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27 Sep 23. Vega’s Fuel-free Cubesats to Keep Formation With Wings. Spain’s trio of ANSER CubeSats, due to fly on Europe’s next Vega launcher, will fly like a flock of birds in orbit – in more ways than one. Keeping in formation by following their leader, the three shoebox-sized satellites will image Iberian waters as if they are a single standard-sized mission. And they will unfurl wing-like flaps to maintain their relative positions, surfing on the scanty airflow at the top of Earth’s atmosphere.
ANSER – Advanced Nanosatellite Systems for Earth-observation Research – is a cluster of three CubeSats which will work together in close vicinity as if they are a single satellite. Due to be launched on Europe’s next Vega flight, VV23, the ANSER mission is being undertaken by INTA, the Spanish Institute of Aerospace Technology.
Santiago Rodriguez Bustabad, overseeing the mission, explains: “ANSER is also the Latin name for the wild goose, a good example of birds flying in formation, adopting a leader-follower protocol, which is what our mission is emulating.”
These three 3-unit CubeSats will orbit around 500 km altitude, maintaining formation at an optimum 10 km apart from each other. But they do not have any onboard propulsion systems. Instead they control their relative positions by deploying a set of flaps against the trace amounts of air at the top of the atmosphere. These will multiply their wingspan sixfold, allowing them to either drag themselves downward or lift themselves upward and sideways.
He adds: “A specially-developed algorithm will be used to plan these ‘Differential Lift and Drag’ manoeuvres on the ground for telecommand uplink to the satellites. Increasing the drag effect allows the creation of significant relative movements along track, while the more lightweight lift effect can produce small cross-track shifts.
“The precise aerodynamic resistance is highly dependent on the orbital altitude, but on average we would expect to spend no more than 72 hours to produce 10 km of along-track separation. Later in the mission we might attempt autonomous onboard manoeuvring as well.”
One of the CubeSats serves as a leader, undertaking communications with the ground and connected to the others via inter-satellite links. It will also lead joint observations of ANSER’s main target, the quality of inland Iberian lakes and reservoirs, as well as comparable water bodies worldwide.
Santiago continues: “ANSER’s hyperspectral imager CINCLUS – named for another bird species – is a fractionated payload distributed across the three CubeSats. The leader satellite has a panchromatic cameras to detect clouds and pre-validate the utility of the hyperspectral images before processing on the ground. The two follower satellites host miniaturised hyperspectral cameras incorporating micro-spectrometers.”
These four spectrometers cover the visible to near infrared region, supported by the panchromatic camera, delivering 60 m spatial resolution, offering insight into the suspended contents of water bodies, including its pollution levels or the presence of toxic microorganisms such as harmful phytoplankton blooms.
Santiago notes: “In recent years CubeSats and nanosatellites under 10 kg of mass have transformed from educational tools into highly-valued spacecraft for many commercial and government sectors, favoured for their short development times, rapid assimilation of new components and miniaturised sensors, lower costs – including launch costs – and improved functionality.
“But achieving operational performance can still be a challenge for such small satellites because of their limitations in terms of available power, ground coverage and resolution, revisit times and so on. And the use of commercial-off-the-shelf components and non-space-qualified parts adds extra risk.
“So to have a real chance of achieving an operational Earth-observing mission we are leaning into distributed systems in the form of clusters and constellations, together with miniaturisation.”
Without onboard propulsion, the operational lifespan of an ANSER cluster will be limited to two or three years, depending on their initial altitude. But the fractionated platform approach means this is more of a strength than a weakness because replacement CubeSats can be added to the cluster regularly, offering the chance to perform hardware upgrades in orbit.
Santiago explains: “In time the individual CubeSats would all be deorbited, but replaced in the meantime by more up-to-date versions, so that their overall mission could continue uninterrupted.”
ANSER is due to fly on Vega’s Small Spacecraft Mission Service, a rideshare service for small satellites, securing its place through the European Commission’s In-Orbit Demonstration/In-Orbit Validation programme.
