Image used for representational purpose.

BENGALURU; Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch its Earth imaging and mapping satellite Cartosat-3 along with 13 commercial nanosatellites from the U.S., on November 25, the space agency said.

The satellites would be launched by India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47into Sun Synchronous Orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The launch is tentatively scheduled at 09:28 hrs IST on November 25, 2019 subject to weather conditions, ISRO said.

The Cartosat-3 is a “third-generation agile advanced satellite” having high-resolution imaging capability, it said, adding that the satellite would be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degree.

PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration (with 6 solid strap-on motors).

PSLV-C47 would also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America as part of a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.

ISRO has said, this would be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

The Hindu Business Line

For all involved in the satellite and space industry and the various market segments that enhance these dynamic environments, the 2020 SmallSat Symposium is invaluable.

The 2020 SmallSat Symposium begins on February 3, 2020, with workshops on the first day. Then the Conference continues from February 4 to 6 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The SmallSat Symposium is hosted by Satnews Publishers which, since 1983, has been a provider of satellite news, media and events. This information packed forum enables you and your company to secure a larger portion of market share as well as to take a step into the next stage of your company’s, or organization’s, growth.

The personal connections at the SmallSat Symposium enable attendees to network with established organizations, subject-matter experts as well as ‘New Space’ entrants.

The SmallSat Symposium will focus on the daily changes in new technologies and the business environment that is shaping the implementation of SmallSat constellations, SmallSat launchers, the challenges facing the SmallSat developer and actors as well as the enormous benefits of these advanced technologies that will benefit our world.

This event attracts more than 100 diverse speakers, all of whom possess deep industry experience. Additionally, numerous opportunities exist to mingle and network with peers while enjoying exceptional, complimentary meals and refreshment breakfast.

Learn more at this direct link…

Alexandra Sokolowski

A Conversation with Ms. Alexandra Sokolowski, Business Development Manager, Hyperion Technologies B.V.

Ms. Sokolowski, what services and products does your company provide
to the industry?

Alexandra Sokolowski (AS)
Hyperion designs and develops miniaturized and high-performance components for smallsats. We focus on subsystems to ensure that the “payload is king,” as we like to say.
    Our range involves components for attitude determination, such as star trackers and sun sensors, attitude control, such as reaction wheels and magnetorquers, as well as fully integrated and autonomous ADCS. We are also working on new technologies that are going to soon enter the market.

What do you believe are the most significant challenges that need to be addressed within the satellite and related industries?

AS
Currently, the we see the main challenge to be incorporating non-space technologies into the market, making them fit for space environments. We also believe that we can learn a lot from these markets when it comes to increasing production speed and time to market.

What is your company presenting at this major event? What may we expect your company to reveal over the next few months?

AS
At SpaceTech Expo we are, of course, presenting our ADCS solutions as well as some newer components that are going to launch early next year.
    One of them is the world’s first 1U AOCS, which combines our miniaturized ADCS with a chemical propulsion unit. We are also proud to be raising the awareness for our laser communication terminal for cubesats, which we are co-developing together with the Dutch research institute TNO and the FSO Consortium.
    We are currently finalizing the Engineering Model and show attendees can already have a look at a 3D printed model at the TNO booth.

What sets Hyperion apart from your competition?

AS
We think that we are very curious and continuously look beyond our horizon into adopting new technologies for the space market, such as 3D printing or new ways of manufacturing.
    What also sets us apart is, in our opinion, our approach to designing products. Our first step is always to look at the fundamental limits, rather than just scaling down what already exists.
    If you look at the minimal required limitations in power, volume, size, mass and develop your product from there you can come up with very efficient products.
    Last, but certainly not least, we treat our clients more like partners, and involve them in our processes. Openness in communication and integrity are important to us.
    You might think that space is all about technology but in the end, it comes down to humans and values.

hyperiontechnologies.nl

A Conversation with Jeanne Medvedeva,
Commercial Director, Exolaunch

Jeanne Medvedeva

Jeanne Medvedeva has been involved as a Launch Manager in the launch of more than 150 multi-national smallsats over multiple missions. At Exolaunch, she has enabled a global client base that includes universities, government entities and new space startups to reach space. Jeanne holds a degree in Economics and International Affairs and is fluent in Mandarin.

