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31 Jan 24. Sidus Space’s Cutting-Edge 3D Hybrid Satellite ‘LizzieSat’ Ready for Launch. Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) (the “Company” or “Sidus”), a multi-faceted Space and Data-as-a-Service company, announces the successful completion of launch processing of LizzieSatTM at the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Sidus team executed final steps in launch processing of LizzieSatTM, including mating the satellite to the separation system and the launch vehicle adapter, which allows for mounting to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. LizzieSatTM has been turned over to SpaceX and is ready for launch on the Transporter-10 mission which is targeted for no earlier than March 2024.
Fully integrated into the satellite is the Sidus FeatherEdge AI platform which allows for advanced onboard system processing from space-based data sensors. Following launch, Sidus expects to continue to expand both military and commercial customer bases to provide customized intelligence for multiple industries including defense, agriculture, maritime, and oil and gas.
Carol Craig, CEO and Founder of Sidus Space, highlighted the significance of this milestone, stating, “LizzieSat’s distinctive multi-sensor data collection platform represents a paradigm shift, offering tangible impacts across multiple industries through the utilization of cutting-edge on-orbit satellite technology. This innovative approach consolidates various data sources into a single on-orbit asset, showcasing the transformative power of advanced space technology in revolutionizing how industries access and utilize crucial information.”
Sidus Space continues to actively expand the LizzieSatTM constellation, with additional satellites already in production for launches in 2024 and beyond. This ongoing effort underscores our commitment to advancing space exploration and delivering cutting-edge solutions in satellite technology. (Source: ASD Network)
02 Feb 24. Sierra Space unveils fully integrated Dream Chaser spaceplane amid testing campaign. For the first time, Sierra Space mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane to the Shooting Star module amid shake table testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. An orbital-class spaceplane is one step closer to returning to the International Space Station. As part of an on-going test campaign, Sierra Space mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane to its Shooting Star module for the first time at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
The spaceplane will be the third and final cargo spacecraft contracted by NASA to shuttle supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contact. In 2016, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space and SpaceX were awarded several flights each under the agreement that had a maximum value of $14 bn.
“It brings all of us at Sierra Space a great sense of pride and a profound reflection that what we are doing is truly important,” said Tom Vice, the CEO of Sierra Space. “The work we are doing will change everything and it will lay new footsteps for the next generation to follow.”
The company faced several years of development delays in getting Dream Chaser to this point. But recently, the spaceplane, dubbed ‘Tenacity,’ began its final slate of testing before it’s shipped down to Florida for launch.
“We are coming out of years of development, years of hard work, years of resolving really tough engineering challenges that come from revolutionizing the way we do things,” Vice said. “And we are really excited that this year we enter orbital operations for NASA. It is a year that we change how we connect Earth and space.”
Currently, Tenacity and its Shooting Star module are positioned on top of the shake table inside the NASA’s Mechanical Vibrations Facility at ATF. Jimmy Kenyon, the director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in nearby Cleveland, Ohio, described it as “the world’s largest and highest capacity spacecraft shaker system.”
“This facility has been home to and has been responsible for critical mission testing of the Orion spacecraft as well as other vehicles, allowing us to understand the harsh flight environment before they actually go to the launchpad,” Kenyon said.
Since early January, Dream Chaser has been put through several shake tests, both horizontally and vertically, to simulate the vibrations from both launch and landing. A Sierra Space spokesperson said this phase of testing should wrap up in the next couple of days.
It will next be moved to the In-Space Propulsion Facility where it will undergo testing in environments that simulate the harshness of being on-orbit.
“We’re going to install the vehicle into the facility, we’re going to pump down the pressure and the temperature to the very low pressures and very low temperatures that the spacecraft will experience as it enters orbit,” Kenyon said. “And then, we’re going to use a dynamic heating element to go around and simulate the heating environment that would be experienced by the spacecraft due to the Sun, the solar heating while it’s there on orbit.”
There’s no set timeline for how long the next phase of testing will last, but Kenyon said the plan is to be able to ship the Dream Chaser and its Shooting Star module down to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a launch in the first half of the year.
Return of orbital spaceplanes
The flight of the Dream Chaser Tenacity will mark the first of seven contracted cargo missions for Sierra Space to the ISS. On Thursday, Vice said Tenacity will be used to fly their first four flights while they work to bring their next spaceplane, dubbed ‘Reverence.’
“Dream Chaser was designed from the beginning to one, be highly reusable, highly reliable, focused around turning the vehicle quickly,” Vice said. “We’re going to learn a lot between the first and the second mission, still learning as we get into the third and fourth, but long term, it is our intent to turn the vehicle, get it flying and get it back up and service the customers.”
