ABL Space Systems, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers, recently completed a successful test campaign of its E2 rocket engine at Spaceport America.

When operational, RS1 will fill an important role in the global launch vehicle market, providing bulk deployment of cubesats, deployment of three to six larger, more capable satellites, or dedicated launch of single satellites with aggressive mission requirements.

ABL CFO Dan Piemont said Spaceport America provided the perfect location and support staff for us to test the E2 rocket engine. The team did a great job rapidly activating the firm’s deployable test site and are happy with how E2 performed. This campaign was an important step toward bringing the RS1 launch vehicle to market.

Dan Hicks, Spaceport America CEO, said Spaceport America is providing testing support for a variety of commercial and government clients. With the company’s excellent staff, near perfect climate and restricted airspace, we are a leader in providing service for the space industry.

During final countdown operations for Flight VS23, the Soyuz launcher’s automated sequence was interrupted at 1 hour 25 minutes before liftoff. 

As a result, the launch of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation, CHEOPS, OPS-SAT, EyeSat, ANGELS satellites – originally scheduled for December 17 – has been postponed.

The Soyuz launcher and its satellite payloads were placed in a fully safe standby mode.

The new target launch date will be announced as soon as possible.

The launch will take place via an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana (with co-passenger CHEOPS), European Space Agency‘s (ESA) 30 cm. high OPS-SAT smallsat flying lab is planned for injection into a circular, polar orbit at 515 km. altitude.

Photo of a replica of ESA’s OPS-SAT. The smallsat is made up of three standardized 10x10x10 cm. cubesat units with deployable solar panels on each side. Image is courtesy of ESA.

The smallsat will be controlled from the dedicated SMILE control room at ESOC. A flying laboratory, ESA’s OPS-SAT’s sole purpose is to test and validate improved mission control and on-board satellite systems, especially relevant when smallsats are able to fly with more powerful computers aboard them. OPS-SAT will pack a computer that is 10x more powerful than any previous or current ESA satellite.

The robustness of the basic satellite itself will give ESA flight control teams the confidence they need to upload and try out new, innovative control software submitted by experimenters; the satellite can be pushed to its limits but can always be recovered if something goes wrong. To manage these tasks, OPS-SAT combines off-the-shelf subsystems typically used with cubesats, the latest terrestrial microelectronics for the on-board computer and the experience ESA has gained in operating satellites for the last 40 years in keeping missions safe.

The SMILE lab – known more formally as the Special Mission Infrastructure Lab Environment – offers a flexible operations control area, a suite of small antennas and ESA’s expertise and know-how to support academia, business and start-ups in the area of mission operations. Photo is courtesy of ESA.

The result is an open, flying ‘laboratory’ that will be available for on-orbit demonstration of new control systems and software that would be too risky to trial on a ‘real’ satellite. More than 100 companies and institutions from 17 European countries have registered experimental proposals to fly on OPS-SAT.

The on-orbit laboratory will offer a range of resources, including processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), cameras, and an attitude determination and control system, all of which experimenters will be able to exploit for demonstrating new mission and operations concepts.

OPS-SAT during testing of its solar arrays at the Graz University of Technology, Austria.

Photo is courtesy of TU Graz.

The OPS-SAT architecture consists of two major parts. The first is the OPS-SAT ‘bus,’ which provides the necessary infrastructure to operate the second part, the payload. However, in this case, once the payload is running, it can take over control of the entire satellite, while the bus monitors and is ready to take control back at any moment.

The Payload

Processing Platform
The heart of the OPS-SAT satellite payload is the processing platform, which is responsible for providing a reconfigurable environment able to fulfil the objectives of each experiment. The processing platform runs Linux, as the operating system consists of a flexible and reconfigurable framework, featuring sophisticated processing capabilities, interfaces, memory integrity and reconfigurable logic.

Artistic rendition of ESA’s OP-SAT on-orbit.

Image is courtesy of ESA.

The platform consists of an ‘Altera Cyclone V SoC’ with an ARM dual-core Cortex-A9 MPCore and a Cyclone V FPGA. OPS-SAT experimenters will provide bootable images for this processing platform. These images will undergo certain pre-checks before loading to the spacecraft. Power consumption and temperature of the processing core will also be monitored by the on-board computer to provide additional safety mechanisms.

Fine Attitude Determination Control System (ADCS) + GPS Receiver
An integrated, fine ADCS will provide the experimenters with access to sensors and actuators as well as integrated attitude control functionality and consists of gyros, accelerometers, magnetometers, reaction wheels, three magnetorquers and a Star Tracker. A GPS module is also provided in order for experimenters to have access to positioning data and time information.

