NanoAvionics has received a full mission contract for two, 6U smallsats and the opening of a new sales and engineering support office in Columbia (IL), USA.

The mission contract includes payload integration, launch and operation services for the two nanosatellites, both of which are based on NanoAvionics’ pre-configured M6P bus. The launch of both satellites is planned for the end of this year.

The NanoAvionics Columbia,
Illinois, office.

While NanoAvionics’ US Columbia Facility is the company’s second office in the United States, it is set to be the primary NanoAvionics hub in the Unites States. It is also the first satellite factory in Illinois and the Midwest. The Columbia Facility allows NanoAvionics’ to take advantage of a great talent pool from multiple local universities and their graduates and staff equipped with nanosatellite experience. The low cost of operations and living will also allow NanoAvionics to maintain its competitive status in a tough market.

Following the opening of NanoAvionics’ US facility at the Midland Air and Space Port last year, the company will keep it as a scalable resource for high quantity smallsat bus production, for both single missions and constellations.

The advantages and benefits of NanoAvionics’ industrial approach include reducing cost by standardizing the bus design while increasing the range and capabilities of the payload. NanoAvionics estimates that more than 80% of the smallsat bus can remain the same, even when the mission and payload varies. That in return means replicability, increased reliability, lower costs and much shorter production times which lead to greater speed to market and faster revenues.

Artistic rendition of NanoAvionics smallsats on-orbit. Image is courtesy of the company.

Having been the first company to develop a pre-configured nanosatellite bus, NanoAvionics has already scaled their flagship M6P bus to achieve 12U and 16U form factors, giving customers such as video streaming media company Sen more possibilities for their missions and payloads.

F. Brent Abbott, CEO of NanoAvionics North America, said the constantly increasing demand for the company’s standardized satellite buses, and this latest mission contract from a US commercial data services company, represents a significant milestone of NanoAvionics penetration in the US market for New Space as well as in the US Civil space sector. Completing the Columbia office will support NanoAvionnics’ efforts to provide US customers with the most cost-efficient satellite buses and hosted payload flights in LEO. These reductions in cost and the much shorter production times while increasing the options for mission payload and keeping the same high standards, will enable businesses to generate real downstream revenues.
     Abbot continued by noting building hundreds of satellites for the planned constellations in a short time frame of 12-15 months requires a universal bus design and an industrial approach for the mass production of smallsat buses. This is the next step in the company’s mission to become the go-to company for manufacturing and launching smallsat constellations for businesses worldwide. Smallsat buses are becoming a commodity and the firm has been applying the same standardization and principles that have been used in the automotive industry for more than a century to create a universal smallsat vehicle, capable of hosting a broad range of payloads and to be used for diverse applications.

Kymeta has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kepler Communications to integrate Kepler’s Global Data Service into the just-announced Kymeta™ u8 Terminal and Kymeta Connect™ offering, this occurring during the DC satellite show.

This product collaboration envisions Kymeta combining the value proposition of Kepler’s LEO satellite service with the best aspects of traditional (GEO) SATCOM and 4G/LTE communications networks. The relationship builds upon the successful integration work announced by Kepler in mid-2019, when Kepler demonstrated compatibility between its LEO satellites and the Kymeta™ u7 electronically steered antenna (ESA), becoming the first LEO operator to do so.

Kepler’s Global Data Services offers high-capacity data backhaul to areas beyond traditional satellite and communication network coverage at a more favorable rate than traditional providers globally due to the economics of Kepler’s LEO satellite network.

Kepler’s Global Data Service (GDS) covers every part of the globe, from pole to pole, and allows the movement of gigabytes of data to and from the user’s location at economic rates. Currently enabled with Kepler’s first two satellites on orbit, the capabilities of GDS will expand significantly over the course of 2020 with Kepler’s previously announced vertical integration and launch procurements.

Commercial availability of GDS within the Kymeta Connect™ offering is targeted to align with market availability of the Kymeta™ u8 Terminal (pictured above) as well as Kepler’s expanded constellation later this year, with key customer trials supporting the development effort. To express an interest in participating, connect with your Kymeta or Kepler representative.

David Harrower, SVP of Global Sales at Kymeta, said the company is xcited about the collaboration with Kepler as it finally brings to market the promise of LEO capacity to deliver connectivity to the mobility markets. By adopting the latest and best technical capabilities, Kymeta delivers what the market has demanded in terms of mobile connectivity and have done so by bringing flexible and commercially viable service offerings made possible by each party’s technical advancements.