Vice said the vehicle is designed for 15 missions, but believes that it will be able to go well beyond that. (Source: News Now/https://spaceflightnow.com/)
31 Jan 24. SmartSat signs landmark deal with NZ Space Agency. Australia’s SmartSat CRC research collaboration has agreed a landmark deal to work with the New Zealand Space Agency.
Funded by the federal government, SmartSat CRC is a collaboration between universities and research organisations that partner with industry.
It will now expand its scope to work with Kiwi organisations on projects including Earth observation, situational awareness, and optical communications to support space exploration.
The deal – signed in Wellington by the acting head of the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) – comes alongside a commitment from the New Zealand government to support projects with NZ$6 m.
Enrico Palermo, head of Australia’s space agency, said the news reaffirms the two countries’ strong partnership.
“Not only do our nations share a unique geographic position, we are also aligned when it comes to using space technology and innovation to improve life here on Earth,” he said.
“This Australian Space Agency is proud to have worked with SmartSat CRC and the New Zealand Space Agency to set up this agreement, which builds on Australian government investments in capabilities such as optical ground stations.
“Space is a global endeavour, and by sharing knowledge and resources, we can create outcomes that benefit both our nations.”
The new research initiatives will include:
Earth observation: covering natural capital, biosecurity, crop health, pasture condition, emission monitoring, South Pacific synthetic aperture radar and maritime domain awareness.
Space situational awareness: developing new techniques to monitor the orbital environment better.
Optical communications: joint science work on adaptive optics to explore how to coordinate a network of Australasian optical ground stations that can actively support space exploration.
Professor Andy Koronios, SmartSat CRC’s chief executive, said, “This partnership will enable us to join forces and harness our resources and expertise for several important projects.
“Earth observation research plays a critical role in better understanding environmental challenges that pose significant risks to both our countries.
“The agriculture sector is crucial for both Australia and New Zealand, and improving sustainable practices through pasture mapping, human activity, and emission monitoring will be vital for current and future food security.”
SmartSat CRC has worked on a variety of pioneering projects and now includes 135 participating organisations and more than 400 researchers.
For example, Space Connect reported in September how SmartSat would invest in a new research project that aims to use space technology to manage Australian bushfires.
The project will bring together the Australian National University (ANU) and EOS Space Systems to deliver “advanced manufacturing technologies” for the existing OzFuel instrument, a key payload of the Earth Observation Resilience satellite mission. It’s unique because it’s specifically adapted to understand Australian eucalypt forests.
The announcement came alongside a pledge by the state government to invest in a new space hub and a separate investment in situational awareness. The joint projects will take SmartSat and the ACT’s joint investment in the state to more than $7m. (Source: Space Connect)
29 Jan 24. EU explores harnessing Copernicus for military applications. The European Union (EU) awarded separate contracts to two consortiums led by Telespazio and OHB System on 23 January to explore the feasibility of exploiting the Copernicus Earth-observation constellation for defence.
The two contracts were awarded as part of the Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS), which seeks to bolster the defence and security of the EU member states. The selected consortiums will now compete to explore how best to deliver and implement the service under two simultaneous 12-month long studies. Work will commence in the first quarter of 2024 and may include the development of new satellite-based reconnaissance capabilities at the European level. The aim is to make the service available to the EU and its member statesin the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–34). Germany-based OHB System is leading one of the studies in conjunction with French CS Group and OHB Digital Connect. The contract is valued at EUR2.4m (USD2.6m) and includes additional partners: Geosystems, OHB Digital Services, Tekever, Geo4i, OHB Sweden, Officina Stellare, and Bird & Bird. (Source: Janes)
31 Jan 24. Carbice Collaborates with RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies to Drive Deep Tech Innovation and Sustainability in Aerospace.
The collaboration ensures that aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) material and digital design tools from Carbice will continue to strengthen critical satellite systems from Blue Canyon Technologies, including MethaneSAT.
Carbice Corporation, the company that is helping customers build stronger by eliminating interface failure mode and achieving sustainability, today announced that it is collaborating with Blue Canyon Technologies, Inc. as a key supplier of aligned carbon nanotechnology (CNT) solutions for critical spacecraft programs. RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies is a leading provider of turnkey small satellite solutions, including nanosatellites, microsatellites, and ESPA-class satellites.
This collaboration ensures that Carbice’s aligned CNT material – Carbice Space Pad™ – will continue to be integrated into nearly all satellite solutions from RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies. It has demonstrated on-orbit success for critical government missions and customers, and is scheduled to launch in early 2024 on MethaneSAT, an advanced methane-tracking satellite in space that will offer high-resolution quantification and tracking of total global emissions to find and fix leaks faster and document the progress.
