30 Oct 24. Maxar’s working on a 3D-mapping tool to replace GPS.
The plan is to test and have it ready for use next year, officials said.
If GPS goes down, could aircraft navigate by comparing what they sense around them to detailed three-dimensional maps? A major satellite imagery company believes so.
Maxar’s nascent Pinpoint tool will use a drone’s video feed to infer its surroundings in 3D, then match that to maps built with the company’s P3DR, for Precision 3D Registration, said chief product officer Peter Wilczynski.
While most mapping technology is “focused on flat representations of the world,” Wilczynski said, Pinpoint will answer “how do you use that three-dimensional representation to help drones navigate, to help planes navigate, to help understand when you get a video feed from a drone or from an aircraft, what position is it actually looking at in the world.”
He said it could be an alternative to GPS, which can be vulnerable to enemy interference.
That’s important in part because of “all of the jamming issues we’ve seen in Ukraine,” he said. “I think what we’re going to see in the next few years is sort of a shift back from this absolute navigation system of GPS towards a much more referential navigation system, more like what happened when you were in a ship and you were looking at the stars.”
The fast-growing Maxar began developing Pinpoint after Wilczynski arrived from Palantir this summer. The company also recently hired Matt Santangelo as chief financial officer and Matt Jenkins to be its chief space systems officer.
The plan for Pinpoint is to finish several pilot programs with domestic and foreign drone makers by next summer, and then make the tech broadly available.
“We’re working with some different companies across the value chain. Some companies that manufacture the gimbals, some who manufacture the full [unmanned aerial vehicle]. There’s a bunch of different types: attritable, more expendable, some of the more enduring UAV. So we’re trying to experiment with this market,” Wilczynski said. “This market is really developing quickly now, as people sort of realize across the defense community that GPS, which we’ve relied on for so long, may not be available in the next conflict.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense One)
30 Oct 24. A New Satellite Agreement to Strengthen the Pan-African Strategic Partnership Between France and Morocco.
- French President Emmanuel Macron set to meet with Moroccan King Mohammed VI on a state visit this week.
- Morocco’s Panafsat and Thales Alenia Space sign memorandum of understanding to build a pan-African satellite telecommunications system.
Moroccan company Panafsat and Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), today announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a Moroccan satellite communications system. The system will deliver very-high-throughput services (VHTS) to 26 African countries, 23 of them in French-speaking Africa, covering a combined population of around 550 m people over an area spanning 12 m square kilometers.
The memorandum of understanding between the Moroccan operator Panafsat and Thales Alenia Space was signed today as part of the state visit of French President, Emmanuel Macron, to the Kingdom of Morocco,in the presence of Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Moroccan Minister of the Economy and Finance and Antoine Armand, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry.
Under the MoU, Thales Alenia Space will build a very-high-performance flexible satellite. Once in orbit, the satellite will deliver high-speed internet to accelerate the transformation of Africa’s digital landscape. This will be achieved by providing the connectivity required for high value-added services for the benefit of governments, businesses and individuals. It will also help bridge the digital divide in rural and isolated communities.
Chairman and CEO of Panafsat Ahmed Toumi stated: “This project is the next key stage in the digital transformation process and the development of a digital economy in Morocco, and across Africa as a whole. It will change the lives of ms of people, eager to benefit from Internet access and all the essential services they need. We are delighted to be able to draw on the outstanding expertise and capabilities of a partner like Thales Alenia Space. We look forward to working together on this major project, which will bring significant benefits across the continent.”
Thales Alenia Space CEO Hervé Derrey added: “It is a privilege for Thales Alenia Space to be chosen by Panafsat to deliver this new geostationary telecommunications satellite. The project will make a significant contribution to bridging the digital divide in rural areas, as well as boosting economic growth and strengthening digital sovereignty across the African continent. We are honored to embark on this long-term partnership with Africa’s foremost private operator, helping it to expand its capabilities and develop space services for the benefit of the entire continent.”
The MoU is part of a roadmap developed by France and Morocco encompassing digitalization initiatives such as Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) and Digital Morocco 2030, as well as the hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2030 in Morocco. (Source: ASD Network)
28 Oct 24. BAE Systems (LON:BA) successfully demonstrated M-Code signal tracking with an Increment 2 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver powered by the company’s Next-Generation Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). This technological breakthrough is part of the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Increment (Inc) 2 Miniature Serial Interface (MSI) program, the result of a $247 m contract received by BAE Systems in 2020 from U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command.
