nevertheless, GEO COMSAT remains the leading segment, pulling 1/3 of the market revenues but, here too, we anticipate -20% drop in operational assets by 2029,” said Maxime Puteaux, Editor-in-Chief of this research product and Principal Advisor at Euroconsult. (Source: Satnews)

07 Dec 20. ST Engineering iDirect VSAT Modem Sets New Speed Record. ST Engineering iDirect has announced that their MDM5010 modem has achieved an aggregate speed of 600 Mbps, making it the industry’s fastest satellite modem for shared bandwidth capacity networks.

While these speeds have previously only been achieved with single channel per carrier (SCPC) point-to-point modems, bandwidth-sharing efficiencies can now be augmented to satisfy the most demanding throughput requirements in markets such as cruise, trunking and cellular backhaul.

Delivering three times more return throughput at 200 Mbps using the innovative Mx-DMA return technology, coupled with up to 400 Mbps on the DVB-S2X outbound for an aggregate speed of 600 Mbps, the MDM5010 modem delivers enhanced Quality of Experience (QoE) for high throughput applications such as broadband connectivity to thousands of cruise passengers, crew and devices, including rich media streaming and content uploading.

ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA return technology, a core feature of the award-winning Newtec Dialog® platform, is a patented, efficient and dynamic waveform which enables service providers to seamlessly share satellite capacity more efficiently over a group of satellite modems. In this latest Dialog Release 2.2.3, the maximum return symbol rate per modem increased from 20 Msps to 68 Msps, which equates to a throughput increase from 70 Mbps to 200 Mbps on the inbound.

Longtime partner and early adopter Speedcast International, a communications and IT services provider, validated the performance of the MDM5010 operating with the latest Mx-DMA waveform. Speedcast has deployed the technology across key sectors supported by their global multi-band network including cruise vessels, mega yachts, and other customer sets with significant bandwidth requirements.

The Dialog platform and MDM5010 modems enable Speedcast to maximize bandwidth efficiencies by mixing very high speeds with large-scale modem deployments in the same bandwidth pool, equipping it to support higher throughput to meet passenger and operational demands while operating effectively across a multi-beam, multi-band satellite network.

“This is of huge significance, especially for the maritime and cell backhaul markets where demand for throughput and performance is increasing exponentially,” said Bart Van Poucke, VP, Products, ST Engineering iDirect. “With the need for very high speeds on the inbound, we pushed the boundaries of our Mx-DMA return technology to break the speed limit while increasing the flexibility and operational efficiencies that our customers depend on. This breakthrough will deliver the highest quality connectivity experience for users and enable our customers to offer the widest range of applications to expand their market share.”

“Speedcast has embarked on a strategic initiative to completely re-architect our global mobility network, building a platform that can support the most demanding of customer operations, and any application requirement. We view Dialog as a fundamental building block of Speedcast’s new Unified Global Platform. The combined strengths of our overarching architecture and best-of-breed technology means that we can deliver the speeds and flexibility that meets our clients’ emerging requirements and operational needs across multiple verticals, including fixed terminals, rapid deploy terminals and mobility,” said Chris Hill, CTO, Speedcast. “From a technical perspective, the MDM5010 is an important part of the upper bound of our network platform, allowing us to deliver satellite links that are impressive not only in terms of Mbps, but also in terms of packet per second and simultaneous session counts. Many of our clients are already benefiting from this latest generation technological innovation, and we look forward to the further deployment to customers as our network re-architecture continues to progress.” (Source: Satnews)

10 Dec 20. Inmarsat’s Most Powerful Satellite — GX5 — Enters Service. Inmarsat has announced the Commercial Service Introduction (CSI) of GX5, the company’s newest, most powerful geostationary satellite to date. GX5 is the 14th satellite currently in service with Inmarsat and provides additional capacity to Europe and the Middle East via the Fleet Xpress (FX) Ka-band high-speed satellite broadband service designed for the maritime industry.

The satellite, launched in November of 2019, delivers approximately double the combined capacity of the entire existing Global Xpress (GX) fleet (GX1-GX4). Together with a significantly expanded ground station network and enhanced cloud-based processing, GX5 supplements the global coverage of GX and supports the rapid growth in customer demand for GX services in the region, particularly for maritime sectors such as the leisure, merchant and offshore sectors.

This milestone heralds the start of an unprecedented enhancement in the overall capacity and capabilities of the GX network, which was the first and remains the only globally available high-speed mobile broadband network delivered by a single operator. Inmarsat’s technology roadmap will see a further seven launches by 2024, five in GEO – adding speed, capacity and resilience – and two in highly elliptical orbit, which will begin the world’s only commercial mobile broadband service in the commercially and strategically critical Arctic region.