Mina Mitry, Chief Executive Officer at Kepler, remarked that by expanding the capabilities of their Kymeta Connect™ product with the firm’s high-capacity, data backhaul service, Kymeta is delivering on an ask the firm often hears from users – ‘How do I access all available communications technologies to serve my requirements?. Customers want solutions that are ready to go and easy to deploy. Kymeta Connect™, with the Kymeta u8 Terminal, tick both those boxes. By deploying Kepler’s Global Data Service with Kymeta Connect™, the offering becomes much more powerful and able to address the requirements of a greater range of users that traditional providers are unable to accommodate.

BridgeComm, Inc. has been selected as the OWC solution provider for HySpecIQ‘s new LEO constellation.

These advanced satellites will provide high-resolution hyperspectral imaging that—when combined with HySpecIQ’s advanced analytics platform—will serve vital needs in myriad market verticals, including environmental intelligence, national security, natural resources, agriculture, insurance, and risk management.

BridgeComm is the first organization to commercialize OWC and begin development of a global network of optical ground stations designed to support complementary fixed and mobile terminals that provide high-bandwidth, high-security solutions for unique applications.

A wireless technology offering rapid point-to-point data transmission via beams of light that connect from one telescope to another using low-power, safe, infrared lasers in the terahertz spectrum, OWC holds tremendous potential to augment RF, fiber and mmWave technologies and extend the capabilities of the terrestrial fiber grid—particularly in hard-to-access environments and in areas where cell towers do not currently exist.

Barry Matsumori, CEO of BridgeComm, said this partnership is the latest example of BridgeComm’s global market leadership in providing fast, secure, enterprise-grade broadband services for high-growth applications. BridgeComm’s advanced design and end-to end service capability fulfill HySpecIQ’s needs for trusted technology and a supplier that is both innovative and reliable.

Bill Sullivan, Executive Chairman and Founder of HySpecIQ, noted that the company is developing a system that addresses a wide array of spectral applications with timely and accurate solutions. BridgeComm’s solution will allow the company to download large volumes of data from the constellation with low latency, in a reliable, secure manner which ensures data integrity. It’s these attributes, coupled with time to market and cost considerations, that clearly led HySpecIQ to select BridgeComm as the firm’s OWC partner.

A new adventure for Rocket Lab’s next rideshare mission will enable university research into Earth’s magnetic field, support the testing of new smallsat communications architecture and demonstrate a streamlined, commercial approach for getting government small satellites into space.

Rocket Lab has been given a nod of confidence from several agencies. Rocket Lab, a space technology company and major player in dedicated small satellite launches,  announced today that its next mission will deploy payloads for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Space.

The launch will take place from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mähia Peninsula, with a 14-day launch window scheduled to commence from March 27, 2020 NZT. The mission will be Rocket Lab’s 12th Electron launch since the company began launches in May 2017. 

The rideshare mission will launch several small satellites, including the ANDESITE (Ad-Hoc Network Demonstration for Extended Satellite-Based Inquiry and Other Team Endeavors) satellite created by electrical and mechanical engineering students and professors at Boston University. The satellite will launch as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and will conduct groundbreaking scientific study into Earth’s magnetic field.

Once in space, the ANDESITE satellite will initiate measurements of the magnetosphere with onboard sensors, later releasing eight pico satellites carrying small magnetometer sensors to track electric currents flowing in and out of the atmosphere, a phenomenon also known as space weather. These variations in the electrical activity racing through space can have a big impact on our lives here on Earth, causing interruptions to things like radio communications and electrical systems. The ANDESITE satellite follows on from Rocket Lab’s first ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) launch for NASA, the ELaNa-19 mission, which launched a host of educational satellites to orbit on Electron in December 2018.  

The mission also carries three payloads designed, built and operated by the NRO. The mission was procured under the agency’s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract vehicle. RASR allows the NRO to explore new launch opportunities that provide a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space, as well as provide those working in the small satellite community with timely and cost-effective access to space. This mission follows Rocket Lab’s first dedicated mission for the NRO, Birds of a Feather, which was launched on January 31, 2020 NZT from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1.

The ANDESITE and NRO payloads will be joined on the mission by the M2 Pathfinder satellite, a collaboration between the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Space and the Australian Government. The M2 Pathfinder will test communications architecture and other technologies that will assist in informing the future space capabilities of Australia. The satellite will demonstrate the ability of an onboard software-based radio to operate and reconfigure while in orbit. 

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive, Peter Beck, says the mission is a great example of the kind of cutting-edge research and fast-paced innovation that small satellites are enabling. 

“It’s a privilege to have NASA and the NRO launch on Electron again, and we’re excited to welcome the University of New South Wales onto our manifest for the first time, too,” he says. “We created Electron to make getting to space easy for all, so it’s gratifying to be meeting the needs of national security payloads and student research projects on the same mission.”   

