In the company’s fifth rideshare mission with SpaceX and 16th mission in total, Exolaunch, a global provider of launch, in-space logistics and deployment services, completed the firm’s most demanding integration, with more than 1500 kg. of payload mass across 20+ satellites for the firm’s international customers from 11 countries and three continents.
Exolaunch’s customer satellites weighing 100+ kg. and cubesats, ranging up to 16U in size, will fly on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle on the SpaceX Transporter-5 mission scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Following the successful debut flight of the Exolaunch’s novel CarboNIX 8-inch separation system for smallsats on the recent Transporter-4 mission, this launch marks the premiere for EXOpod Nova, the company’s latest technology for optimized, cubesat deployment.
Nova’s first launch will proudly fly multiple satellites for Spire Global and its customers via a Multi-Launch Agreement between the companies. Nova increases the allowable satellite mass by up to 30 percent and the available side panel volume by a factor of four, when compared to traditional cubesat deployers. It also enables smallsat manufacturers to keep launch costs low while building larger, heavier and more capable cubesats. Exolaunch aims to further use the EXOpod Nova on its Reliant orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) next year to provide launch flexibility to cubesat constellations.
Nova joins the suite of Exolaunch’s reliable and cost-effective solutions to launch and deploy smallsats and is becoming the preferred and most flexible deployment technology for the existing cubesat constellations. The company’s customers can deploy their satellites into space by fully relying on Exolaunch’s separation systems, including CarboNIX, EXOpod, and now, EXOpod Nova.
Transporter-5 will launch Exolaunch’s new and returning customers, including Spire Global, Satellogic, ICEYE, NanoAvionics, Omnispace, Thales Alenia Space, Satlantis, EnduroSat, Plan-S, Spacemanic, Aalto University and Space Products and Innovation. The customers’ payloads will enable space application technologies, such as Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observation, Maritime Surveillance and IoT communications.
“Exolaunch is proud to launch on Transporter-5, as it marks our biggest mission to date and pays homage to the commitment and dedication we make our customers with the launch of their state-of-the-art technology,” said Jeanne Allarie, VP Launch, Exolaunch. “The trust and recognition we’ve gained from the industry through each launch are not possible without our incredible work with SpaceX. Together, our teams’ technical grit and creativity take our shared customers to new horizons and heights.“
This mission is the fifth Transporter in a series of rideshare launches Exolaunch manifests on Falcon 9 under a Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX. For each Falcon 9 launch procured, Exolaunch provides a turnkey solution encompassing comprehensive rideshare mission management, satellite integration, environmental testing and deployment services.
Exolaunch has deployed more than 100 smallsats on SpaceX’s first four rideshare Transporter missions.
Exolaunch (Germany, USA) is a global leader in rideshare launch, deployment, in-space logistics, and integration services for the NewSpace industry. With a decade of flight heritage and 210 satellites launched across 15 missions on launch vehicles around the world, Exolaunch has an industry insight it can leverage to develop one-stop-shop solutions tailored towards meeting customer needs and addressing market trends. Exolaunch executes launch contracts for NewSpace leaders, the world’s most innovative startups, research institutions, government organizations, and space agencies. Exolaunch manufactures lightweight and flight-proven separation systems to deliver integration and deployment services for small satellites. The company is also developing a line of environmentally-friendly orbital transfer vehicles named Reliant for the satellite last-mile transportation, in-space logistics and space debris removal. Exolaunch is committed to making space accessible for everyone and to promoting safe, sustainable and responsible use of space.