GX is the most successful service launch in the history of Inmarsat. The company will celebrate the fifth anniversary of GX as a globally available service in early 2021 and it has already become the gold standard for seamless, mobile broadband services across multiple sectors. Tens of thousands of active users throughout aviation, maritime, enterprise and government depend on GX daily, supported by Inmarsat’s network of world leading technology, manufacturing and channel partners.

The services delivered over GX5 will be backwards compatible with existing GX terminals, future-proofing customer investment in GX technology and services. Inmarsat partners and customers benefit from the strength, resilience and agility provided by the company, an innovative and diversified business that works in partnership with communities, companies and countries across the world. The flexibility inherent in Inmarsat communications infrastructure and the way in which the company works with partners and customers ensures that they are enabled to address the most complex challenges and opportunities that they face. Customers will see the benefits of GX5 as they are brought into the network in the coming weeks.

Rupert Pearce, the CEO of Inmarsat, said, “As the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, we have an ambitious vision for the future and we are progressing the most innovative technology development program in our history to achieve this. During these recent unprecedented circumstances, we have supported our partners and customers with the speed and agility for which Inmarsat has become known globally. We are in this for the long haul, with customer and partner trust based on four-decades of meeting our commitments and a bright future ahead, guided by our technology roadmap. Entry into service of GX5 is the first of several exciting steps ahead for us on that journey.”

Peter Hadinger, the CTO of Inmarsat, added, “Inmarsat is investing more than ever before to deliver global, highly differentiated technology platforms on which partners and customers can securely invest and innovate for growth. The company’s fully funded technology roadmap will lead to forthcoming launches for our sixth generation of satellites, the I-6s, then on to GX7, 8 and 9 and two Arctic payloads, GX10A and GX10B, to provide further fresh impetus to our GX success story. Our partners and customers can confidently invest in long-term, transformational global digitization strategies based on Inmarsat’s innovative technology roadmap for the future. Anytime and anywhere, our partners and customers are strongly positioned to take advantage of new opportunities as they emerge, based on their ability to deploy our unique portfolio of agile, global, mobile connectivity solutions and services. We believe that reliable, seamless connectivity is now more vital than ever and will play a crucial role in the accelerated adoption of digital technology as the world emerges from Covid-19.”

Global Xpress coverage map with the addition of GX5 (purple overlay for additional capacity for Europe and the Middle East)

New ground stations for GX5 are at:

Aussaguel, France: This is a new GX site, and Inmarsat’s first Ka-band antenna at this location.
Burum, Netherlands: This will be the first Ka-band gateway hosted at Burum. It has been an Inmarsat site for many years.
Cheia, Romania: A new site, Inmarsat’s first Ka-band antenna at this location.
Fucino, Italy: This will be the second Inmarsat Ka-band gateway at the Fucino site.
Kofinou, Cyprus: This is a new site for Inmarsat.
Nemea, Greece: This is the third Inmarsat gateway in Nemea.

Inmarsat’s ground network is expanding from 21 in 2019 to 30 by 2021. (Source: Satnews)

13 Dec 20. Spaceflight’s Orbital Transfer Vehicles Have Launches In Sight. Spaceflight will launch 16 payloads on the upcoming SXRS-3 mission, slated for early 2021. Of the 16 payloads Spaceflight is managing on this launch, 14 of them will launch on Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). The OTV is Spaceflight’s debut vehicle from its Sherpa-NG (next generation) program. Two of the payloads integrated onto Sherpa-FX are hosted payloads.

Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX is the first innovative orbital transfer vehicle to debut in the company’s Sherpa-NG program. The vehicle is capable of executing multiple deployments, providing independent and detailed deployment telemetry, and flexible interfaces, all at a low cost.

Details:

Flying no earlier than December 2020 (SXRS-3), carrying 14 spacecraft
24” ESPA-class deployment system
Multiple deployments: Separates from a launch vehicle prior to deploying any satellites, with satellite separations initiated by onboard avionics once clear of the launch vehicle
Hosted payload capable
Quickly configurable; can move from vehicle-to-vehicle and mission-to-mission
Independent, world-wide telemetry via GlobalStar
Uses heritage and commercially available components
Low cost, flexible aggregation
On orbit life: 4-7 years

Designed with launch vehicle flexibility as a requirement, the Sherpa-LTC features a high thrust, bi-propellant, green propulsion subsystem integrated seamlessly within the available space of the original free flyer. By including this new propulsion technology from Benchmark Space Systems, Sherpa-LTC provides a low cost, rapid orbital transfer for many sizes of small spacecraft. It’s compatible with all launch vehicles Spaceflight currently works with.