“We’re excited to be partnering with Rocket Lab on another mission under our RASR contract,” said Colonel Chad Davis, Director of NRO’s Office of Space Launch. “This latest mission is a great example of the collaborative nature of the space community and our goal as space partners to procure rideshare missions that not only meet our mission needs but provide opportunities for those working with smallsats to gain easy access to space.” 

NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) ELaNa Mission Lead, Scott Higginbotham, said, “Through the CSLI, NASA engages the next generation of space explorers. This initiative provides university teams like ANDESITE with real life, hands-on experience in conducting an actual space research mission in conjunction with NASA. The students grow as professionals and NASA benefits from the research. We are truly excited about this collaborative mission.”

“We’re very excited to be launching M2 Pathfinder with Rocket Lab who have been so very flexible in accommodating our spacecraft specific needs, let alone the ambitious nine month project timeframe,” said Andrin Tomaschett, Spacecraft Project Lead at UNSW Canberra. “The success of this spacecraft will unlock so much more, for our customers and for Australia, by feeding into the complex spacecraft projects and missions our team are currently working on.” 

Rocket Lab will not be carrying out any recovery testing on the Electron launch vehicle during this mission.

The mission has been named ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ in recognition of Rocket Lab board member and avid Queen fan Scott Smith, who recently passed away. 

In Memoriam: Scott Smith

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Scott Smith, a Rocket Lab board member and dear friend to our team. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Scott joined Rocket Lab’s board in 2015, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from his time at Skybox, Iridium, and Digital Globe. Scott was a passionate, dedicated and kind leader who would go to great lengths to help others achieve things in space that would help everyone down here on Earth.

In losing Scott, we have lost one of the great ones. The Rocket Lab team is incredibly lucky to have known him. He left an indelible mark on the company in some of our most crucial years. We’re a better business and a better team for having known him. We are honored to have worked with one of the pioneering entrepreneurs of the space industry.

PredaSAR Corporation (“PredaSAR” or “the Company”) is building and will operate, what the company states, will be the world’s largest and most advanced commercially operated Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation and the firm has announced the appointment of three, retired, United States Air Force generals: General William Shelton, Lieutenant General Richard Newton and Major General Douglas Raaberg, effective immediately.

Marc Bell, PredaSAR Chairman and Co-Founder, stated the company is thrilled to welcome all three generals to the Board. With their combined legacies of trusted and strong leadership, and their combined century of experience with the United States Air Force, they will no doubt deliver tremendous knowledge, industry insight, and the ability to leverage many new and exciting opportunities within the aerospace sector.

William Shelton

General William Shelton, USAF (Ret.) General William Shelton, USAF (Ret.), was commissioned in 1976 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. General Shelton’s USAF career heavily involved space, culminating as the Commander of the USAF Space Command, where he ensured mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for NORAD, U.S. STRATCOM and other global commands. He also oversaw Air Force network operations, managed a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities, as well as overseeing space system development and acquisition.
     He is currently an independent consultant and a Member of the Board of Directors for Airbus United States Space & Defense Inc, Colorado Thirty Group, and Voyager Space Holdings. Additional information on General Shelton’s distinguished military background is available at this direct link…

Richard Newton

Lieutenant General Richard Newton, USAF (Ret.) Joining as Vice Chair of the Board, Lieutenant General Richard Newton, USAF (Ret.), was commissioned in 1978 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. General Newton’s career spanned a board range of assignments, ultimately retiring as the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director for the Air Staff at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters.
     He is currently the Managing Partner of Pioneer Partnership Development Group, a Director with USAA Mutual Fund Trust and Victory Capital Management and serves on the Board of Strategic Advisors for Israel Aerospace Industries, North America. Additional information on General Newton’s distinguished military background is available at this direct link…

Douglas Raaberg

Major General Douglas Raaberg, USAF (Ret.) Major General Douglas Raaberg, USAF (Ret.), was commissioned in 1978 as an Honor Graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is Executive Vice President of the Air Force Association, providing strategic direction to the premier professional military and aerospace education in the nation. General Raaberg is an accomplished business executive and defense leader with a proven record of transforming vision into strategy to deliver innovative results. He led the most advanced air, space and cyber operations in support of United States, NATO and other international forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. His general officer assignments included Chief Operating Officer of Air and Space Operations for Air Combat Command. Additionally, he has extensive experience in international military affairs orchestrating regional operations as the Deputy Director of Operations for U.S. Central Command.
     In, 2010, General Raaberg joined Northrop Grumman to run its $10B U.S. Air Force business development efforts for the Aerospace sector. In his most recent international position as Chief Executive for Northrop Grumman in the United Arab Emirates, he managed a new multi-national office that integrated a $500M portfolio of four corporate sectors into a country-focused effort. General Raaberg is currently the CEO of DLR Solutions, LLC, which provides strategic insights to international and domestic enterprises. He is a Falcon Foundation Trustee and most recently selected to the prestigious Lead Virginia leadership program. Additional information on General Raaberg’s distinguished military background is available at this direct link…