What services and products does your company provide to the industry?

Jeanne Medvedeva (JM)
Exolaunch is a leading European premium launch services and separation system provider for smallsats.
     As of this writing, Exolaunch has integrated and launched 85 smallsats over multiple missions, enabling the visions of some of the world’s most ambitious and innovative companies.

What do you believe are the most significant challenges that need to be addressed within the satellite and related industries?

JM
Regular and affordable access to space is still a significant challenge facing the industry. This challenge especially affects small satellite manufacturers and large satellite clusters. Our approach to tackling this challenge is to ensure that we interact closely with a wide network of launch vehicles, ensuring innovative pricing and back-up launch options for customers.

What is your company presenting at this major event?

JM
We are showcasing our deployment systems for microsatellites and cubesats, as well as our deployer sequencer for cluster launches.
     Smallsat customers looking for deployment solutions will be encouraged to have a look at the cutting edge deployment system, CarboNIX. CarboNIX is a revolutionary, shock-free, smallsat separation system (that was space-qualified earlier this year) which leads the market in shock reduction, lead time and cost and is able to deploy microsatellites up to 200 kg.
     Cubesat customers can also see the most advanced cubesat deployer system on the market, EXOpod. What makes EXOpod unique is that it allows cubesat manufacturers to expand the limits of the Cubesat Design Specification (CDS). At the event, we will be showcasing our 12U EXOpod deployer. The EXOpod also comes in 16U size and is the only 16U cubesat deployer on the market that has flight heritage.

What may we expect your company to reveal over the next few months?

JM
Certainly, we’ll discuss the customers that we’re working with as well as new rideshare launches on an ever-increasing network of available launch vehicles. Alongside the new design of our deployers, we will also be announcing over the coming months new technical improvements to these systems, making them lighter and stronger and more easily adapted to any existing launch vehicles.

How will Exolaunch continue to solidify its position as the best-in-class global launch service and separation system provider?

JM
Through an ever-increasing customer base of ambitious smallsat developers from the USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Israel, UAE, Japan and many more.
     Our introduction of the CarboNIX shock-free microsat separation system to the market has garnered huge interest and a large number of orders from single and constellation smallsat providers as well as launch vehicle manufacturers.
     Based on feedback being received from different launch providers, Exolaunch will be introducing EXOpod Light, a new system for cost savings in the launch market, shortly.

www.exolaunch.com

David Henri

A conversation with David Henri, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Office at Exotrail, a company that develops electric propulsion systems and software
for the smallsat market.

Mr. Henri, what services and products does your company provide to
the industry?

David Henri (DH)

Our core product is a miniaturized propulsion solution for smallsats. Using Hall Effect Technology, we are able to provide a dramatically higher thrust than competing products, whilst maintaining a high fuel efficiency. Our range of thrusters and our propulsion operation and design software solutions will help build the space missions of tomorrow.

What services and products does your company provide to the industry?

DH
Exotrail is a highly innovative SME dedicated to providing agility solutions for small satellites’ constellations. The company’s mission is to carry smallsats from one orbit to another using electric propulsion systems and mission optimization software. This allows operators to use less precise but significantly more economical rockets while still being able to quickly reach their destination thanks to our technology.
     We currently provide two products : ExoMG™, a family of fully integrated propulsion systems using Hall Effect Technology for 10-200kg satellites, and ExoOPS™, a cloud-based mission design, optimization and operation software.

What do you believe are the most significant challenges that need to be addressed within the satellite and related industries?