S-Band Transponder
For high data-rate communications, a CCSDS-compatible S-band communication link, acting as the main link for data communications and TM/TC with ESA ground stations, is provided. This comms link will provide uplink speeds of up to 256 kbit/s and downlink speeds of up to 1 Mbit/s. The S-band link will be used to upload experimenter’s’ software and download results of on-board experiments.

X-Band Transmitter
An X-band transmitter with high data-rate communications of up to 50 Mbit/s.

Camera
A high-resolution camera which can provide a ground resolution of up to 80m x 80m per pixel.

Optical Uplink
An optical receiver will be provided that can receive commands from a laser ranging station on Earth. An uplink rate of 2 kbps is expected.

Software Defined Radio (SDR)
A software-defined radio front end will be provided, connected to one of the pair of dipoles in the UHF antenna. The results of this experiment will be made available on the processing core for further processing by experimenters, for example, providing a flying spectrum analyzer.

Interfaces
Experimenters will be able to communicate with their flying experiments in various ways, ranging from offline file transfer only, to receiving and sending space packets in real-time with a brand new CCSDS protocol (MO services) over the internet.

The ESOC-1 antenna is a 3.7 meter single parabolic reflector – a key part of ESA’s SMILE mini-mission control and validation center.

Photo is courtesy of ESA.

Project status
SMILE!, ESA’s mini-mission control facilities, are now open to the public

Funding
The project is funded by the ESA General Support Technology Program. This project kicked off on February 4, 2015, with the prime contractor, the Technische Universität Graz, and subcontractors.

GomSpace (GS) and Lockheed Martin Space have agreed to develop and deliver a tailored GS 6U smallsat to Orbital Micro Systems (OMS) in the United Kingdom (UK).

The contract is worth 17 MSEK and will be financed through an industrial corporation commitment made by Lockheed Martin to the state of Denmark.

The project stems from initial introductory meetings first held in 2017, during B2B17 a business networking event aimed at developing new business relationships for the US-based technology company in Denmark.

OMS has developed a proprietary microwave sensor with significant potential to add value to weather forecasting and climate understanding to the benefit of users in a range of commercial and institutional segments. OMS is planning a future nanosatellite constellation to capture data for their intended service offerings and is currently in the early stages of constellation deployment.

Lockheed Martin will financially assist GS to design, develop an optimised 6U smallsat platform for the OMS sensor and GS will deliver the integrated 6U satellite to OMS by the end of 2020 for expected launch and evaluation in 2021. Lockheed Martin will also assist GS by providing technical assistance to review and improve GS quality systems, as well as enhance the smallsat’s design life.

​OMS, established both in the United States and the UK, consists of an experienced team with unique microwave technology and application knowledge. For Lockheed Martin, which has launched more than 150 smallsats, investing in this project aligns with the company’s expectations that many future space missions will be flown using hybrid architectures with a mixture of SmallSats and traditional larger satellites in a variety of orbits.

Niels Buus, the GomSpace CEO, said this is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how GomSpace’s flight-proven systems can be tailored into a dedicated solution for OMS that will hopefully prove itself as the building block for OMS’ intended constellation.

CEO, William Hosack, from OMS, added that the company looks forward to working with GomSpace and are truly impressed with their demonstrated capabilities in space and the prospect of leveraging these capabilities in a new 6U platform, adding robustness to the company’s supply chain.

Amber Gell, International Advanced Programs Development Manager from Lockheed Martin, noted the company is pleased to be able to bring together this project to help create a state-of-the-art nanosatellite and microwave sensing capabilities.

A partnership was announced that will enable a developer of next-generation smallsat propulsion systems to work with a major university that will build and test the first flight units of this propulsion system.

The names of those involved are as follows;

Orbion Space Technology, developer of next-generation smallsat propulsion systems, announced a partnership with the University of Michigan’s Space Physics Research Laboratory (UM-SPRL), described as a world leader in the design, construction, operation, and analysis of space flight instruments. The University will build and test Orbion’s first flight units of the electrical power processor (PPU) used to drive their plasma thruster.

The Orbion PPU is an electrical component that transmits the energy harvested from spacecraft solar panels to the plasma thruster, where the energy is used to exhaust a beam of ions to create gentle yet efficient thrust.