Details:

Flying: Second half 2021
Addresses orbit raise and lowering, in-plane phasing and exploration missions
Features chemical propulsion system via a Benchmark Space Systems
Hosted payload capable
Impulsive (fast) maneuvering
Tuned for SpaceX Starlink and other similar missions – effectively and quickly deploy one or multiple satellites to higher orbits after initial drop off
Industry-leading price

This Electric Propulsion OTV builds on the initial Sherpa program by incorporating a high specific impulse (Isp), Xenon propellant. It incorporates ACE (Apollo Constellation Engine), a low thrust, high efficiency, radiation hardened Hall thruster propulsion system developed by Apollo Fusion, Inc. As ACE systems are able to generate over 6 km/s of delta-V, Sherpa-LTE has the capability to deliver spacecraft to GEO, Cislunar, or Earth-escape orbits. The Sherpa-LTE provides a low-cost alternative to purchasing full direct-inject launch vehicles and extends the ability of small launch vehicles that are currently under development to reach beyond low Earth orbit.

Details:

Flying: Mid-2021
Sherpa-LTE addresses LTAN and plane changes
High dV orbit raise capability, inclination changes or Earth escape
High Isp, Xenon propellant electric propulsion from Apollo Fusion enables efficient maneuvering needed for orbital angle changes
Hosted payload capable
3X the performance of other market options, including improved flexibility and operational resilience
Tuned for GTO missions

“When there are no launches that meet our customers’ exact needs, Spaceflight now will be able to provide more options to achieve their mission objectives,” said Grant Bonin, SVP of business development for Spaceflight Inc. “Our goal is to get our customers’ spacecraft delivered to orbit exactly when and where they want it, all the way to their final destination — that last leg of the journey. Our new Sherpa OTVs enable us to provide that in-space delivery service, while keeping costs low and timelines short.”

“We have a successful track record of developing and deploying spacecraft from in-space vehicles,” added Curt Blake, President and CEO of Spaceflight. “Our first orbital free flyers were on the historic SSO-A mission, which successfully delivered 64 unique spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 to orbit. We are excited to build on our 10 years of launch experience learnings to develop these new advanced vehicles which will provide even more flexible launch options and customized orbital delivery for our customers.”

Spaceflight works with more than 10 current and future launch vehicles, including Falcon 9, Antares, Electron, Vega, and PSLV, to provide a variety of launch options to its customers. The company has launched more than 300 satellites across nearly 34 rideshare missions. In 2019, the company successfully executed nine missions, the most it’s ever launched in one year, sending more than 50 payloads to space. (Source: Satnews)

13 Dec 20. SpaceX Launches The Sirius XM-7 Satellite. This mission marked the seventh flight of this Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster, which previously supported launch of Crew Dragon’s first flight to the International Space Station (Demo-1), launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and four Starlink missions in 2020.

Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship, which was located in the Atlantic Ocean. One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously supported the ANASIS-II mission in July 2020. (Source: Satnews)

15 Dec 20. The Institute Of Space Commerce Is Launched. This week, as the USA notes the 48th anniversary of Apollo 17 and prepares to return to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis Program, the new Institute of Space Commerce is being launched with the organization’s aim to change the equation for the human race with a goal of bringing one million new minds to the space economy.

Humanity is facing an uncertain future of vlimate vhange, conflict, pandemics, resource depletion, over population, and growing totalitarianism… yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.

We have a space program and, more, we have a space industry that is growing. In fact, the space industry is growing globally and in the USA at a rate not seen since Apollo in the 1960s. The space industry is also positively impacting every other aspect of human endeavor. However, more can be done. Knowledge is power and it is the goal of the Institute of Space Commerce to bring a million new minds to the space economy at this crucial time in human history.

Access to space changes the Malthusian equation for the human race: it improves all our lives and gives us a lifeline to a positive future.

Driven by the thinking of its patrons Larry Niven and the late Dr. Jerry Pournelle, the Institute believes that access to space provides a foundation for that positive future by giving us access to new energy source, new resources, new markets, and new economic opportunities with the potential to lift all out of poverty on Earth while providing the chance to heal Earth’s environment.