BAE Systems demonstrates major advancement in core signal processing capability.
“This development milestone validates that we have the core of our next-generation GNSS user equipment technology in place,” said Luke Bishop, director of Navigation and Sensor Systems at BAE Systems. “This capability is foundational to powering future generations of assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) products for the U.S. and its allies.”
Increment 2 is a significant leap forward in core signal processing capability and supports advanced signal processing, including support for additional satellite networks. The program will develop and qualify a small form factor receiver for use in applications requiring low size, weight, and power. This allows for easier integration into a wider range of platforms, such as battery-powered handheld receivers.
This builds upon the flexibility offered by BAE Systems’ current Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) and M-Code Increment 1 products. It provides more capability to outpace the threat, including field reprogramming and a flexible software configuration to meet mission needs.
BAE Systems’ extensive portfolio of M-Code GPS and anti-jam products provides flexible, efficient, and reliable navigation and guidance solutions for airborne systems, precision munitions, handheld receivers, and embedded applications. Development of the Increment 2 MSI program is conducted at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where its team is unlocking the future power of this Next-Generation capability.
Details on the company’s full line of military GPS, GNSS, and AJ products can be found at https://baesystems.com/gps. (Source: PR Newswire)
28 Oct 24. TelePIX Successfully Demonstrates Its Satellite AI Processor, TetraPLEX, in Space. TelePIX, a total satellite solution company, announced the successful completion of the in-space demonstration of TetraPLEX, an artificial intelligence (AI) processor for satellites launched in August. This marks the world’s first successful demonstration of real-time, high-speed parallel processing of satellite big data AI model in the extreme conditions of space.
Unusable satellite imagery with identified image quality issues (Left), Result of precision-calibrated image reconstruction by TetraPLEX (Right)
TetraPLEX, developed by TelePIX, is an on-board processor that enables AI processing and edge computing directly on the satellite without the need to transmit information collected from space to a ground station. TetraPLEX has the advantages of dramatically reducing cost and time, significantly reducing data loss.
TetraPLEX, launched using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August, reached an altitude of approximately 597 kilometers. It conducted a series of in-orbit performance tests for its satellite image preprocessing and attitude control estimation algorithms, both of which performed successfully and stably in the space environment. Notably, the satellite image preprocessing was completed in just 11 seconds, approximately 35 times faster than it would have under a conventional FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) board.
The demonstration confirmed that all three data processing boards of TetraPLEX were functioning normally. The three boards are APB (Application Processor Board) containing the satellite image preprocessing and satellite attitude control estimation algorithms, the DIB (Data Interface Board) verifying the sensor data interface, and the IPB (Intelligent Processing Board) responsible for AI processing based on a commercial GPU (graphics processing unit) platform.
The primary focus of the demonstration is the operation of the satellite image preprocessing algorithm. TetraPLEX development team, led by Dongshik Won, director of Future Innovation Research Team, confirmed that the images were processed at the same level of quality as on the ground, despite the harsh space environment of radiation, thermal shock, and vacuum. The computational results of the logic on board the TetraPLEX matched the results on the ground with 100% accuracy. This breakthrough is expected to revolutionize satellite image preprocessing without the need for extensive ground station infrastructure, allowing for various satellite image preprocessing algorithms to be used in space.
Additionally, the attitude control estimation algorithm was also performed normally. In order to operate satellites stably, the complex sensor data processing operations required for attitude control and determination must be performed quickly and accurately. TelePIX successfully achieved these results by equipping TetraPLEX with a Kalman filter algorithm (a statistical technique that filters out noise from reality data to calculate accurate numbers) for satellite attitude estimation.
TelePIX will conduct a final confirmation of the stable operation of TetraPLEX in space over the next four months. During this time, the TetraPLEX will be evaluated for the possibility of unexpected failure due to radiation buildup in the space environment. The data gathered from this demonstration will be used to further advance the reliability and sustainability of the next-generation model.