“Speaking on behalf of all three of us, we are proud and excited to be associated with PredaSAR, and to help guide the company going forward,” General Newton said. “PredaSAR will address an ever-increasing need for 24/7 actionable, Earth Observation data, to government and commercial customers. To do so, PredaSAR has been carefully and strategically developing the best of the best commercial SAR satellite system, along with retaining the best and most trusted talent.”

A smallsat carrying model robots from the popular Japanese science fiction anime “Mobile Suit Gundam” was successfully launched into space to promote this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the games organizers stated on Saturday.

The “G-Satellite,” which contains two figures from the animation series, was launched to the International Space Station on Friday aboard a SpaceX/Dragon cargo flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will reach the space station on March 9 at 8:00 p.m., Japan time.

The satellite will be released into its own slot in the latter part of April and will orbit the Earth during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the first time a satellite will be used to celebrate the games. According to organizers, the satellite with an electronic bulletin board and seven, small cameras will send back images of the model robots and messages displayed in English, French and Japanese.

The initiative is part of the Tokyo 2020 One Team Project launched in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The space station will also play a part in the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays, when Japanese astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Akihiko Hoshide send messages to torchbearers from orbit.

Article source: Kyodo News

Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1) has announced that the Brazilian Government agency Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis – ANP will be evaluating Kleos data at no cost for three months, starting at the time the relevant data set is made available, after which the cost for continuation is subject to final license negotiation (Pre-Order).

The need for an integrated Earth Observation (EO) system to monitor both the continental and offshore activities of the oil & gas industry is also what brought Mr Pedroso to ANP where he is tasked with the deployment of the MultiSAR project. This is an initiative of the Brazilian Government’s Ministry of Mining & Energy.

Artistic rendition of the Kleos Space Scouting Mission on-orbit. Image is courtesy of the company.

The Ministry is tasked with the set-up of facilities to receive and process large quantities of SAR imagery supplied by the worlds’ main providers of such data in order to handle multiple applications for the benefit of the oil & gas industry. This is also a reason why ANP is particularly interested in evaluating the data from Kleos as part of their post-launch beta testing operations.

Where the cost of not having such an integrated monitoring system became very clear in recent weeks considering the enormous efforts that had to be made by the government at a very high cost to try to find the culprits of the recent pollution and this demonstrates the relevance for a major Oil & Gas producer such as Brazil to make this kind of investment.

Mr. Enrico Pedroso of the ANP, who has 25 years of industry experience and is the Professor of Applied Remote Sensing at the Geology Faculty of Rio State University UERJ, spoke to the need for ANP to access Geolocated RF Data from Kleos Space and noted that what is needed is a variety of Earth Observation (EO) datasets, such as optical and SAR imagery, AIS data, meteorological and oceanographic data, etc., operating in an integrated manner, which is where the kind of data Kleos will soon be delivering will be useful to identify potentially illegal shipping activities and pin-point locations which should be investigated with the other earth observation data sets available. The fact that Brazil does not have an active high-performance EO system to monitor the ocean has played a major factor in preventing the government from finding the culprit(s) who cause pollution.
     He continued, adding that the ANPs’ Superintendence for Operational Security and Environment (SSM), is responsible for the monitoring of the environment in Brazil, especially as far as accidents and pollution are concerned. Recently, there was a very serious incident off the North Atlantic coast of Brazil when major quantities of oil where found in the ocean and along the beautiful beaches of North Eastern Brazil, most likely spilled by a single, polluting ship. During recent weeks, and as part of the Brazilian Contingency Planning activities, ANP participated with the Brazilian Navy and IBAMA (the Fauna & Flora protection agency of the Ministry of the Environment) in the search of the culprit(s).
     The information from radio frequency activity on board ships navigating in Brazilian waters from Kleos Space would have been very useful had it been available at the time of the North-eastern Brazil events because it is very likely that the ship(s) that caused the pollution knew what they were doing and were therefore very careful to avoid scrutiny by switching off their AIS transmitters. Kleos’ data would cause the Government’s monitoring system to be much more efficient.