As the Institute’s Patron Emeritus Dr. Jerry Pournelle famously said in 1979’s seminal piece on the economics of space, ‘A Step Father Out,’ the objective for the human race is “Not just survival, but survival in style.”

Chris Stott, Co-Founder of the Institute of Space Commerce, and Co-Founder of the International Institute of Space Commerce, said, “Surely we can learn from the dinosaurs and change this extinction equation? Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle represent two of the finest thinkers on the myriad social, political, and economic possibilities facing the human race when space and technology is embraced as a solution to changing the equation with the goal of improving the lives of all on Earth. The solution is not just rocket science, it’s also economics and entrepreneurialism. Or as we say at the Institute, ‘free markets, free minds, free space.’”

“When we combine all the usual business complexity of finance, operations, human relations, and marketing with the unforgiving environment of space and the shallow well of experience with which the still young space age provides us, space commerce is not a field for the faint of hear,” said Dr. Michael Simpson, ISC’s newly appointed Director. “I cannot envision a day when space commerce will be easy, but we are already at work to make the business and physical environment it confronts more manageable for youth.”

The new Institute of Space commerce in the United States is affiliated with the International Space University’s International Institute of Space Commerce on the Isle of Man in the British Isles.

“We are keen to have the opportunity to launch the Institute of Space Commerce in North America following the success of the International Institute of Space Commerce in the Isle of Man. Our mission is to bring the talent and power of young minds into the global discussion and impact of humanity’s movement into space,” said Dr. Michael Potter, also ISC’s Co-Founder.

The Institute of Space Commerce is a US 501c(3) incorporated in Texas focused on uniquely contributing to the long-term discussion, debate and acceleration of humanity as commercially sustainable multi-planetary species. There can be a better future for us all. We just have to make it happen. Access to space fundamentally changes the equation for the human race. It grants us access to new sources of energy, new resources, and is already improving the lives of every man, woman, and child in the world. We just need to do more. Want to help us change the equation? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to maximize humanity’s ability to explore, expand, and to be free. Free markets, free minds, free space.

The International Space University (ISU) is the space industry’s leading not for profit educational foundation dedicated to developing the future leaders of the world space community by providing interdisciplinary educational programs to students and space professionals in an international, intercultural environment. ISU also serves as a neutral international forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas on challenging issues related to space and space applications. The University is both a US 501c(3) and a French Association Sans Brute Lucrative. (Source: Satnews)

14 Dec 20. A GPS-Type Service To Be Added to OneWeb’s 2Gen Satellites. Sunil Mittal, Executive Chairman of OneWeb, has confirmed that the satellite operator will add a global positioning, navigation and timing system onto its 2nd Generation of satellites for a GPS-type service. Mittal’s Bharti is a joint investor with the UK government in OneWeb.

Meanwhile, he said that OneWeb’s current fleet can provide a timing service. He was addressing the ITU’s (virtual) spectrum allocation event, and asked international governments to speedily grant permissions for OneWeb to establish Earth stations for connectivity and transmission of data.

“A very large number of countries have open-door policies,” said Mittal. “Some of those with tighter control regimes should make LEO availability subject to fulfilling certain conditions to satisfy their legal interception needs, their security and privacy needs — and above all, the cyber issues that plague a lot of countries, to ensure that a proper handshake between each regulatory regime and the constellation provider is in place.”

Mittal’s main trading company, Bharti Global, is already operating cellular and data services in some 17 countries.

Mittal added, “Our Gen 1 [craft], which is being launched in the coming months, will have the timing built into it. The positioning and navigation will have to wait for Gen 2, which is a couple of years away. But we have the ambition of providing PNT [Positioning, Navigation and Timing] through OneWeb, which will be more accurate and safer from interception than GPS. We believe we will be on this path in the coming years.”

Mittal added that OneWeb’s prime focus was to provide rural broadband globally and in particular reaching enterprise customers, offices and factories, and depots and distribution centres, plus government applications. “My own industry needs a lot of backhauling. We currently use MEO and GEO [satellites] in combination. The experience is very poor. The latency is very high — 560 milliseconds for GEO and just under 300 milliseconds for MEO.” (Source: Satnews)

15 Dec 20. Blue Canyon’s CDR for DARPA’s BlackJack Space Program Successfully Completed. Blue Canyon Technologies, Inc. (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”) has completed their Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Blackjack Program, a military space capabilities demonstration being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

By incorporating commercial sector advances in LEO, including designs used for LEO broadband internet service, the goal of the Blackjack program is to demonstrate that a constellation of LEO satellites meets U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) performance and payload requirements, at a significantly lower cost, with shorter design cycles and with easier and more frequent technology upgrades. The Blackjack program aims to establish an economy of scale not previously available with current National Security Space (NSS) assets, which are large, costly, and would take years to replace if degraded or destroyed.