“Enhancing the efficiency of space missions through high-performance on-board processors is just the beginning,” said Seonghui Kim, CTO of TelePIX. “Building on the success of this demonstration, we plan to implement more complex and advanced algorithms on satellites. This technological advancement will maximize the success rate of space missions and lead the future of satellite data processing.”
TelePIX is a Korean satellite specialized company with technologies for the entire satellite industry cycle, from satellite payloads to satellite data processing and value-added solutions. The company has earned global acclaim, including winning the CES 2024 Innovation Award and being selected as a World Economic Forum (WEF) Technology Pioneer 2024. TelePIX recently showcased its innovations, including TetraPLEX, at International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024, the world’s largest space congress, where TelePIX had an exclusive pavilion as an official sponsor. (Source: PR Newswire)
29 Oct 24. PCI Geomatics, an innovative veteran in the Earth Observation industry, announced that it will be the first commercial entity globally to offer CEOS compliant, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Satellite Optical imagery.
PCI Geomatics Enterprise Inc. (DBA CATATLYST), an innovative veteran in the Earth observation industry, announced today that its Normalized Radar Backscatter (NRB) product has met all required standards and has been officially recognized as Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) compliant. This achievement underscores CATALYST’s collaboration with major space agencies, including JAXA and NASA, in advancing analysis-ready data (ARD), aligning with CEOS’ efforts in biodiversity monitoring. CATALYST has also initiated the peer review process to gain CEOS compliance for its Surface Reflectance product family specification, further expanding commitment to data quality and standardization.
With over 40 years of experience in image processing and data integration, CATALYST has developed advanced ARD processing pipelines for both multispectral optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. These innovations are especially timely as the industry experiences increasing demand for multi-temporal data extraction and the integration of big data and AI in Earth observation
“We’re proud to be at the forefront of ARD technology,” states Kevin Jones, Vice President of Product. “Our sensor-agnostic approach to ARD production aligns with CEOS’ mission to standardize and ensure the quality of Earth observation data, supporting critical research and scientific efforts to address the impacts of climate change.”
Partnering with CEOS to achieve these certifications allows CATALYST to highlight the increasing importance and value of multi-temporal analysis. In today’s data-driven world, standards are more critical than ever, ensuring that individuals, businesses, and space agencies can rely on data to deliver scientifically validated insights. PCI Geomatics, through CATALYST, is leading this growing market by becoming the first commercial entity to offer sensor-agnostic ARD product generation capabilities that meet CEOS compliance standards.
“Commercialization in the space sector are key to accelerating innovation, expanding access, and driving sustainable growth.” says Dr Paul Bate, CEO, UK Space Agency and Chairman of CEOS. “By fostering collaboration between private enterprises and governmental space agencies, we can unlock new technologies, create jobs and make space more accessible. Strong partnerships between industry leaders like CATALYST and CEOS, fuel this competitive environment by reducing costs, multiplying opportunities and making breakthroughs happen faster.”
CATALYST remains an industry leader, recognizing the pivotal role CEOS plays in defining global Earth observation data standards. This achievement also reflects the powerful collaboration between CEOS and space agencies, like the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which supported CATALYST in advancing its scientific capabilities. CATALYST’s expertise remains sought after by other agencies, including the South African National Space Agency (Sansa), during the development of the SPOT ARD workflow, further showcasing CATALYST’s commitment to driving innovation in Earth observation technologies across both public and commercial sectors.
For more information about CATALYST and its ARD solutions, please visit catalyst.earth
About CATALYST
CATALYST is a PCI Geomatics brand that delivers scalable business solutions using the power of Earth Observation (EO) data and analytics. We work closely with our clients to implement business friendly solutions that allow decision makers to make more informed and faster decisions about their assets, operations, risk, and sustainability efforts.
28 Oct 24. US Space Force sees surge in foreign military sales demand. The U.S. Space Force saw a sixfold increase in demand for foreign military sales over the last year – growth that the service attributes to the increasingly important role space systems play in economic and national security worldwide.
Space Systems Command’s FMS division saw a 500% increase in requests between 2023 and 2024. The service last week finalized its largest FMS agreement to date — a $126 m deal with the Canadian Armed Forces that will give the country access to the U.S. Space Force’s Mobile User Objective System, a satellite fleet capable of providing ultra-high frequency satellite communications to troops operating during bad weather and in challenging terrain.
