Nowadays, data is capital information for the safety of all of us. Having the ability to look at vessels from space gives us the ability to foresee, anticipate and correct complex situations.
AAC Clyde Space has won a GBP 4.3 M (approx. SEK 56.2 M) ($5,494,375 Million) order for 11 satellite kits from Portuguese company LusoSpace to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2024. The EPIC 8U variant will be co-designed by AAC Clyde Space and LusoSpace, and built in Portugal.
LusoSpace intends to combine the EPIC 8U satellites into a VDES communication constellation, to be launched late 2025. The order follows an initial order for a 3U satellite received earlier in Q4, 2023.
The satellites will be equipped with a VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) payload. VDES was developed to meet the increasing need for data communication between maritime users, providing faster data transfer rates with greater integrity than current VHF data link systems.
“We are delighted to share our experience and knowledge with LusoSpace in this project which aims to catalyze Portuguese capacity in space with a commercially viable project. Our EPIC range of satellites has unrivalled flight heritage, a robust design, and an attractive price,” says AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.
“We believe that this contract will position LusoSpace in a new exciting sector, VDES maritime communications. Our purpose it to add value in the maritime sector for people, companies and institutions” says LusoSpace CEO Ivo Vieira.
The Project is funded by the Portuguese Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR). The fund’s objective is to catalyze national capacity in space which is also commercially viable. LusoSpace will develop and deploy 12 nanosatellite spacecraft carrying VDES payloads.