Spacecrafts face the harshest environments for thermal management, with intense radiation, large temperature variations, and limited ways for heat to move. Carbice Space Pad is a proven and reliable thermal solution that combines high-power dissipation performance with ease of use. Traditional thermal interface materials (TIMs) such as grease and liquid silicone rubber can damage parts during assembly integration and test (AI&T) and cause delays in production. Carbice Space Pad negates this damage and delay by saving existing material from being discarded and avoiding an increased schedule risk. By reducing and eliminating scraps due to rework and destruction, Carbice Space Pad is a more sustainable TIM that enables longer-term performance in orbit. The material is also the first fully predictable interface solution: the company’s digital tool, Carbice SIM, predicts Space Pad performance with accuracy, offering exact pressure distribution analysis and saving thermal vacuum testing time.
“This is a natural collaboration for us: as innovators in aerospace manufacturing, collaborating with the deep tech trailblazers at Carbice strengthens our ability to launch quickly, launch well, and expand the limits of what’s possible in space,” said Jennifer Cech Young, Director of Thermal Systems Engineering at Blue Canyon Technologies. “Dr. Baratunde Cola and his team of pioneers have helped enable that speed and mission with Carbice Space Pad and Carbice SIM. The Carbice team have been true collaborators from the start, and critical satellite programs have launched successfully in part due to our integration of Space Pad. In our experience, aligned CNTs from Carbice are the most reliable advanced material for managing thermal systems, and we are thrilled to continue using it on nearly all Blue Canyon satellites moving forward.”
Aligned carbon nanotubes have recently been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense as a “technology of special interest” for mission critical applications in U.S. security systems. On July 14, 2023, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee passed the 2024 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) in a 58-1 bipartisan committee vote that elevated aligned CNTs as a special interest technology, leading to further exploration in its use for aerospace & defense, as well as industrial power and data applications which are critical to national security. Previously in use on the International Space Station, Carbice Space Pad has also shown demonstrated success on satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), GEO orbits, and constellations such as those which share critical images from Ukraine. Beyond space, the Carbice ® Pads are used in compute and power applications on Earth, a fast-growing application area.
“The team at Blue Canyon Technologies have been at the forefront of spacecraft innovation from the start – and we are always proud to collaborate with fellow pioneers,” said Dr. Baratunde Cola, Carbice CEO and Founder. “As deep tech innovators with a proven critical material for aerospace and defense applications, this is a natural collaboration that will allow both our companies to continue to innovate and build stronger spacecraft solutions. To have Carbice Space Pad on MethaneSAT and nearly all Blue Canyon satellites moving forward is an immensely exciting achievement for our own team of pioneers and the larger community that supports us.”
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Carbice operates the world’s largest aligned carbon nanotube facility. Led by CEO and Founder, Dr. Baratunde Cola, the company is minority-founded, with diverse (minority and female) leadership on its Executive Team and deep ties to the academic and technology communities in the U.S. southeast region, with an expanding footprint that includes Silicon Valley and the EU.
In addition to Carbice Space Pad, Carbice Pad is a proven thermal interface material (TIM) delivering stronger surface area cooling performance for the industrial power and data sectors: EV / mobility applications and mission-critical data applications for U.S. national security.
COMPANY OVERVIEW:
Based in Atlanta, GA, the Carbice Corporation provides the world’s first predictable thermal interface solution that is always consistent and simple to apply in small and large-volume manufacturing environments. Carbice solutions enable superior user experience in Design, Manufacturing, Product Use, and Sustainable Recycling. Carbice delivers the power of aligned carbon nanotubes in Carbice ® Pads, which are tunable in their thermal, electrical, mechanical, and electromagnetic properties for numerous application needs and eliminate pump-out, delamination, and compression set failure modes from interfaces. Carbice solutions are designed to provide predictable interface performance for Space Systems, Airborne, Terrestrial, Battery, Power Modules and Data Center high heat dissipating systems. Carbice technology has set the new standard of performance for interface materials while enabling customers to achieve more cost-effective and faster-to-market solutions for critical system design. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
30 Jan 24. Custom Electronics, Inc. (CEI) is a globally recognized manufacturer of top-quality mica paper capacitors and tailored high-voltage assemblies. Its products are widely used throughout the military, commercial and industrial markets for energy storage, filtering and coupling applications. The company offers customizable capacitor packages and sub-assemblies with a variety of terminations, mounting and encapsulating options to meet a range of design requirements. For space and satellite, CEI designs and supplies various high-voltage, high-temperature mica capacitors and subcomponents.