According to Deanna Ryals, director of international affairs for the service, that increased interest spans a range of satellites and sensors. And it comes as the U.S. is taking a more forward-leaning posture toward exporting space capabilities to other countries.
“As nations have started to prioritize space as a national need or a national capability that they want to invest in, many nations do not have their own industrial base for space yet,” Ryals told reporters in a briefing at SSC’s Space Industry Days conference in Los Angeles. “People are starting to see the advantage of military space and commercial space, and that drives the need for having a way to buy it.”
The U.S. has traditionally kept a tight hold on its sovereign space systems, sharing technology and hardware only with a select few partners due to security concerns. But as space-enabled technologies like GPS and satellite communications play an increasingly prominent role in everyday life, Ryals said, it’s harder to make a case against allowing friendly nations to access American-made systems.
With that demand in mind, the service is working closely with the Air Force’s international affairs office to improve the FMS process. Earlier this year, the Air Force unveiled a Space Technology and Resources baseline, which provides a list of capabilities within each mission area that are approved for export. The list includes everything from satellites and ground radars to sensors to component technologies like cameras or mirrors.
Having that document — which was created with input from her office and is being updated with input from industry partners — helps streamline the sales process, Ryals said.
“If we’ve got some capabilities that we know we’re ready to put out there for sale or for export, having that assessment done ahead of time that these are assets that we’re going to sell makes it a lot easier,” she said. (Source: Defense News)
23 Oct 24. Blue Origin could cite ‘don’t mess with Texas’ as NS-27 finally launched from Corn Ranch
Today, Blue Origin’s 27th mission debuted the second human-rated vehicle for the New Shepard program, enabling expanded flight capacity to better meet growing customer demand.
“We look forward to welcoming crew onboard RSS Kármán Line soon and offering the New Shepard flight experience to people across the world from all backgrounds,” said Phil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard. “On every New Shepard mission, we’ve witnessed people return to Earth changed by this experience, and with a renewed sense of commitment to preserve our planet.”
The flight carried five payloads on the booster and seven inside the crew capsule, including tens of thousands of postcards flying as part of Club for the Future’s Postcards to Space program. Each postcard will be returned to its creator stamped “Flown to Space.” Digital postcards can be submitted here.
If you’re interested in purchasing an astronaut seat on New Shepard, please visit here. For payload inquiries, go here.
Blue Origin to hopefully launch NS-27 Wednesday after two previous scrubs
New crew capsule, RSS Kármán Line. Credit Blue Origin
Blue Origin is ready to launch the uncrewed NS-27 mission at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), 8:00 AM PDT on Wednesday, October 23, from West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, sending a brand-new New Shepard rocket-capsule combo on a brief trip to suborbital space.
Blue Origin released a statement on October 4 before the first attempt at a launch, “The vehicle features technology upgrades to improve the vehicle’s performance and reusability, an updated livery and accommodations for payloads on the booster.”
The history of the New Shepard 27 mission began on October 7 which was scrubbed following an extended hold while the technical team attempted to troubleshoot an issue with the vehicle. Another try six days later was scuttled by a GPS issue. (Source: Satnews)
24 Oct 24. SpaceX launches on beautiful California beach the NROL-167 on top secret mission for National Reconnaissance Office. The day was picture perfect in California so that on Thursday, October 24 at 10:13 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the NROL-167 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was the 100th liftoff of Falcon 9 this year.
This was the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-113, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and 14 Starlink missions.
The secret mission, NROL-167, was the 100th Falcon 9 liftoff of 2024.
The mission is suspected to launch a fourth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 24 for a Falcon 9 launch of the NROL-167 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 10:13 a.m. PT. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, October 25 at 9:59 a.m. PT. The launch cost is $52,000,000.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about ten minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch at spacex.com and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
The forecast calls for a temperature of 61°F, broken clouds, 62% cloud cover and a wind speed of 4mph.
This is the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-113, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and 14 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission is suspected to launch a fourth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities. (Source: Satnews)
22 Oct 24. Boeing satellite explodes in space, debris in orbit, further adding to the company’s difficulties. A Boeing-made satellite exploded in space, creating further fodder to the crisis-hit aerospace company. After confirming the satellite incident over the weekend, Intelsat has now said it believes IS-33e is a “total loss”.
