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LICIACube named AIAA Small Satellite Mission of the Year

Argotec has been honored for the reliability and technical excellence of the company’s LICIACube mission with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Small Satellite Mission of the Year award.

Announced annually at the AIAA and Utah State University Small Satellite Conference, this award recognizes missions that demonstrate a significant improvement in the capability of smallsats.

LICIACube, funded by the Italian Space Agency, was part of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, the first attempt to target, impact and move an asteroid in space, in September 2022. The smallsat was the only secondary mission aboard NASA DART and its objective was to document the impact between the DART probe and the asteroid Dimorphos. LICIACube is the first deep space smallsat to attempt such a mission.

Argotec’s Mission Control Center recorded LICIACube performing an asteroid fly-by at 4.35 miles per second, or more than 15,650 m.p.h., under fully autonomous navigation. The smallsat took 627 photos showing debris streaming from Dimorphos.

Argotec recently announced a multimillion-dollar investment to start operations and build a facility in Largo, Maryland. The AIAA award speaks to Argotec’s commitment and the results the company is already achieving in the U.S. market.

Furthermore, Argotec has begun construction on the firm’s new SpacePark in Turin, Italy, to be completed by early 2025. The new facility will include nearly 120,000 square feet of covered space for a highly automated production plant and more than 180,000 square feet of green space as part of Argotec’s commitment to sustainability.

“With LICIACube, we once again demonstrated the incredible performance and reliability of our platform. This award recognizes the hard work and technical expertise of the Argotec team. And we are excited for our continued work on projects and missions in LEO and deep space, especially as we expand our presence in the United States.” — David Avino, Argotec CEO and founder

Equatorial Launch Australia signs a multi-launch contract with INNOSPACE

Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) the developer, owner and operator of the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) on the Gove Peninsula in Australia’s Northern Territory, has signed a multi-year, multi-launch contract with Korean aerospace company, INNOSPACE, for a series of orbital launches from the Australian spaceport.

The agreement will see the launch of several INNOSPACE rocket variants each carrying between 50 and 500 kg. payloads into LEO from the ASC across a five-year timeframe until December of 2028.

The signing of this contract has validated the business concept and development plans of ELA by securing INNOSPACE – the only hybrid-fueled rocket company worldwide to have successfully launched into space – as the first commercial company to become a ‘resident launcher’ (long term tenant and regular launcher) at the Australian spaceport. The first launches by INNOSPACE from the ASC are expected to commence in early 2025. ELA previously had a three-launch contract with NASA.

ELA has been working with the Australian Space Agency (ASA) to expand its existing Launch Facilities Licence (LFL) to support orbital launches from the ASC with a range of orbital rockets, differing azimuths and trajectories and a much wider array of propellant mixes and rocket configurations as part of its Phase 2 Development Plan. This work with the ASA will now expand to assist INNOSPACE to obtain its first Australian Launch Permit (ALP). This ALP approval process is expected to take between 6 and 14 months commencing later his year.

As one of up to seven planned ‘resident launchers,’ INNOSPACE will be allocated a Space Launch Complex (SLC), comprising two, modern, ASC launch pads customized to INNOSPACE’s rocket requirements, plus an extensive Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) that allows for rocket assembly, payload integration (in an ISO 8 clean room) and has overhead cranes, offices, workshops and system test facilities in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Each SLC is fully enclosed and encompasses a range of ITAR compliance measures including video and movement sensor security, extensive fencing, and access control.

“We are delighted to announce this multi-launch and long-term agreement with INNOSPACE and what we hope is the first of several launch agreements which we have been developing for some time. INNOSPACE is a truly innovative company with outstanding technology and is one of the leaders in the emerging market of smaller launch providers. INNOSPACE is one of the first of the next batch of “new space” rocket companies to launch and with increasing congestion at major spaceports globally, INNOSPACE has recognized the unique launch/geographic, infrastructure and commercial benefits of launching from the ASC.