Orbion and SPRL will implement an innovative architecture that takes advantage of recent advances in high-end automotive electrical components to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of space power systems. This will not only reduce the cost of Orbion’s PPU by 20x, but it will also allow Orbion to mass-produce their plasma propulsion system using assembly-line manufacturing techniques.

With the PPU design and prototype units already developed and tested extensively by Orbion in space-simulation facilities, UM-SPRL will qualify the Orbion PPU for use in the most rigorous space environments and will supply the first units that will propel Orbion systems to Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond.

Founded in 1946 at the University of Michigan, SPRL has a rich history of building electronics for interplanetary probes to Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, with several Mars instrumentation projects ongoing for both NASA and the ESA.

Dr. Brad King, CEO of Orbion Space Technology said that plasma thrusters are the most efficient propulsion systems available for smallsat applications, but historically they have been too expensive for commercial use and they take too long to build. They look forward to working with SPRL to pioneer new design and manufacturing techniques that will industrialize space propulsion systems to allow smallsat operators to maximize their investments, and ultimately, their long-distance missions.

Patrick McNally, Managing Director of UM-SPRL added that UM-SPRL specializes in advancing new technologies and demonstrating their capabilities in extreme environments, including space.  They have complete facilities and personnel for the design, fabrication, and qualification of space flight hardware.  The collaboration with Orbion is part of their mission to support Michigan companies and is a continuation of the work they have done for over 72 years.  

Orbion recently announced plans to manufacture and mass-produce the Orbion Aurora Hall-effect plasma thruster system for small satellites. Orbion states that Aurora is the highest-performing system of its kind in the world, and will deliver the accelerated access and efficiency gains that New Space operators need to drive greater ROI for smallsat missions. 

China’s first LEO 5G broadband satellite.

Photo is courtesy of China News Service.

China’s first LEO 5G broadband satellite with high capacity to meet international competition will be launched by Chinese commercial aerospace company, Galaxy Space, at the end of December, according to a statement sent to the Global Times.

The satellite is the first in China to be built with a capacity of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) and it will be, according to the company, the world’s first LEO broadband satellite in the Q-/V-band, an extremely high frequency band.

The satellite has already been developed and ground tests have been carried out with stable results. Once in place, the satellite will be able to cover an area of 300,000 square kilometers, roughly 50 times the size of Shanghai. It is expected to narrow the technological gap between Chinese and U.S. companies OneWweb and SpaceX, who have already deployed LEO communications satellites.

Aerospace expert, Zhang Shijie, said it is increasingly important for Chinese commercial aerospace companies to achieve high spectrum band resources, alongside the rapid development of global commercial communications satellites.

The broad coverage of LEO satellites could mean easier access to internet for people in remote areas, as well as more simultaneous data transmission for time-sensitive professions, including live news broadcasting and trading.

Article source: Global Times, Li Yan

SpeQtral has now accepted the operations of the SpooQy-1 smallsat on behalf of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore.

SpooQy-1 is a shoebox-sized, 3U cubesat hosting a quantum payload developed at CQT. The smallsat was launched April of 2019 and then deployed from the International Space Station on June 17, 2019. The quantum payload is the world’s first entangled photon source compact enough to fit on a smallsat and qualified for the harsh space environment.

The primary objective of the SpooQy-1 mission is to produce and characterize entangled photon pairs in space such that they violate the CHSH (Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt) Bell’s inequality. This is a core capability for future quantum communication networks. The CQT team is analyzing scientific data from the mission and expects to publish results on the source’s performance in 2020.

The SpooQy-1 smallsat.

In the meantime, CQT and SpeQtral have signed an agreement allowing SpeQtral to manage ongoing operations. Formed as a spin-out company to commercialize quantum communications technologies developed at CQT, SpeQtral will monitor the long-term performance of the quantum payload for radiation damage and other degradation effects in the space environment. This information will help guide the development of long-lived quantum systems in space, necessary for the commercial deployment of space-based QKD systems.

Artur Ekert, Director of CQT, said establishing a partnership for the SpooQy mission plays to all of the firm’s strengths: at the Centre for Quantum Technologies, the organization will concentrate on scientific objectives, while SpeQtral focuses on commercial applications.

Chune Yang Lum, Co-Founder and CEO of SpeQtral, added that SpooQy-1 is pioneering quantum technologies for space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. Being involved in this mission gives SpeQtral know-how that serves the company;s goal of delivering next-generation secure communication networks.

Additional information is available at this infolink…

Israeli students at work on the Duchifat-3 satellite.