On Saturday an “anomaly” caused it to unexpectedly break apart, a statement from Intelsat said, bringing a halt to communications.
The Intelsat IS-33e satellite’s approximately 20 pieces of debris from the craft now in orbit is being tracked by the U.S. Space Force.
Intelsat’s customers who relied on the satellite’s services were being transferred to other assets or satellites operated by third parties. Officials stated that they had “observed no immediate threats” but were continuing to monitor the situation.
The IS-33e satellite, which is owned and operated by Intelsat, was kept in geostationary orbit to provide telecoms, broadcasting and other services to customers back on Earth.
The company added, “We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations.
“A failure review board has been convened to complete a comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”
The situation brings further light to the company that is currently struggling with other major issues included the stranding of NASA’s astronauts after malfunctions on Starliner spacecraft, and a major safety failure on a 737 Max 9 passenger plane. (Source: Satnews)
24 Oct 24. True Anomaly’s multi-launch agreement with Firefly Aerospace to launch Jackal autonomous orbital vehicle for U.S.S.F.. New multi-launch agreement between Firefly Aerospace and True Anomaly includes three Alpha missions to provide rapid launch capabilities for Tactically Responsive Space mission sets.
Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, and space defense technology company True Anomaly, Inc., today announced a multi-launch agreement for three responsive launch missions aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket.
The first mission will deploy the True Anomaly Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle (AOV) for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission targeted for 2025. The two additional missions are available for execution between 2025 and 2027.
True Anomaly’s Jackal AOV.
True Anomaly first announced it was selected for the VICTUS HAZE mission in April of 2024. Now with support from Firefly, the company will execute four main phases: build, hot standby, launch, and on-orbit operations.
During the build phase, True Anomaly will complete development and testing of its Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle at its factory GravityWorks in Denver, Colorado, and transport it to Firefly’s SLC-2 payload processing facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California for fueling, integration, and encapsulation in Alpha’s fairing. The True Anomaly and Firefly joint mission team will then enter the hot standby phase while the encapsulated payload remains stored in Firefly’s environmentally controlled processing facility.
True Anomaly and Firefly will remain on call until the U.S. Space Force provides the notice to launch. The Firefly team will then have 24 hours to transport the payload fairing to the pad, mate the fairing to Alpha, fuel the rocket, and launch within the first available window. Once True Anomaly’s Jackal spacecraft is deployed, True Anomaly will begin its on-orbit operations.
“VICTUS HAZE is an exemplar for how strong partnerships between the U.S. government and an exceptional industry team can create asymmetric capabilities at record speeds,” said Evan Rogers, Co-founder and CEO of True Anomaly. “Firefly Aerospace has consistently demonstrated innovation and agility in the rapidly evolving landscape of responsive space launch logistics and space vehicle deployment. We are confident that they will build on their track record from VICTUS NOX, enabling True Anomaly to deploy the Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle for VICTUS HAZE. The procurement of additional rapid, responsive launch capacity from Firefly beyond VICTUS HAZE, paired with True Anomaly’s rapid manufacturing capability, will enable standing capacity for the U.S. National Security Space enterprise to rapidly respond to mission requirements in Low Earth Orbit and Medium Earth Orbit.“
Evan continued, “With the significant advantages in AI, and the workload of human operators required to rapidly interpret changes, it still remains critical that human guidance is available to continue to protect the users and technology in order to provide the ultimate outcome.”
“After launching VICTUS NOX last year, the Firefly team is ready to hit the ground running to support another rapid launch for tactically responsive space,” said Jason Kim, CEO at Firefly Aerospace. “We are honored by the vote of confidence from True Anomaly and the U.S. Space Force in Firefly’s ability to unlock repeatable, on-demand launch capabilities that enable our nation to respond to urgent on-orbit needs.”
VICTUS HAZE will be the second U.S. Space Force mission Firefly has supported with its rapid launch capabilities. In September 2023, Firefly successfully launched the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS NOX mission following a 24-hour notice, demonstrating a critical capability for the United States to rapidly respond to on-orbit needs during a conflict or in response to a national security threat. The Firefly team has since operated every Alpha launch as a responsive space demonstration, enabling the team to continue practicing and streamlining its rapid launch capabilities for both government and commercial customers. (Source: Satnews)