“The launch contract and associated space launch complex agreement which we have been discussing for over a year provide INNOSPACE with the flexibility they require around launching a range of launch vehicles at an increasing cadence over the next five years. This contract demonstrates the potential for the ASC to deliver on our goal of being the pre-eminent commercial launch site globally. With the combination of our launch pad design/technology, launch inclination options, geopolitically stable base, infrastructure, logistics and engineering support solutions we have developed, we know we offer a highly competitive and attractive spaceport solution.

“Last year’s three successful launches with NASA allowed us to showcase the skill and capabilities of both the ELA team and the Arnhem Space Centre to the world. We’re excited to embark on that journey again – this time with INNOSPACE. It is a very important part of our ethos and culture to be known for what we achieve and not what we predict, and this contract again shows this aspect of ELA.” — Michael Jones, Executive Chairman and Group CEO, ELA

“We are thrilled to have secured an optimal launch spaceport, the ASC, which has the benefits of launching from an equatorial spaceport and brings launch efficiencies through this multi-launch agreement with ELA. Our goal is to offer customers greater flexibility for their launch schedule and orbit access with frequent dedicated launch opportunities. We expect to enable our satellite customers to achieve significant innovation with our orbital launch services by launching from the ASC.” — Soojong Kim, CEO, INNOSPACE

SpaceX readies Falcon 9 for Wednesday launch of 22 Starlink smallsats

SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, August 16 at 1:42 a.m., ET, (08:42 UTC on August 17) for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

If needed, four additional opportunities are available starting at 9:07 p.m. ET (1:07 UTC on August 17) until 12:00 a.m. ET on August 17 (4:00 UTC). Four backup opportunities are also currently available on Thursday, August 17 starting at 7:49 p.m. ET (23:49 UTC) until 11:11 p.m. ET (3:11 UTC on August 18).

This is the 13th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, mPOWER-a, PSN SATRIA, and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Rocket Lab to launch a NASA research mission

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has signed a double-launch deal with NASA to deliver the Agency’s climate change, research-focused mission, PREFIRE, to LEO in 2024.

Artist’s concept of PREFIRE CubeSats in space. Image is courtesy of NASA/JPL.

The two dedicated missions on Electron will deploy one smallsat each to a 525 km. circular orbit from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand from May of 2024. The PREFIRE mission has specific LTAN (Local Time of the Ascending Node) requirements and a need for the second satellite to be deployed to space shortly after the first, which is made possible by Electron’s ability to deploy dedicated small satellite missions on highly responsive timelines. The launches will be the 7th and 8th missions Rocket Lab has launched for NASA since 2018.

Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Photo is courtesy of the company.

NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will help close a gap in understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space, especially from the Arctic and Antarctica. Analysis of PREFIRE’s measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise. Improving climate models can ultimately help to provide more accurate projections on the impacts of storm severity and frequency, as well as coastal erosion and flooding. PREFIRE consists of two, 6U CubeSats with a baseline mission length of 10 months.

The PREFIRE mission was awarded to Rocket Lab through NASA’s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) program, a $300 million dollar five-year contracting vehicle for placing NASA’s science and technology payloads on U.S. commercial launchers.

PREFIRE joins a long list of NASA missions awarded to Rocket Lab, including the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon on Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle and Lunar Photon satellite bus, the back-to-back launches in May 2023 of the TROPICS satellites for NASA’s hurricane monitoring mission, and the NASA Starling mission launched last month on Rocket Lab’s most recent Electron recovery launch.

“Missions like these are core to the whole reason why Rocket Lab was founded in the first place – to open up access to space to improve life on Earth – and climate change is a hugely urgent cause for us all. It’s a privilege to be able to support this important mission and an honor to be a continued trusted launch provider for small satellite missions with big impact.” — Peter Beck, Founder and CEO, Rocket Lab

Telesat contracts MDA as Prime for advanced Telesat Lightspeed LEO constellation + now fully funded

Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) has announced that MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA) will build 198 advanced satellites for the Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) program.

Telesat also announced that Telesat Lightspeed is now fully funded through global service delivery taking into account the company’s own equity contribution, certain vendor financing, and aggregate funding commitments from its Canadian federal and provincial government partners.

