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22 Feb 23. Space Force may hire companies to service orbiting satellites.
The U.S. Space Force is developing a plan for a satellite refueling and servicing capability that takes advantage of technology being developed by commercial space companies, according to the head of the service’s mobility enterprise.
The newest military service has been closely watching as companies test concepts for refueling and repairing satellites on orbit but hasn’t yet established acquisition programs or operational units to leverage that work. In August, the Space Force created a new role, deputy director of operations for servicing and maneuver, and appointed Col. Meredith Beg to lead the office. It held an industry day in September to learn more about the technology industry is developing.
These activities come as U.S. Space Command is seeing a need for its surveillance satellites to be more maneuverable, both to dodge debris and enemy spacecraft and to observe new areas in the space environment.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, program executive officer for assured access to space, told C4ISRNET this week that once the service has funding available, it wants to be ready to pay industry to provide those services for its own satellites.
“We want to do on-orbit servicing and maneuver and refueling as a service,” Purdy said in a Feb. 21 interview at the inaugural Space Mobility Conference in Orlando, hosted by the Space Force. “The urgency now is [to] figure out . . . what’s going to be there, figure out how to take advantage of it and then build that complicated structure internally.”
That internal structure, he said, includes manpower, physical space and contracting and acquisition strategies. It also means ensuring that satellites are equipped with the hardware to receive fuel or have a part replaced or added.
The service has proposed funding for on-orbit servicing as part of the Pentagon’s budget process, but those attempts have never made it to the Space Force’s final funding request, Purdy said. Congress added $30 m for space mobility and logistics in the Fiscal 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which he views as an indication that lawmakers are interested in the concept.
“There’s interest on the hill already, so we’ll continue to push that effort,” Purdy said.
Beg, who leads the new servicing and maneuver office, said during a panel discussion at the same conference that the Space Force plans to use the funding to develop an operational concept for using these services.
She noted that the Space Force is working with NASA and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, which was created to strengthen partnerships between non-traditional companies and DoD. The Space Force is also taking advantage of contracts awarded last June by its technology arm SpaceWERX, which chose 125 teams to advance in-space servicing and orbital debris removal technologies.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we’re partnering with the right individuals to help us,” Beg said.
Claire Leon, head of the Space Force’s space systems integration office, highlighted efforts to develop a propulsion interface. She said that until the service has a formal program, it will likely take slow steps toward embracing these capabilities.
“There isn’t a program out there that has a hard requirement that says, ‘You will be refueling,’” she said during a panel discussion at the conference. “We are taking baby steps.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
23 Feb 23. E-Space to showcase space communication system to SDA and USSF. The company will showcase different communications systems that will use its new LEO space system. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a new contract to California-based satellite communications company E-Space to demonstrate novel communications capabilities.
As part of this contract, the company will showcase a wide range of its ‘unique’ and new generation low-Earth orbit (LEO) space-based communication systems and capabilities.
The effort is being carried out to support the US Space Force (USSF) and the Space Development Agency (SDA).
E-Space founder and CEO Greg Wyler said: “We are proud to have been awarded this contract to demonstrate new technical capabilities needed by warfighters globally.
“With our advanced LEO space system, we will enhance situational awareness through extended satellite coverage – when and where it’s needed most.”
E-Space describes itself as a company that focuses on ‘bridging Earth and space’ by offering a wide variety of sustainable LEO satellite networks.
E-Space’s global space-based communications platform is designed to connect, track, sense and act on AI-optimised data.
The company said the data is collected from several of its devices that are deployed worldwide to further advance smarter business operations.
(Source: airforce-technology.com)
21 Feb 23. Inmarsat and SpaceX Announce Successful Launch of World’s Most Advanced Satellite. Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has announced the successful launch of its latest I-6 F2 spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch saw I-6 F2 lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, reaching a top speed of almost 40,000km/h as it left Earth above central Africa. The satellite will now spend several months travelling to its geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Equator, using its onboard electric propulsion system. It is scheduled to connect its first customers in 2024, following rigorous in-orbit technical testing.