Since 1964, CEI has successfully designed and manufactured the highest-quality custom reconstituted mica paper capacitors available. Its capacitors (with over 15,000 unique designs) are used in many of the most demanding applications imaginable. Historically, every capacitor design has been tailor-made to meet a specific customer’s needs. Various applications include power supplies for communications and weather satellites, pulsed power applications, radar transmitters, guidance system transmitters, airborne or surface radar systems, high voltage transmitters, High Voltage Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) power supplies, ignition systems, laser devices and transmitter power supplies for electronic countermeasures (ECM).
CEI uses “Grade A” mica paper in its capacitors because it is an excellent dielectric. A dielectric is a material that does not conduct electricity, but one that can sustain an electric field in high-voltage capacitors. Mica paper consists of flexible, continuous and uniform layers of mica that are reconstituted or reformed into paper-like electrical insulating material composed of small, thin overlapping platelets.
23 Jan 24. TNO achieves milestone in laser data transfer to Earth. Researchers from TNO have successfully connected a satellite to a ground station on Earth via self-developed laser communication technology — this is the first time this has been achieved with a Dutch laser satellite instrument. The technology enables much faster and safer data transfer than the radio frequencies currently used for communication.
Almost all connections in daily life, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or 5G, are based on radio frequency waves. Partly due to the increase in data consumption, this radio frequency spectrum is slowly filling up, creating scarcity and interference.
Laser satellite communication offers a solution as it can send data faster and more securely via invisible laser signals. Radio frequencies achieve speeds of hundreds of megabits, in some cases several gigabits per second (Gbps). Laser communication achieves speeds of 100 to 1000 times faster. Laser communication links are interesting even at lower speeds because systems are much smaller, lighter and more energy efficient, which is important for space applications. It is also more secure because very narrow optical laser beams are used instead of wide radio signals. This makes eavesdropping more difficult, and interference is quickly detected.
The optical ground station at TNO in The Hague.
The laser communication system, SmallCAT (Small Communication Active Terminal), was launched in April of 2023 by SpaceX aboard a satellite that is operated by the Norwegian Space Agency.
Since then, TNO has been preparing to establish a connection between the satellite, which flies in LEO, and optical ground stations in The Hague (TNO) and Tenerife (ESA ESOC’s IZN-1).
The optical ground station at TNO in The Hague.
During such an experiment, the ground station first sends a signal to the satellite, where it has to be found by the laser communication system on board through its overpass and then sends its laser back to Earth where the ground station needs to capture the signal.
This is incredibly challenging as the satellite is flying at an altitude of 500 kilometers at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour. During several experiments TNO succeeded in finding both ground stations from space and sending back and recapturing the laser beams with extreme precision. Once a link was established, data was transferred from the satellite instrument and received by the optical ground station in The Hague at a maximum data rate of one gigabit per second.
The ground station at TNO in The Hague was developed by TNO together with Airbus Netherlands and is the first time this has been achieved with such a compact satellite instrument of Dutch manufacture. It demonstrates that the terminal on the satellite and the ground station work and can also find each other under real conditions.
This success is an important step in the development of laser terminals (AAC Clyde Space) and Ground Stations (Airbus Netherlands) for the emerging laser communications market and, thus, in the creation of an European ecosystem for fast and secure laser satellite communications. Eventually, the laser communication system is intended to communicate with other European optical ground stations that are part of the ‘Optical Nucleus Network,’ operated by Norway’s KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services).
Laser satellite communication works best if a network of multiple satellites is built for that purpose. Ultimately a constellation of satellites is needed for a reliable network.
The satellite instrument is developed by a TNO-led consortium that includes AAC Hyperion (part of AAC Clyde Space) for the onboard electronics, drivers as well as software, and Gooch & Housego (laser transmitter). The development was financed with Netherlands Space Office (NSO) funds through the ESA ARTES ScyLight program and the Dutch Ministry of Defense’s innovation budget.
TNO also contributed in co-funding this program. The optical ground station in The Hague is developed by TNO in collaboration with Airbus Netherlands B.V., ASA, and Digos.
Kees Buijsrogge, director TNO Space, said, “This pivotal milestone marks a significant achievement in advancing technological sovereignty for both the Netherlands and Europe in a strong NATO, as it will enable faster and more secure broadband connectivity. It’s a provisional outcome of collaborative endeavors within a nascent Dutch industry specializing in optical satellite communication.” (Source: Satnews)
22 Jan 24. Pixxel to launch six home-built hyper-spectral Fireflies satellites in June. Pixxel recently launched its satellite manufacturing unit, Mega Pixxel, in Bengaluru where it can assemble, integrate and test 40 satellites weighing 100 kilograms every year as the nascent company aims to take a leap in the space sector.