Duchifat-3, the third satellite in the Duchifat satellite series, is an experimental and educational spacecraft developed by high school students at the Space Laboratory of the Herzliya Science Center (HSC) and students from the Sha’ar HaNegev High school in Israel’s southern region.

The smallsat was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C48), which lifted off at 3:25 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, from the Srikarikota launch site.

According to the posting at JewishPress.com by author Arye Green, alongside its educational purpose, the Duchifat-3 smallsat has two missions which will be carried out in parallel, featuring an on-board camera for Earth imaging and a radio transponder for communication missions. The satellite images will be used for ecological research.

The Duchifat-3 smallsat.

The Duchifat-3 satellite measures 10x10x30 centimeters and weighs 2.3 kilograms.

The students worked on the project for nearly two and a half years, during which they designed the satellite, programmed its software and put it through rigorous tests until they were certain it was prepared for launch.

During their work, the students faced various scientific and technological challenges including the preparation of the satellite for its scientific mission, managing its energy resources, communications system, and more.

Additionally, the satellite must be stabilized in space for successful space-borne photography, a complex task that requires control of the satellite’s position in orbit.

Funding for this project was provided by the ICA charitable organization in Israel, whose main focus is agriculture and education-related projects.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites were brighter than many expected.SPACEX

SpaceX has said it is taking measures to tackle some of the concerns raised by astronomers about its Starlink constellation, as it gears up to launch more than a thousand satellites in the next 12 months.

The company’s Starlink mega constellation, which will add up to 42,000 satellites to orbit (only 2,000 active satellites in total orbit Earth today) to beam high-speed internet around the globe, has been taking shape in 2019. The company launched its first 60 satellites in May, followed by a second launch in November.

A third launch is planned in late December, and a fourth in January – with 24 in total planned by the end of 2020. The company hopes to launch 60 Starlink satellites roughly once every two weeks, adding more than 1,500 satellites to orbit by the end of next year alone.

While this has raised considerable concerns about space debris, it has also rankled astronomers. Already, some have reported that their observations of the night sky have been ruined by passing Starlink satellites. As more launch, many fear that the views of the universe could be changed forever.

One issue is that each Starlink satellite, weighing about 225 kilograms, is brighter than expected, and clearly visible at dusk and dawn. However, in a meeting with reporters on Friday, December 6, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company wanted to do “the right thing”, and prevent such an impact on the night sky.

Shotwell said that one of SpaceX’s next Starlink satellites launched in December would be “treated with a special coating designed to make the spacecraft less reflective and less likely to interfere with space observations”, reported SpaceNews. 

“We are going to get it done.”

Starlink trails seen in an astronomical observation of nearby galaxies.
CLIFF JOHNSON/CLARAE MARTÍNEZ-VÁZQUEZ/DELVE

In the meeting, Shotwell said there would be “a coating on the bottom” of one of the satellites, and the company would “do trial and error to figure out the best way to get this done.”

“We want to make sure we do the right thing to make sure little kids can look through their telescope,” she added. “Astronomy is one of the few things that gets little kids excited about space.”

Shotwell noted that lowering the reflecitivity of the satellites “definitely changes the performance of the satellite, thermally,” according to Business Insider. However, they would experiment with different ideas to see what works best.

And she noted, too, the impact this could have on professional astronomy. “There are a lot of adults that get excited, too, who either depend on [the night sky] for their living or for entertainment,” she said, reported SpaceFlight Now.

“There are lots of people that have looked at Starlink and looked at the satellites, lots of people knew what we were doing, and no one thought of this,” she added. “We didn’t think of it. The astronomy community didn’t think of it. It happened… Let’s go figure that out.”

Several astronomy groups are currently in contact with SpaceX, including the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS), to work out better solutions to the problem. The latter, in a recent statement, said that things were “moving in a hopeful direction after our last two telecons [with SpaceX].”

Now, many astronomers will be hoping SpaceX’s efforts can ensure the night sky is not permanently altered. While about 120 Starlink satellites have already launched, with 120 more to follow in the coming weeks, it may well be a case of “better late than never” if a solution can be found.

Jonathan O’Callaghan, Forbes

Rocket Lab has officially opened Launch Complex 2, the company’s first U.S. launch site, and confirmed the inaugural mission from the site will be a dedicated flight for the U.S. Air Force.

Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 located at
NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia.

Photo is courtesy of the company.

Located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 represents a new national launch capability for the United States. Construction on the site began in February of 2019, with the site completed and ready to support missions just 10 months later. Designed to support rapid call-up missions, Launch Complex 2 delivers responsive launch capability from home soil for U.S. government smallsats. The ability to deploy satellites to precise orbits in a matter of hours, not months or years, is increasingly important to ensure resilience in space.