Managed on behalf of the Commission by ESA’s Small Satellite Platform Unit, this programme allows the early orbital testing of new technologies to make Europe’s space sector more competitive.
Santiago comments: “ANSER has been developed using INTA’s internal funding, but one of the most important strengths supporting our project over the past four years of work has been its selection for flight – after open competition with other European proposals – through the IOD/IOV Programme. With this support, ANSER could overcome various difficulties, including financial issues and the impact of the COVID pandemic, without losing sight of its main goal of in-orbit demonstration.”
Vega flight VV23 is due for lift-off next week from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Along with its main satellite payloads it carries multiple CubeSats including ESA’s PRETTY mission investigating reflected satnav for environmental monitoring, the Proba-V Companion CubeSat testing the performance of a previously flown spectral imager aboard a CubeSat and other IOD/IOV CubeSats. (Source: ASD Network)
28 Sep 23. The UK Space Agency has announced up to £65m of funding for ground-breaking innovations that could boost UK leadership in space technologies and applications. The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) will support high-risk, high-reward projects designed by British organisations with the potential to accelerate the development of new space technologies, satellite applications, and services.
The programme provides an opportunity for the UK space sector to develop novel and valuable commercial innovations that could tackle challenges such as the use of satellite data to combat climate change or providing services to make in-orbit applications more sustainable.
The first tranche of up to £34m funding is open to proposals that will drive innovation, accelerate the route to market, and catalyse investment into the UK space sector. The remaining funding will be split across further calls in 2024 and 2025 with projects running until March 2027.
George Freeman MP, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “Our space sector is constantly advancing thanks to pioneering new ideas from our world-class scientists and technologists that push the potential of British innovation at its best. Investing in these projects not only bolsters the UK’s seat at the table of the global space community, but it unlocks future business and job opportunities that will accelerate the growth of our nation’s £17.5bn space sector.”
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “In today’s interconnected world, space technologies have become critical to almost every aspect of our daily lives.”
The National Space Innovation Programme will support the UK’s most ambitious space technology projects and their potential to address real-world challenges, to catalyse investment, deliver new missions and capabilities, and harness the power of space to improve lives.
Since its pilot launch in 2020, NSIP has provided UK organisations with over £25 m in funding, including SatVu which used the support to develop the first Middle Wavelength Infra-Red (MWIR) satellite, launched in June 2023. The satellite uses Earth observation data to gain insights into building emissions that can improve customer energy use and reduce emissions.
Northumbria University, meanwhile, used NSIP funding to design, test and build a new miniaturised laser optical communications terminal that will deliver a step-change in inter-satellite data sharing that could support future satellite constellations and space science missions.
NSIP funding will be split between major projects and kick starter funding. NSIP Kick Starter will provide targeted support to early-stage and disruptive innovation, such as its previous funding of Cardiff-based Space Forge’s development of retractable solar panels that could provide reusable satellites with a compact and affordable energy solution, and Imperial College London’s research into metal additive manufacturing for application in space that could allow for replacement parts to be printed as required in orbit.
Rob Desborough, Managing Partner at investment company Seraphim Space, said: “The UK has a thriving SpaceTech ecosystem, over $47bn of private capital has been invested across the global space sector since 2015. The UK accounted 17% of this, making it the second most attractive destination – only behind the US. Mechanisms like this are critical for the UK to maintain its prominence in what is now a globally competitive market worth in excess of $1trn by 2030.”
John Hanley, Chair of the trade association UKspace, said: “The UK space sector is one of the most research-intensive parts of our economy – with almost £800m reported spend on R&D in the last Size & Health study. The UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme is hugely important as a catalyst for further industry investment to develop new and improved commercial products and services – driving growth across the whole of the country. Support from the NSIP fund is key to addressing project barriers in research and development, bringing high value space technologies to market that can create jobs and benefit people, businesses and communities for generations to come.”