I-6 F2 joins its ‘twin’, I-6 F1, which launched from Japan in late 2021. They are Inmarsat’s most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever and will provide a revolutionary upgrade in Inmarsat’s global coverage services for at least the next 15 years. I-6 F1 is scheduled to connect its first customers later this year.
The new I-6 satellites add further capabilities to Inmarsat’s ORCHESTRA communications network; a unique, global, multi-dimensional, dynamic mesh network that will redefine connectivity at scale with the highest capacity for mobility worldwide. ORCHESTRA enables Inmarsat’s partners and customers to keep pace with their growing data demands and enables them to empower emerging technologies in the future, like autonomous vehicles or flying taxis.
For our U.S. Government customers, the I-6 F2 satellite enhances the ELERA and Global Xpress (GX) capabilities available for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions and other mission-critical applications by boosting coverage for even greater assurance, resilience and redundancy. Additionally, similar to I-6 F1, the F2 satellite includes two high-gain steerable Ka-band antennas that are processed or transponded and are interoperable with military satellite resources.
Susan Miller, CEO, Inmarsat Government, said: “For over four decades, we have been steadfast in our commitment to helping customers achieve their vital mission objectives. The launch of I-6 F2 is yet another example of Inmarsat’s investments in space and ground assets that deliver compelling multi-band capabilities that are relevant and responsive to users’ requirements and complement military satellite resources for optimal resilience, diversity, protection, flexibility and global portability.”
Rajeev Suri, CEO, Inmarsat, said “I want to extend my profound thanks and appreciation to our dedicated employees and partners who have made this launch a reality. Our I-6 programme has been six years in the making. The I-6 F2 launch marked another milestone as we revolutionise global communications at scale.”
“Of course, this is not the end. Along with the I-6s, we intend to add five more advanced spacecraft to our fleet by 2025 as part of our fully funded technology roadmap. That will allow us to continue to meet our customers’ needs into the 2030s and beyond, while enabling new technologies for a smarter, more connected Earth.” (Source: ASD Network)
20 Feb 23. AICRAFT successfully launches edge computing module into orbit. South Australian artificial intelligence (AI) company AICRAFT has successfully launched its edge computing module to set a record for Big Data processing on orbit.
The device was launched on Friday 10 February 2023 on board the JANUS-1 satellite of Antaris Space from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of India under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
As a key sub-system of the JANUS-1 satellite, AICRAFT’s edge computing module, named Pulsar, will perform ultra-fast processing of space data using artificial intelligence at lowest power consumption. In its preliminary tests on the ground, the company has demonstrated the ability to classify 1,250 images of Earth Observation data in about 10 seconds. This was achieved using the device in low-power mode which the company expects to enable 24/7 computation, even on ‘shoe-box-size’ nanosatellites compared to the 10 minutes a day with current market solutions. Pulsar is 95mm x 90mm x 25mm
Pulsar can seamlessly toggle between low-power and high-performance modes which can give a further four times the speed of its low-power processing. Its power/performance ratio is currently unmatched in this size of devices.
The module offers the advantage of being highly customisable depending on the host satellite, mission duration and orbit, making it resilient but also affordable for a variety of customers and New Space entrants. From a software perspective, the module supports over 20 of the most popular machine learning frameworks with users able to develop algorithms for Pulsar in the same way they are developing on desktops and leveraging from open-source software.
“The JANUS-1 mission gave us the focus to build an advanced and space-grade AI technology in a very short time (9 months) and provided a springboard for AICRAFT to enter the space ecosystem,” said the CEO of AICRAFT Dr Tony Scoleri. “The collaboration with US-based Antaris Space commenced through their Australian subsidiary company which is also a member of the Aurora Space Cluster, an initiative of SmartSat CRC for startups, and enabled us to combine forces.”