DH
There are two main challenges for me, on the constellation market and on the launch market… and they are correlated.
     On the constellation side, people will stop launching demonstrators and will start launching constellations. And with these comes an evolution of requirements. When launching a demonstrator, what matters is how fast you can get it into orbit. You are ready to trade launch cost and launch precision if you can launch quicker.
     When you deploy a constellation, you can’t really trade on precision and cost – you need to maintain your constellation geometry, and you need to minimize your capital expenditure, so launch costs.
     Will all these business cases be sustainable ? A demonstrator and a constellation have two different kind of objectives – do they need the same type of hardware in the satellites? I think this needs to be addressed.
     On the launcher side, now you see a drop in launch costs from large rideshare launchers — we have all seen the announcement made by SpaceX of a $5k/kg. launch cost. This means constellation operators will be able to launch constellation at an acceptable cost.
     But what about precision? You don’t necessarily go where you want with these kind of launchers. You need deployment capabilities. And we believe this where we come in! Electric propulsion is the way to launch precisely and cheaply small satellites on orbit – potentially dividing launch costs by a factor of 10. If this is done in an automated way —– with our ExoOPS software, for instance.

What is your company presenting at this major event?

DH
We usually showcase our propulsion system in a very small vacuum chamber, which tends to attract many, many people in front of our booth! We can’t do it this time as our small vacuum chamber we use is under maintenance. But we will certainly showcase our mission software. I also was involved in a panel on Wednesday at the show on how to select the correct propulsion system for a constellation — five people from Exotrail were at the event.

What may we expect your company to reveal over the next few months?

DH
Quite a bit. Our mission design software will be fully available in January, and we will communicate quite a lot on that. Business development has been accelerated a lot in the past few months – we like to remain a bit quiet, and we can’t always disclosed customers’ names, but perhaps we’ll reveal things beginning of next year. Our first demonstrator will also fly in space, for a launch in February probably. Altogether quite a lot will happen in the coming months!

What will Space Tech Expo be in five years?

DH
I’ll be honest — I don’t have an answer and I think no one does. However, perhaps some leads will come to light. I am excepting a consolidation of constellation projects. I am excepting that only a few dedicated launchers will be there,and that the bulk of constellation launches will happen through rideshares and large rockets, with prices going down.
    I think nearly all the constellations will use on-board propulsion – they certainly will be deployed through third-party propulsion-equipped vehicles. I think the consolidation will also happen in the rest of the value chain. Perhaps : fewer booths, but much bigger booths? We will see — and I am looking forward to it!

exotrail.com

Firefly Aerospace (Firefly) announced this past summer the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM), a global competition to host academic and educational payloads as rideshare participants on the inaugural flight of the Firefly Alpha launch vehicle.

The company has now announced the payloads that have been selected to fly on Alpha’s maiden flight to support and stimulate STEM on a global basis — there are 26 DREAM payloads representing seven  countries.

There are two categories of payload — nontechnical and technical. Nontechnical payloads include children’s artwork, messages from children in pediatric hospitals and photographs of previous space missions. Technical payloads range from 3U to 27U smallsats supplied by prominent universities and nonprofits from around the globe.

DREAM payloads will be co-manifested with commercial payloads on the first Alpha launch. Firefly plans to share its DREAM payload stories on its social media starting in late November.

Firefly CEO Dr. Tom Markusic said the firm is honored to have received so many outstanding submissions that promote STEM across the globe. From an all girl’s STEM rocket program in Lesothoto and leading edge technology demos from distinguished universities, the DREAM payloads embody Firefly’s ethos of ‘Making Space for Everyone.’

Firefly VP of Mission Assurance, Shea Ferring, added that in 1993 he was on the ASUSat-1 team and was given the opportunity to launch their first satellite on a donated rideshare slot to LEO. That program propelled so many of into the aerospace industry and it is now great to give back with a similar opportunity to multiple university programs. The company looks forward to providing similar opportunities on future missions to support and encourage STEM students that their dreams do come true.