“If you are looking at 100-kilogram micro-satellites which are able to do a whole lot of stuff in terms of actual commercial viability, we can do 20 of them at a single point in time. The turnaround time from getting them assembled to ship-to-launch is about six months. That makes it 40 every year,” Awais Ahmed, founder and CEO Pixxel, told PTI.
Ahmed said Pixxel aims to launch six 100-kilogram satellites, named Fireflies, by June, and add another 12 next year to monitor in over 250 spectral bands at five-meter spatial resolution — the highest in commercial hyper-spectral satellites.
He said Pixxel also plans to launch six heavier satellites — Honeybees — next year to complete its constellation of 24 satellites with an ability to revisit any location on Earth within a 24-hour cycle.
At five meters, the Fireflies have better resolution than the demonstration satellites Shakuntala and Anand that Pixxel launched aboard SpaceX and PSLV rockets, respectively, in 2022, Ahmed said.
The satellite manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, inaugurated on January 15 by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath, spans more than 30,000 square feet and comprises two modern clean rooms of ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 that safeguard against contaminants, which can impair satellite functionality during the assembly and integration process.
Additionally, it also houses labs for advanced camera integration, electronics research and development, and electrical assembly; along with a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and an office space that can accommodate more than 200 employees.
“The facility enables us to assemble, manufacture and test satellites under our own roof, meaning we can control the schedule; we can iterate faster without being dependent on anyone external to do that,” Ahmed said.
“The faster we can build satellites for ourselves and some other customers of ours, the faster we can keep turning it around, that momentum will keep us moving forward. This is just about gaining more control of the supply chain, the assembly sequence and getting those satellites up there,” he said.
Pixxel raised USD 36 m in Series B funding last year from Google, Lightspeed and other investors. So far, it has raised USD 71 m since its founding in 2018.
“We are not in want of money right now. We just have to keep our heads down and execute. However, we will go in for funding post the launch of Fireflies in June,” Ahmed said.
Pixxel has clients such as the Union Ministry of Agriculture, Rio Tinto, National Reconnaissance Organisation of the US, and other global organizations.
Data from Pixxel satellites will be critical in helping global organizations closely monitor emissions, water pollution, gas leaks, oil spills, soil composition, forest biodiversity and crop health in unprecedented detail and at faster speeds.
The company also won the iDEX grant to build a satellite bus for the Indian Air Force and is also putting together a 150-kilogram satellite for it. (Source: Satnews)
21 Jan 24. Lockheed Martin + Indra sign industry teaming agreement. The agreement, signed by Ray Piselli, vice president International, Lockheed Martin, and José Vicente de los Mozos, chief executive officer Indra, paves the way for engineers at the Spanish company to develop and manufacture defence and training systems for Spain and other world markets.
For more than 20 years, Lockheed Martin has supported the Spanish Navy in its missions through delivering highly capable systems for F-100 frigates, S-80 submarines, MH-60R and SH-60B helicopters.
Indra is the leading Spanish engineering technology company serving the Defence industry. The company’s state-of-the-art solutions cover all defence domains, ranging from operations with end-to-end defence systems and onboard systems of the most advanced platforms to training with cutting-edge simulation systems. As an expert in radar, electronic defence, command and control and communication technologies, Indra incorporates artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality and combat clouds in its cutting-edge critical defence systems.
The company is the Spanish company participating in the largest number of European Union-led projects, coordinating some of the most important. It also exports its radars to five continents and is one of the principal suppliers of transportable tactical radars for NATO.
Ray Piselli said, “Developing mutually beneficial relationships with Spanish industry is a key focus for our team. This new agreement with Indra will strengthen our enduring relationship with Spain. It shows Lockheed Martin is a corporate citizen that is here for the long-term to support Spanish security, its industry, and the national economy for decades to come.”
“At Indra we’ve already proven that we believe in collaboration so that the Spanish defence industry can show its full potential, and this partnership with one of the world’s giants in the sector will undoubtedly contribute to that goal,” said Indra chairman, Marc Murtra.
José Vicente de los Mozos said, “This agreement with Lockheed Martin highlights the value of the cutting-edge technology we’re developing in Spain in areas such as air defence, radars, electronic defence, cyberdefence, simulation and sustainment, as well as our capacity to integrate, manufacture and market systems worldwide. Collaboration in these areas strengthens our position and that of the Spanish industry as a whole.” (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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