Antaris, the software platform provider for space, fully conceived, designed and manufactured a satellite using the company’s own software end-to-end in a world’s first cloud-based environment. Creation of the satellite JANUS-1 involved eight organisations spanning seven countries collaborating virtually through Antaris’ cloud-based platform, which features open APIs and core open-source elements.
AICRAFT and Antaris signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Australian Space Forum in Adelaide, South Australia in March 2022. The satellite JANUS-1 was completed in just 10 months from concept to launch readiness, with a cost saving of 75% over comparable satellite missions. It features AICRAFT’s edge computing module Pulsar that was designed and manufactured in Australia and the only Australian payload in this mission. (Source: Rumour Control)
12 Feb 23. AccelerComm + TTP to deliver cell service from space with 5G NTN LEO. AccelerComm and TTP are jointly formulating a high-performance, 5G, LEO Regenerative base station for deployment on LEO satellites. The project combines expertise and IP from the two companies and additional technology from partners to propose a dedicated 5G regenerative gNodeB1 solution tailored to support high-performance 5G services in the challenging environment of a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN).
In a typical LEO deployment, one satellite covers a wide geographical area, using a large number of beams to cover a multitude of subscribers. Terrestrial gNodeB products of similar scale are not designed to deal with this unique LEO deployment challenge. Also, any gNodeB platform for space applications will be highly constrained in size, weight, and power and must be able to work in the hostile space environment.
The joint AccelerComm TTP LEO Regenerative base station solution will be designed to meet the growing demand for satellite-based eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband) and IoT (Internet of Things) services. This makes it an ideal solution for businesses and organizations that need to connect people and devices in remote locations, or for governments looking to provide internet access to all citizens.
The solution will support a large number of beams and high subscriber density and will be delivered on a space-hardened platform optimized for low-power and size. It includes a range of advanced developments in beam-to-cell mapping, beam forming and NTN beam-management.
The O-RAN compliant gNodeB leverages AccelerComm’s LEOphy, a Layer 1 modem that delivers enhanced performance for low-earth orbit satellite communications. LEOphy boasts the lowest error rates, with dedicated features to overcome the specific challenges of NTN channels, such as high path losses, differential delays, doppler shift, long propagation delays, and rapid fluctuations in signal amplitude and phase caused by atmospheric effects. As a result, it ensures a high-reliability link without resorting to lower coding rates and low-order modulation schemes, thereby maximizing spectral efficiency.
(Source: Satnews)
10 Feb 23. Amazon’s Kuiper gets FCC approval. The FCC said it is happy with Amazon’s mitigation plan in the event of potential collisions while in orbit as well as a mechanism to de-orbit failed or dead satellites.
The FCC had previously approved the scheme (in 2020) subject to an updated mitigation scheme. The FCC added that the mitigation plan allows “Kuiper to begin deployment of its constellation in order to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to customers around the world.”
Kuiper plans three orbital shells for its system, at 590 kms, 610 kms and 630 kms in height and will comprise an overall total of 3,236 craft.
Kuiper says that its de-orbiting mitigation would see satellites brought to about 350 kms in altitude where the Earth’s slightly thicker atmosphere would naturally cause a craft to burn up in about a year.
“Kuiper further states that [Kuiper] has allocated sufficient propellant to conduct collision avoidance maneuvers until the apogee is decreased below 400 kilometers,” the FCC stated, but “given the ongoing and persistent operations of inhabitable space stations generally, such as [the Chinese] Tiangong space station, we condition the authorization to require that such space stations be taken into account.”
Amazon has pre-booked a total of 92 rocket launches with the United Launch Alliance, Arianespace and the company’s own Blue Origin rockets to get the system into orbit.
The FCC has also given permission for the launch of two test satellites and these will launch shortly. (Source: Satnews)
10 Feb 23. Momentus plans delivery to orbit of FOSSA’s next gen satellites this year increasing IoT applications. Spanish startup FOSSA Systems (“FOSSA”), a Spanish company that offers global low-power Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and in-space services through its satellite constellation, has signed a contract with Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company that offers transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, to place its latest generation of satellites, FOSSASat FEROX, into low-Earth orbit on two Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle missions starting in 2023.