The Nontechnical DREAM payload participants include…

• Anderson High School Robotics Program
• Animal Packers
• AstroGrams
• Audrey’s Space Dream
• Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows
• Brady Nilsson
• Brian Lunos
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Spaceflight Sciences Policy and Operation Club
• Izumiya-Hotaru Photographs for Education and Environments
• Liam Fjellstedt
• LifeShip
• Madison West Rocket Club
• Mission Microgravity
• Morija Girls Rocket Program
• NAET ArtFlight
• Noosphere Art Challenge
• Pichardo STEM Educational Foundation
• St. Paul Elementary School
• Think Beyond

The technical DREAM payload organizations include…

• Fossa Systems (Non-profit Juvenile Association)
• Hawaii Science and Technology Museum – 501c3
• Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Network Innovation and Experimentation (CENETIX)
• Purdue University
• Teachers in Space, Inc. – 501c3
• University of Cambridge
• University of Southern California, Space Engineering Research Center (USC SERC)

Tyvak has been selected by NASA to participate in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Tyvak’s offering provides NASA with a lander option to host payloads and perform science investigations on the lunar surface, paving the way to return to the Moon. With a long-standing history of fulfilling government mission needs, Tyvak will leverage flight-proven technologies and expertise from its smallsat portfolio for its lunar lander development.

The company intends to provide end-to-end commercial payload delivery solutions spanning payload integration, launch services and operations to land on the Moon’s surface.

The Tyvak lander initially aims to deliver small payloads, but through modularity and the significant flexibility of its architecture, can evolve the design to deliver larger payloads.

Marco Villa, Tyvak’s COO, noted that this is an exciting time in space. Performing these lunar payload deliveries is the next natural step of commercial space efforts supporting government initiatives.

WORK Microwave AR-80 wideband demodulator

Recently, WORK Microwave and SAIT partnered to complete a communication transmission test between WORK Microwave‘s AR-80 wideband demodulator and SAIT’s space qualified transceiver, to prove that their combined solution is ready to power space, commercial, government, and science missions. 

Seamless integration between SAIT‘s space transceiver and WORK Microwave’s AR-80 wideband demodulator ensures that satellite downlink operations run smoothly. WORK Microwave’s AR-80 demodulator offers high performance at low price points for specialized satellite downlink receivers. 

SAIT’s transmitter portfolio supports everything from CubeSats to large satellites and deep space spacecraft, offering up to 10 years’ design life. The company’s downlink transmitters feature high throughput, state-of-the-art adaptive error correction coding and modulation, flexible interface options, and small size, weight, and power. 

There will be a live demo of the combined solution will be shown at Space Tech Expo Europe 2019 in Bremen, Germany, November 19-22, at the SAIT booth #1014, Hall 4. 

Andrew Kuzmenko, CTO at SAIT said that performance is an important metric of satellite communications equipment, especially for space missions. Teaming up with WORK Microwave, they are able to provide an extremely powerful and reliable solution for space-born missions and satellite Earth observation. 

Joerg Rockstroh, director of digital products, WORK Microwave added that from a technology perspective, SAIT and WORK Microwave are very compatible, each bringing distinct expertise to the satellite communications domain. Their AR-80 demodulator supports SAIT with efficient downlinks from their CubeSat transmitters, featuring 1+Gbps throughput to address the needs of mission customers. 

For all involved in the satellite and space industry and the various market segments that enhance these dynamic environments, the 2020 SmallSat Symposium is invaluable.

The 2020 SmallSat Symposium begins on February 3, 2020, with workshops on the first day. Then the Conference continues from February 4 to 6 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The SmallSat Symposium is hosted by Satnews Publishers which, since 1983, has been a provider of satellite news, media and events. This information packed forum enables you and your company to secure a larger portion of market share as well as to take a step into the next stage of your company’s, or organization’s, growth.

The personal connections at the SmallSat Symposium enable attendees to network with established organizations, subject-matter experts as well as ‘New Space’ entrants.

The SmallSat Symposium will focus on the daily changes in new technologies and the business environment that is shaping the implementation of SmallSat constellations, SmallSat launchers, the challenges facing the SmallSat developer and actors as well as the enormous benefits of these advanced technologies that will benefit our world.