The Blackjack program CDR took place over a two-day period at BCT’s Satellite Constellation Factory in Lafayette, Colorado. It was conducted both virtually, as well in person, while in complete accordance with appropriate COVID-19 safety precautions to keep team members from each organization safe.

With approximately 40 engineers and scientific partners participating, BCT was able to demonstrate maturity of the X-SAT Saturn-class bus design, validating the design and capabilities of the system in support of the Blackjack program. The CDR completes the third milestone, which will culminate in the first two flight buses being delivered to DARPA for payload integration in August 2021.

The DARPA contract has an initial award value of $14.2m with a total potential value of $99.4m if all options are exercised. Now that the final design of the multi-mission bus has been completed, BCT will begin procurement for the build of the first four satellites. The customized X-SAT bus will include state-of-the-art electric propulsion, a robust power system, command and data handling, RF communications and dedicated payload interfaces capable of hosting several different DoD payloads.

The spacecraft will be delivered on a rapid timeline to support the critical DARPA demonstration schedule, with the first spacecraft to be delivered in mid-2021.

“BCT is proud to have reached this new milestone in the development of the Blackjack program for DARPA,” said George Stafford, President and CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “The completion of this CDR has instilled further confidence in our design and displayed more power capability than was initially expected. This not only reflects the hard work and expertise of the extremely talented team at BCT, but also the great potential for the Blackjack program to reduce costs while maximizing performance capabilities and meeting payload requirements.” (Source: Satnews)

14 Dec 20. An Independent Inquiry Commission Releases Their Conclusions Regarding The Arianespace VV17 Mission Loss. On Tuesday, November 17, Arianespace announced the loss of the Vega VV17 mission, which was carrying two payloads, SEOSAT-Ingenio, an Earth-science observation satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of Spain’s Center for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), and TARANIS for France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).An Arianespace Vega rocket carrying two satellites for Spain and France lifts off from a pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on Nov. 16, 2020. The rocket failed eight minutes into flight, leading to the loss of both satellites. (Image credit: Arianespace)

The first three stages functioned nominally until the ignition of the AVUM upper stage, eight minutes after liftoff. At that time, a degraded trajectory was detected, followed by a loss of control of the vehicle and the subsequent loss of the mission.

Initial investigations, conducted directly after the launch with the available data, identified a problem related to the integration of the fourth-stage AVUM Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system as being the most likely cause of the loss of control of the launcher.

Arianespace (the launch service provider) and the European Space Agency (ESA – the launch system development authority) immediately set up an Independent Enquiry Commission (IEC). The Commission provided the detailed report and conclusions confirming initially identified root causes to the failure, comprehensively explaining what went wrong in the integration process and why the error was not detected before flight. According to its findings, the Commission has accordingly formulated a road map for a robust Vega return to flight.

More precisely, the IEC concludes that the VV17 cause of failure is not attributable to a flaw in the qualification of the design but to the wrong routing and connection of the control lanes of the electro-mechanical actuators of the AVUM upper stage Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system, inverting steering commands and causing trajectory degradation leading to the loss of the vehicle.

The detailed series of causes are described as (i) a misleading integration procedure causing (ii) an inversion of electrical connections, not detected through (iii) the different control steps and tests executed between the integration of the AVUM upper stage and the final acceptance of the launcher due to some inconsistencies between specific requirements and prescribed controls.

A comprehensive set of both immediate and permanent recommendations has been presented by the IEC to ensure safe and prompt return to flight, as well as to ensure launch vehicles reliability on the long term. The first set of recommendations include additional inspections and tests on the next two Vega launchers, whose hardware is already totally or partially produced, and workmanship.

Permanent recommendations have been proposed to further mitigate the identified root causes, regarding the manufacturing, integration and acceptance processes on Vega assembly lines in Italy and its final acceptance in French Guiana.

Starting this week, a task force steered by ESA and Arianespace has started implementing the roadmap proposed by the IEC and will thoroughly follow its implementation. A set of actions will be implemented by Vega’s prime contractor Avio, under the supervision of Arianespace, as launch service provider, and ESA, as launch system development authority, in order to make possible the next Vega launch, VV18, still scheduled by Q1 2021 from French Guiana, and the following ones. (Source: Satnews)

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