The first group of FOSSA’s next-generation satellites is slated to launch aboard a Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle on the SpaceX Transporter-8 mission no earlier than June 2023. This mission will demonstrate the satellites’ new design features and act as a demonstration for a second batch of satellites expected to launch onboard a follow-on Vigoride vehicle on a later SpaceX Transporter mission, kicking off the deployment of a new constellation of FOSSA satellites.
“This new generation satellites provides unprecedented capabilities comparable to that of 6 – 12U satellites in a fraction of the size, mass, and cost. FOSSA Systems already has a constellation of 13 picosatellites in orbit, but this next-generation will allow us to deliver higher capacity services in a commercial manner for a wider range of applications, supporting IoT and other space-related services in areas such as communications or remote sensing”, said FOSSA Chief Executive Officer Julián Fernández.
“We are happy to reaffirm our trust in Momentus as we look at our launch plans for our initially 80-satellite constellation to support SaaS and dedicated satellite customers in sectors such as Maritime, Logistics, Infrastructure, Utilities or National Security”, added Fernández.
“FOSSA Systems flew with us on our inaugural mission that launched in May 2022. We’re pleased to have earned their trust in selecting us as their space transportation provider for their new satellites, and we look forward to building a long-term partnership toward our first large-scale constellation deployment”, said Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood. “FOSSA is on a mission to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity and technologies. We’re proud that our services are integral to achieving their disruptive vision.”
Founded in 2020 by Julián Fernández (CEO) and Vicente González (CTO), FOSSA Systems is the Spanish company with the largest satellite constellation (13) to provide global IoT connectivity and is developing several pilot programs with leading companies in their sectors, both Spanish and international, to optimize resources and improve production with different industrial applications for sectors such as Logistics, Maritime, Agriculture or National Security. (Source: Satnews)
10 Feb 23. ISRO gains momentum with smallsats support due to the successful flight of the SSLV launch vehicle. ISRO‘s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) successfully launched three satellites into their intended orbits. This was the rocket’s second developmental flight and the SSLV-D2 vehicle placed EOS-07, Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into their intended 450 km circular orbit with an inclination of 37 degrees. SSLV-D2 took-off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and required about 15 minutes to inject the satellites.
SSLV is the new smallsat launch vehicle developed by ISRO to cater the launch of small satellites up to 500 kg to LEO on ‘launch-on-demand’ basis. The rocket is configured with three solid stages 87 t, 7.7 t and 4.5 t, respectively.
SSLV is a 34 m tall, 2 m diameter vehicle, having a lift-off mass of 120 t. A liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) achieves desired velocity for the insertion of the satellites into the intended orbit.
SSLV is capable of launching Mini, Micro, or Nanosatellites (10 to 500 kg mass) to a 500 km orbit. It provides low-cost access to Space, offers low turn-around time, facilitates flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites and demands minimal launch infrastructure.
In its first developmental flight on August 7, 2022, SSLV-D1 marginally missed placing its satellites payload. SSLV-D2 implemented the recommendations made by the expert committee that analyzed the shortcomings of that SSLV-D1 flight.
SSLV-D2 carried EOS-07, a 153.6 kg EO satellite realised by ISRO; Janus-1, a technology demo satellite weighing 10.2 kg belonging to ANTARIS, USA; and AzaadiSAT-2, a 8.8 kg satellite realized by Space Kidz India by integrating various scientific payloads that were developed by 750 female students across India.