Speaking about the Pre-Order by a Brazilian Government agency, Kleos CEO, Andy Bowyer, said that this is Kleos first entrance into a South American Government agency. Kleos data will be instrumental in the fight against environmental crimes, explicitly demonstrating the case for Kleos data. The company’s satellites are now on site in India ready for the final stages of launcher integration and Kleos Space looks forward to working with global customers soon on their very real on-going challenges.

RBC Signals and GomSpace have agreed to an MoU — this technology agreement will ensure the integration of these companies’ respective solutions.

The MoU includes:

• GomSpace will continue to support future versions of RBC Signals through its “Mega-Constellation Operations Platform”, which will be available for customers through GomSpace’s “operations-as-a-service” offering.
• RBC Signals will support current and future versions of GomSpace communication systems.
• GomSpace and RBC Signals will ensure future compatibility and service availability by coordinating updates to APIs, firmware and hardware releases. The collaboration is non-exclusive and allows customers to choose from compatible complementary services that best fit their mission needs.

Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace, said the company continues to extend the integration with commercially available ground station networks that now includes RBC Signals. With this collaboration, GomSpace will extend the operational capabilities of the firm’s Operations Service for the present and future GomSpace communication systems and increase the ground station coverage and availability for GomSpace customers through RBC Signals’ network.

Christopher Richins, Founder and CEO of RBC Signals, stated that the firm is excited to collaborate with GomSpace. his agreement will enhance the firm’s offerings and bring more opportunities to both companies by bringing more comprehensive customer solutions to the market.

SatixFy Space System has announced a new modem chip to be used over LEO, MEO and GEO systems, with appropriate doppler and fade profile performance.

The Sx3099 hosts 1 to 8 modems with aggregated throughput of 1 Gsymb/sec in both Tx and Rx directions. A single Sx3099 chip provides a single 1 Gsymb/sec carrier 2 X 500 Msymb/sec “make before break” handover in LEO aero connectivity, 8 X 125 Msymb/sec or any combination of channels aggregated to 1 Gsymb/sec.

This is the first chip to fully support the entire DVB-S2X standard including all Beam Hopping modes as defined in the 2019 revision annex E. On top of previously defined formats, the chip includes all the new Super-frame format types 5, 6 and 7 (“point and shoot” Beam Hopping). Sx3099 includes native support for DVB-RCS2 400MHz transmission as well as complete Software Defined Radio (SDR) for any other waveform.

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) and OneWeb have announced that Hughes has become a worldwide distribution partner for OneWeb.

OneWeb’s constellation of LEO satellites will expand Hughes service offerings and ensure that the company’s customers can access low-latency, high-speed connectivity, wherever they are located. Applications will include enterprise and government networking, cellular backhaul and community Wi-Fi hotspots.

The new agreement expands an already successful relationship between the two companies. Hughes is an investor, through its parent company EchoStar, and an ecosystem partner to OneWeb, helping to develop essential ground network technology for OneWeb’s LEO system.

OneWeb works with carefully selected distribution partners in each of its core markets, providing new business and expansion opportunities through the low latency, global, high throughput attributes of OneWeb’s network.

OneWeb is building its initial constellation of 650 LEO satellites. By late 2021, OneWeb will be offering low latency globally, with the same capacity over the water, in the air, in previously unconnectable places and everywhere else.

Service testing on the satellites already on-orbit is underway, using gateways that Hughes is building for the network. Results are positive, including seamless satellite and beam handovers, high speeds and low latency.

The gateways feature multiple tracking antennas to support operation and handoff of high-speed user traffic to and from the LEO satellites, and can handle up to 10,000 terminal hand-offs per second – a technological and engineering breakthrough. Every OneWeb terminal, whether for fixed or mobile services, will incorporate a core module, including modem, developed and manufactured by Hughes.

Pradman Kaul, President, Hughes, said a new era of global connectivity demand is being entered, one that can only be fulfilled by a mix of data transport services, including terrestrial, geostationary and LEO satellites. OneWeb complements the company’s service portfolio with a truly global coverage, low-latency option that will enable the customers to meet their end users’ needs for connectivity everywhere.”

Adrian Steckel, CEO, OneWeb, related that connectivity is only truly valuable when it delivers the user experience that customers need, and in today’s fast-moving digital economy, businesses and civil government organizations need high quality, continuous internet access wherever they are located. The company is delighted that Hughes is joining OneWeb on the firm’s mission to deliver this vision. Hughes is already an important investor and an invaluable technology partner. 

Hughes is exhibiting at SATELLITE 2020, March 10-13, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and is showcasing how consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services. Please visit www.hughes.com/sat20