By taking advantage of key technology advances, including MDA’s digital beamforming array antennas and integrated regenerative processor, the re-designed Telesat Lightspeed network will achieve increased network efficiency and enhanced flexibility to focus and dynamically deliver capacity to users. These technology advances allow each satellite to be slightly smaller than the satellites Telesat was previously considering while still maintaining the highest levels of service performance, resiliency and overall usable capacity in the network.

Importantly, these state-of-the art satellites are also highly cost effective, resulting in an anticipated total capital cost savings for the 198-satellite program of approximately $2 billion compared to Telesat’s prior capital estimate. This substantial savings facilitates the funding of the program and meaningfully improves what were already compelling projected financial returns.

Leveraging Telesat’s 54 year history of engineering excellence, the Telesat Lightspeed network was designed from inception to serve the demanding, mission-critical connectivity requirements of enterprise and government users. Service offerings for the optically-linked mesh network in space include multi-Gbps data links, Layer 2 MEF 3.0 standards, and highly secure, resilient, low-latency broadband connectivity anywhere in the world. With the signing of this contract, the Telesat Lightspeed program begins immediately, with satellite launches scheduled to commence in mid-2026 and polar and global services scheduled to begin in late 2027.

“I’m incredibly proud of the Telesat team for their innovative work to further optimize our Telesat Lightspeed design – which was already a highly advanced and high performing LEO network – resulting in dramatically reduced costs with unmatched enterprise-class service offerings,” stated . “MDA is a world class satellite prime contractor with an impressive track record and a number of recent high profile, strategic space programs announced, and it is a privilege to be working side-by-side with them on the flagship, game-changing Telesat Lightspeed constellation. MDA’s deep expertise as a LEO prime contractor, as well our own leading expertise in satellite operations and systems engineering, gives us the highest level of confidence in meeting our objectives.” — Dan Goldberg, President and CEO, Telesat

“True to our values, MDA has been committed to being a trusted Telesat Lightspeed mission partner since the beginning, and our proven performance as a LEO constellation satellite prime contractor will now be leveraged to take the constellation forward,” said . “We believe in Telesat’s mission and vision and are excited that our software-defined digital satellite product will be a key enabler in meeting their goals as we work together to usher in the next generation of space-based satellite communications.” — Mike Greenley, CEO, MDA

Telesat Lightspeed Program Funding

Telesat now has in place aggregate funding commitments from its Canadian federal and provincial government partners in the combined amount of up to approximately $2 billion, demonstrating their strong commitment and confidence in the program and the importance of the New Space Economy for Canada. The finalization of this funding is dependent on a number of conditions, including completion of confirmatory due diligence and the conclusion of definitive agreements.

This funding, combined with Telesat’s own approximately $1.6 billion equity contribution, as well as certain vendor financing, would provide the Telesat Lightspeed program with sufficient funds to launch global service, which will occur once the first 156 satellites are in orbit. Telesat will continue adding satellites that are funded using Telesat Lightspeed cash flow to complete the initial 198 satellite constellation. In addition to the approximately $2 billion in anticipated capital savings, Telesat also expects substantial savings due to significantly reduced financing costs relative to the company’s prior plan.

The capital investment for the Telesat Lightspeed program is approximately $3.5 billion and includes 198 Telesat Lightspeed satellites, satellite launch vehicles, a global ground network of landing stations and operations centers, business and operations support systems, and expenditures to support the further development of a portfolio of user terminals for Telesat’s target markets.

Telesat Lightspeed is the largest space program ever conceived in Canada and will be among the most innovative, cutting-edge broadband satellite networks in the world. MDA will manufacture the Telesat Lightspeed satellites in its state-of-the-art satellite systems design and high-volume manufacturing facilities in Quebec. The program will help bridge the digital divide, create and maintain approximately 2,000 high-quality Canadian jobs, spur Canadian-driven innovation and the development of valuable intellectual property, generate billions of dollars in economic growth, and drive domestic investment and exports.