With this successful launch, India now has a launch vehicle that will support smallsat launches. (Source: Satnews)
14 Feb 23. Maxar satellite capacity secured for Umbra’s SAR imagery constellation. Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR) will provide Umbra‘s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery constellation with dedicated satellite capacity — that data service will be available in Maxar’s portfolio of Earth intelligence and observation products and services. The combined offering, which is expected to be available starting in Q2 2023 and be fully integrated by 2024, will represent the most advanced multi-source geospatial intelligence solution for a wide range of government and commercial missions. Maxar will provide customers with assured access to the highest resolution commercially available Earth Observation (EO) data taken day and night and in all weather conditions. This capability will also augment the high-revisit capabilities of WorldView Legion, Maxar’s nexgen satellite constellation, enabling customers to see change in near real-time.
Maxar Worldview Legion during build at the company’s facilities. Photo is courtesy of Maxar.
Maxar and Umbra have complementary capabilities that enable the delivery of the most advanced commercially available SAR data. Umbra’s SAR satellites can see through clouds, smoke and total darkness with industry-leading resolution, licensed down to 13 cm. Maxar will leverage decades of SAR processing expertise, as well as its own high-resolution optical imagery and 3D datasets, to further enhance the original SAR data and deliver more actionable insights.
Umbra’s SAR data will first be integrated into Maxar’s Rapid Access Program (RAP) platform, which provides customers with a secure web interface to virtually task Maxar’s high-resolution satellites through on-demand access windows.
“Maxar and Umbra are breaking new ground for the geospatial intelligence industry with this multi-source offering—though optical and SAR imagery are highly complementary, collection management across these sources has historically been siloed,” said Dan Jablonsky, Maxar’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “By integrating dedicated capacity from Umbra satellites into our secure ground infrastructure, we can help our Access customers derive real-time insights from the highest resolution electro-optical and SAR data in the industry. Once combined with Maxar’s best-in-class geospatial analytics capabilities, this data will help customers more easily achieve mission success, particularly for defense missions.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Maxar and integrate our industry-leading SAR data into their platform. Maxar is a world-renowned Earth Intelligence provider, so for Umbra to be chosen as their first ever SAR dedicated access partner is a huge vote of confidence both for Umbra and for the overall value that SAR data brings to customers,” said David Langan, Umbra’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
“This agreement will energize commercial SAR utilization world-wide and will support Umbra’s ambitions of building and growing a robust commercial business case,” said Gabe Dominocielo, Umbra’s Co-Founder and President. (Source: Satnews)
14 Feb 23. Space Development Agency’s layered network of military satellites is now the “Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.”
As of last month, the Space Development Agency’s resilient layered network of military satellites and supporting elements is now the “Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture” or PWSA
This architecture, formerly known as the “National Defense Space Architecture,” was renamed to more specifically reflect the agency’s mission to deliver needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of a proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) constellation of satellites. The spiral development and fielding of SDA’s mesh network has matured successfully, but the constellations’ original name did not accurately convey its current scope and purpose. The new constellation name became effective January 23, 2023.
Now integral members of the U.S. Space Force, SDA continues the integration of its space acquisition and operations into the overall national defense hybrid space enterprise, including pLEO advancements to support no-fail missions such as end-to-end missile warning, missile tracking, and missile defense. Maintaining technological and military advantages in space for the warfighter requires developing a resilient hybrid architecture through an integrated diversification of orbits and proliferation of satellites.
The constellation name change will have no impact to the SDA mission. Leveraging speed, delivery, and agility, SDA will continue to quickly deliver needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the PWSA. (Source: Satnews)
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At Viasat, we’re driven to connect every warfighter, platform, and node on the battlefield. As a global communications company, we power ms of fast, resilient connections for military forces around the world – connections that have the capacity to revolutionize the mission – in the air, on the ground, and at sea. Our customers depend on us for connectivity that brings greater operational capabilities, whether we’re securing the U.S. Government’s networks, delivering satellite and wireless communications to the remote edges of the battlefield, or providing senior leaders with the ability to perform mission-critical communications while in flight. We’re a team of fearless innovators, driven to redefine what’s possible. And we’re not done – we’re just beginning.
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