This event attracts more than 100 diverse speakers, all of whom possess deep industry experience. Additionally, numerous opportunities exist to mingle and network with peers while enjoying exceptional, complimentary meals and refreshment breakfast.

Learn more at this direct link…

ISIS – Innovative Solutions in Space (ISISpace) has selected Simera Sense to provide them with a multi-spectral optical payload — the MultiScape 100 imagery, developed by Simera Sense, for an upcoming cubesat mission. This will be ISISpace’s primary payload on a 6U cubesat Earth Observation (EO) mission.

As a result of the close collaboration between ISISpace and Simera Sense, they can deliver turnkey EPO solutions for a range of remote sensing applications. ISISpace is providing complete satellite missions, satellites and services for a broad range of applications and sees a strong increase in the need for responsive remote sensing solutions using small satellites. 

Simera Sense’s xScape100 product range is introducing the highest EO performance in the most compact form factor for smallsats. The large aperture and long focal length enable a compelling spatial resolution of below 5m GSD in up to 7 bands in the visible and near-IR range.

Johann du Toit, CEO of Simera Sense, said the company is on a mission to increase the resolution that can be sensed with smaller Earth Observation satellites. The company is excited to work with such an experienced new space actor in the development of turnkey Earth observation missions. Together, the companies can respond quickly to customer needs in a more cost-effective manner.

Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO of ISISpace, added that the company offers turn-key space mission solutions and satellite-as-a-service offerings to a broad range of customers with varying needs.

Developing a “Satellite-as-a-Service” business is the driving force behind Loft Orbital, based in San Francisco.

 The company acquired Series A funding with a collection of $13 million to support operations in Boulder, Colorado, and Toulouse, France, as the company builds smallsats with initial launches scheduled for 2020.

Five customers have signed on for Loft’s first satellite and they include Eutelsat, the UAE’s space agency and SpaceChain. The company stated they have also signed on customers for the second and third satellites, as well. The firm’s business model has customers schedule milestone payments and then participate in a subscription service once the satellite is operational on-orbit.

On Saturday, October 26th, Exos Aerospace launched their SARGE-SRLV at Spaceport America.  Launch initiation was at 11:39 MST.  

While the company bested SpaceX to a fourth flight, the firm will likely not surpass them to a fourth recovery, given the loss of the SARGE-SRLV vehicle at T+48 seconds. Exos Aerospace is still in the process of evaluating video and telemetry data; however, it appears a structural failure resulted in an abort and deployment of the recovery system at speeds far beyond its design capability. Exos recovered the vehicle within the flight hazard area and the retrieved hardware confirms that the safety systems performed flawlessly.

Liftoff of the SARGE rocket.

Photo is courtesy of Exos Aerospace.

This event presents an opportunity to implement the lessons learned from the first three launches of SARGE – S1.  Much has changed in the Industry and supplier base since the company completed the design of this vehicle.

While it may take a little longer to implement the lessons learned and return to flight, the firm’s change management will include numerous upgrades that are low risk – high impact. The company will work closely with the FAA and AST on the return to flight plan and relevant submission on the planned vehicle upgrades.

On flights 1-3, Exos Aerospace learned a great deal about the dynamics of the control system along with the complex operations required to launch a reusable liquid-fueled sounding rocket successfully.  Flight 4 confirmed that substantial improvements in the GNC software were incorporated and the new IMU performed as designed.  From observing the air to ground telemetry, indications are good that the vehicle was going to continue to fly well.

Though the company has plans to launch SARGE – S2 in early 2020, the firm will have to beat the onset of high winds in April/May. This event will not impact the transition to LEO and the development of the JAGUAR smallsat launcher that will also benefit from the latest lessons learned.

The company stated they are extremely proud of the team of 12 who flew the same vehicle four times. In that respect, Exos Aerospace stands among two giants in the Industry, SpaceX and Blue Origin.