The announcement comes ahead of the UK Space Conference which runs from 21- 23 November, at ICC Belfast, a global platform for government, industry and academic space innovators to gather and collaboratively shape the future of space. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
25 Sep 23. Space Force, partners to craft global supply chain strategy. U.S. Space Force officials will meet next month with industry leaders and key international partners to discuss a strategy for supply chain resiliency.
The discussions will be led by the service’s acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, and will include representatives from the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan. The event, dubbed a reverse industry day, will give those partners as well as space executives a chance to share their perspectives on supply chain challenges and opportunities, according to a command spokesman.
“It is imperative that we work together strategically to establish resilient supply chains and logistics to achieve results that, as a body, we may not be able to achieve alone,” SSC spokesman Edgar Nava told C4ISRNET in a Sept. 21 statement.
The international industry day is slated for Oct. 25 and 26 in Chantilly, Va., and is the first of its kind for SSC, according to Deanna Ryals, director of international affairs for the command.
Speaking Sept. 13 at the DSEI conference in London, Ryals said the event and its focus on foundational, shared supply chain concerns “underpins the idea that we’re going to work together early and often.”
The premise of reverse industry days is that rather than brief stakeholders after a requirement has been set, Space Systems Command wants to gather feedback prior to developing those plans. SSC has been convening with space firms and other partners in this format since early last year.
The upcoming event, mostly held at the unclassified level, will include a “secret” intelligence briefing on global supply chain threats, presentations from each of the countries and discussions around how to integrate resilience and leverage technology to improve security and visibility.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted concerns about vulnerabilities within the global supply chain, including for space technology. A 2022 report on the state of the space industrial base, crafted by U.S. Defense Department leaders, found that while the country’s space sector has grown significantly in recent years, there hasn’t been enough investment in building up its supply base.
“The space industry needs greater clarity on the health, strengths and vulnerabilities of critical components in its supply chain,” the report states. “The supply chain for satellites, launch infrastructure, advanced communications and other critical space-enabling technologies should be considered critical as part of space infrastructure.”
The report also called for more collaboration with international partners on this and other topics in order to “improve collective capability and interoperability.” (Source: Defense News)
15 Sep 23. Success in the night as SpaceX launches 22 more Starlink smallsats. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida shortly after midnight on Friday. This was after a day delay as the weather apparently didn’t cooperate, forcing a nearly 24-hour delay.
The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth as planned on the SpaceX droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.
It is speculated that SpaceX’s desire to have calm seas for this recovery operation may be the reason for the delay.
This was the fifth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER, and now three Starlink missions.
SpaceX is ramping up once again and targeting Friday, September 15 at 12:03 a.m. ET (04:53 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, an additional opportunity is available at 12:30 a.m. ET (04:30 UTC). Two backup opportunities are also currently available on Friday, September 15 at 11:38 p.m. ET (03:38 UTC September 16) and Saturday, September 16 at 12:07 a.m. ET (04:07 UTC).
This is the fifth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER, and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy their advanced broadband internet system. As the world’s leading provider of launch services — and the only provider with an orbital class reusable rocket — SpaceX has extensive experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations. (Source: Satnews)
19 Sep 23. Sidus Space to launch LizzieSats on upcoming SpaceX Bandwagon mission. The updated LizzieSat constellation configuration will advance cutting-edge LEO data collection and provide enhanced orbital flexibility for government and commercial customers.
While initially planning to launch its first LizzieSat on Transporter-9 in Q4 2023, the Company has adjusted its launch manifest to take advantage of the opportunity to cover more populated areas and increase data revenue. The updated schedule targets a first launch in Q1 2024 followed by two LizzieSats on a Bandwagon mission in Q2 2024.
The Company continues to be manifested for the launch of a single LizzieSat with SpaceX on Transporter-10 in Q1 2024 and two additional LizzieSats on Transporter-11 in Q2 2024, which will result in an expected five LizzieSats on orbit in the company’s constellation by the end of the third quarter of 2024. The LizzieSats deployed on Bandwagon will operate in synergy with those on Transporter missions as the complementary orbits increase the value and the amount of data that can be collected for sale by the company.