At a press conference held at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program has been announced as the first customer scheduled to launch on an Electron vehicle from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2. The dedicated mission will see a single research and development micro-sat launched from the site in Q2 2020.

Rocket Lab’s Founder and Chief Executive, Peter Beck, says the completion of Launch Complex 2 represents a new era in frequent, reliable and responsive space access from the United States.

Press conference participants at the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 on opening day.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be launching a U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program payload as the inaugural mission from Launch Complex 2. We’ve already successfully delivered STP payloads on Electron from Launch Complex 1, and we’re proud to be providing that same rapid, responsive, and tailored access to orbit from U.S. soil,” says Mr. Beck. “With the choice of two Rocket Lab launch sites offering more than 130 launch opportunities each year, our customers enjoy unmatched control over their launch schedule and orbital requirements. Rocket Lab has made frequent, reliable and responsive access to space the new normal for small satellites.”

“Rocket Lab’s launch site at the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, strengthens the United States’ ability to provide responsive and reliable access to space.  We look forward to Rocket Lab successfully launching the STP-27RM mission from Launch Complex 2 next spring, which will test new capabilities that we will need in the future,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, Director of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise.

Virginia Space CEO & Executive Director, Dale Nash, said, “The opening of Launch Complex 2 is a significant milestone and a remarkable achievement made possible by the strong partnership with Rocket Lab and NASA.  Almost immediately after Rocket Lab’s selection of MARS as its U.S. launch site; engineers, managers and technicians worked tirelessly together across multiple time zones and two continents to make LC-2 a reality.  Also, the strong support from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Air Force, as well as the skilled contractor team have contributed greatly to this success.  We look forward to a busy manifest of Electron launches coming off LC-2.”

Rocket Lab’s VP of Launch, Shaun D’Mello, said the rapid pace of construction was made possible by the tireless support of teams from Virginia Space, which owns and operates MARS, and NASA Wallops Flight Facility. “The fact that we have an operational launch site less than a year after construction began is testament to the hard work and dedication of the Virginia Space and NASA teams, as well as the unwavering support of our local suppliers. Thank you for being a huge part of enabling us to open access to space. We’re excited to embark on the next phase of working together – regular and reliable Electron launches from the United States.”

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced that Saturn Satellite Networks (SSN) has selected the OmegA space launch vehicle to launch up to two satellites on the rocket’s inaugural flight scheduled for spring 2021.

OmegA will launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B and insert the SSN satellites into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Northrop Grumman Signs Customer for First Flight of OmegA™. Last October, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $792 million Launch Services Agreement to complete detailed design and verification of the OmegA launch vehicle and launch sites.

Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket will launch up to two satellites manufactured by Saturn Satellite Networks in the spring of 2021.

Image is courtesy of Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman has a distinguished heritage in space launch. In 1990, the company developed Pegasus™, the world’s first privately developed space launch system. The company’s Minotaur launch vehicle has achieved 100 percent success on its 18 space missions and nine suborbital missions. Northrop Grumman’s Antares™ rocket has launched more than 70,000 pounds of food, equipment and supplies to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Scott Lehr, VP and GM, flight systems, Northrop Grumman, said the OmegA rocket expands Northrop Grumman’s launch capabilities beyond our small and medium class rockets, which have successfully launched nearly 80 missions. Expanding the company’s launch capabilities to the intermediate/heavy class with OmegA complements our national security satellite portfolio and enables us to better support customers.”

Jim Simpson, CEO of Saturn, said the company is excited to launch Saturn’s NationSat on Northrop Grumman’s OmegA launch vehicle’s inaugural mission. OmegA’s performance, payload accommodations, and rigorous certification program assures us it is a great fit for NationSats and the firm’s customers.

Charlie Precourt, VP, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman, added that the first flight of OmegA is a key step in the company’s certification process for the U.S. Air Force National Security Space Launch program. Having Saturn’s NationSat on board for this mission further demonstrates the versatility of OmegA to serve other markets, including commercial and civil government. Northrop Grumman designed OmegA to use the most reliable propulsion available—solid propulsion for the boost stages and flight proven RL10 engines for the upper stage—to ensure exceptional mission assurance for the firm’s customers. Northrop Grumman’s technical expertise is both broad and deep, and the company brings unmatched experience, stability and a strong customer focus to every partnership.