“The[CC1] Bandwagon mission is exciting because it gives us the ability to place multiple LizzieSats in dissimilar orbits, enabling us to capture higher revenue generating data while increasing our payload and data customers. This, when combined with the inclusion of additional sensors and enhanced AI capabilities on our initial flight, adds value as we get closer to initiating these launches and developing new, high-margin business lines.” — Carol Craig, Founder and CEO, Sidus Space
“The convergence of our orbit inclination, advanced payloads, and EdgeAI capabilities enables us to provide an unparalleled data service to our customers. Our capability to address a critical void through wide area spectral data imaging greatly enhances LizzieSat’s overall potential.” — John Curry, Chief Mission Operations Officer, Sidus Space.(Source: Satnews)
15 Sep 23. Skyloom + Satellogic sign multipath optical comms data transmission agreement. Using Skyloom’s OCT, Satellogic will test new methods of high-resolution EO data delivery through both SkyCompass-1, the GEO lasercom network infrastructure Skyloom developed with its partner, Space Compass, and direct downlink to a gateway within view of the low altitude image area, significantly decreasing latency.
As a first step in its commissioning, the Satellogic spacecraft will conduct a LEO-to-ground link by handshaking with Skyloom’s optical ground station in Broomfield, Colorado (“BOGS”). The Satellogic-Skyloom agreement follows a feasibility study on the ability of Satellogic’s Mark-V platform to establish lasercom links.
Together with Space Compass, Skyloom recently conducted the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the SkyCompass-1 optical communications network infrastructure, including space, ground, user, and network segments, which will start to provide network services in 2025.(Source: Satnews)
12 Sep 23. Mission Microwave: Debut of a 1 kW Ku-Band SSPA/BUC. Mission Microwave designs and manufactures a family of Gallium Nitride (GaN) based BUCs and SSPAs in support of GEO, MEO and LEO satellite communications networks. The company’s signature Stinger, Javelin, Titan and MOAB BUCs are used by leading gateway and SATCOM terminal customers across the globe for tactical, maritime, In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) and broadband markets.
Mission Microwave’s latest Ku-band amplifier is the most advanced GaN BUC on the market and provides up to 400 watts of linear power in a multi-carrier environment providing an effective replacement for large combining networks using multiple smaller amplifiers. The amplifier is designed for outdoor mounting and sustained operation at 60°C. It is designed to be mounted very close to the antenna feed, further reducing the loss from complex waveguide paths required for larger solutions.
The new one-kilowatt Ku-band version of Mission’s MOAB SSPA/BUC product line was introduced during the IBC Conference along with the company’s signature Stinger, Javelin and Titan model BUCs that have already captured a leading position in the satellite ground segment industry. Mission Microwave products will also be on display in multiple customer stands across the venue, incorporated in industry-leading products in top-tier mobile, maritime and transportable terminals.
“Based on our customers’ success in replacing legacy traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifiers with Mission Microwave GaN products, our customers asked us to extend our compact Ku-Band product line to offer a replacement for complex multi-amplifier combined networks. The resulting kilowatt level Ku-band amplifier in a 68 lb package resets industry expectations for large gateway designs and allows customers to reduce their system amplifier cost by hundreds of thousands of dollars while increasing reliability and reducing operating costs.” — Steve Richeson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mission Microwave.
Mission Microwave Technologies continues to be at the forefront of the satellite terminal industry in shipping high power X, Ku and Ka Band BUCs for critical applications in ground, maritime, aviation and aerospace applications for government and commercial industry sectors that require high efficiency, reliability and performance. Mission brings revolutionary design for RF (Radio Frequency) and microwave electronics, using the latest in semiconductor technology. Mission’s focus is to minimize the size, weight, and power (SWaP) for these critical applications while providing its customers with the best possible reliability. (Source: Satnews)
15 Sep 23. ThinKom secures type approval for Avanti Communications’ HYLAS Ka-band. ThinKom’s ThinAir terminals deliver outstanding throughput on forward and return links across Avanti’s high-throughput beams. This capability allows government customers to provide real-time data and communications for critical missions. It also enables another layer of Ka-band coverage redundancy for commercial and government missions.
Avanti’s fleet of four, HYLAS Ka-band satellites offer 50 Ghz. capacity and cover more than 1.7 bn people in 118 countries. The UK-based company has a long history supporting government and defense customers and is a trusted provider of SATCOM to U.S., UK and global government agencies.
The low-profile ThinAir terminals mean more fuel-efficient aircraft activity for lower aircraft operating costs and extended time on station. The flight-proven, high reliability of ThinAir systems also reduces aircraft downtime and component swap requirements previously needed for different mission deployments.
The ThinAir GT 2517 SATCOM aero terminal builds on ThinKom’s field-proven, patented VICTS phased-array technology. VICTS antennas have an unparalleled record of reliability with over 40 m hours of accrued flight time and a mean-time-between-failure exceeding 100,000 hours. The ThinAir GT platform supports the full range of Ka-band frequencies, as well as wide instantaneous bandwidth for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), hopping waveforms, and Protected Tactical Waveforms (PTW), delivering increased flexibility for government communications missions.
Avanti has more than 100 fixed beams, five steerable beams and a steerable cluster of eight beams delivering services across EMEA, Asia and the Americas. Compatible Ka2517 and GT 2517 terminals are in service today on commercial and government aircraft. ThinKom antennas have been providing continuous service on U.S. government aircraft since 2018.
“We’re proud of the market-leading performance our terminals bring to the industry. With the Avanti HYLAS type certification, we’re able to once again extend available communication options with the addition of yet another key satellite constellation, further increasing the reach for our customers.” — Bill Milroy, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, ThinKom
“At Avanti, we are committed to delivering the very best service to our customers and users. Our Ka-band high-throughput satellite capacity delivers assured, flexible high-capacity connectivity for every requirement. This latest type-approval for ThinKom will help further our shared mission to deliver security and reliability to those who need it most.” — Donald Walker, Director of Government Sales, Avanti. (Source: Satnews)
18 Sep 23. Stoke Space: Hopper 2 has landed. At Stoke Space’s test site in Moses Lake, Washington, the company successfully conducted a vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) developmental test flight of the firm’s reusable, second stage rocket.
During this test — known as Hopper2 — Stoke Space was able to successfully launch the Hopper test vehicle to an altitude of 30 feet and land at its planned landing zone following 15 seconds of flight. The test successfully demo’d the novel hydrogen/oxygen engine, regeneratively cooled heat shield as well as the differential throttle thrust vector control system, avionics, software, and ground systems.
This test was the last test in the Hopper technology demo program. All of the planned objectives were successfully completed and, also proven, was that the firm’s novel approach to robust and rapidly reusable space vehicles is technically sound. An incredible amount of data was captured that will enable the company to confidently evolve the vehicle design from a technology demonstrator to a reliable reusable space vehicle.
With this test campaign, several industry milestones were also attained: Stoke conducted the first flight test of a reusable VTVL rocket that uses differential throttling for attitude control — the first flight test of a reentry vehicle that uses an active regeneratively cooled heat shield — and, although this vehicle didn’t directly experience the heat from hypersonic atmospheric re-entry, it successfully operated at 100% of the expected heat load in a simulated environment.
In addition, Stoke Space became the fastest company to go from initial seed funding to demonstrating an orbital-class, vertical takeoff and vertical landing rocket, the second company in the world to fly a prototype of a fully reusable upper stage rocket and just the third U.S. company to develop a liquid hydrogen rocket engine.
With the innovative second stage design, the team at Stoke is attempting to do something that has never been done before: design and build a rocket that is 100 percent reusable with a 24 hour turnaround. To reach that goal, the company will now continue moving through the development program by increasing focus on the reusable first stage. (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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