“As a global leader in the new space economy, Canada is proud to see two domestic champions join forces on this flagship Canadian program to create high-skilled jobs and support cutting-edge innovation in the telecom industry, helping unlock economic and social opportunities in Canada’s rural and remote communities. Canada remains a strong supporter of Telesat Lightspeed and will continue to help solve some of the most pressing challenges we face here on Earth, from bridging the digital divide, to health, climate change, national security, and more.” — The Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“We are grateful and proud to have the strong support of the Governments of Canada, Quebec and Ontario in the Telesat Lightspeed program.” — Dan Goldberg, President and CEO, Telesat

Luna 25: the first Russian spacecraft in 47 years heading to the moon

On August 11, Russia successfully launched Luna-25 heading to the Moon. This is the first lunar lander in 47 years.

The uncrewed spacecraft took off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East, aboard a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket. The Luna-25 mission aims to collect samples of moon rock and dust, crucial for understanding the moon’s environment before any potential base construction.

The lander, roughly the size of a small car, is expected to operate for a year on the moon’s south pole. The Luna-25 spacecraft is equipped with landing rockets, solar panels, computers, and a robotic arm for collecting lunar samples. It will take about five days to travel to the Moon and is expected to touch down on August 21.

This launch marks a significant step in Russia’s space exploration efforts, reigniting its lunar program after nearly half a century.

India Today

Germany’s DCUBED to be the first “disruptive enabling technology” demonstrating in-space manufacturing

DCUBED, the German NewSpace hardware manufacturer, announced it will demonstrate in-space manufacturing as part of a demonstration mission expected in Q1 2024. This will be the first time ever that a product has been manufactured in free space.

The demonstration will see the production of a roughly 30 centimeter high, 3D printed truss structure, and is designed to prove the efficacy of in-space manufacturing and highlight the game-changing potential that such capabilities promise to deliver for production in-orbit.

Revolutionizing Space Exploration: In-Space Manufacturing with DCUBED

“Payload limitations and costs are real barriers hindering the use of space for the benefit of mankind. There is an urgent need for large structures in orbit to support an ecosystem providing services as diverse as internet from space, IoT, and Earth observation. The establishment of our new key business division shows that we at DCUBED always want to push the boundaries of what is possible, enabling our partners and customers to think big in space. Our demonstration of manufacturing in free space promises to revolutionize in-space fabrication and repair of space structures and trigger a paradigm shift in how we approach the production of space hardware, opening many doors which we can’t even imagine right now. This is a truly disruptive enabling technology.” Dr. Thomas Sinn, CEO & Founder, DCUBED.

The upcoming demonstration is a major milestone in DCUBED’s efforts towards establishing in-space manufacturing capabilities for larger space structures, especially for SmallSat applications, due to be demonstrated by the company in the next couple of years. This program includes an in-orbit experiment of truss-structure manufacturing in 2025 and an in-orbit mission demonstration, in 2026, for a multiple kilowatt (KW) SmallSat solar arrays.

A space mechanism builder with 15 products already in orbit, DCUBED, which is headquartered outside Munich, Germany, is establishing an office in Broomfield, Colorado, an ideal location within the key United States space market.

UPDATE: Success as SpaceX’s 22 Starlinks soar turning the early morning sky pink

UPDATE: On Friday, August 11 at 1:17 a.m. ET, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched 22 of the second-generation “V2” mini satellites, that are larger and have four times the bandwidth of the previous models, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This was the ninth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and now five Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth as planned, landing at sea on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions about 8.5 minutes after launch.  

Previously: SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 rocket originally scheduled to launch 22 of the second-generation “V2” mini satellites, that are larger and have four times the bandwidth of the previous models, is now rescheduled to 12:27 a.m. EDT (0427 UTC) early Friday morning. The 22 Starlink satellites will head into low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX’s photo of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites at Cape Canaveral.

If needed, an additional launch opportunity is available at 1:17 a.m. ET (5:17 UTC). Five backup opportunities are also currently available on Friday, August 11 starting at 9:30 p.m. ET (1:30 UTC on August 12) until 12:52 a.m. ET on August 12 (4:52 UTC). This will be the 11th launch of the V2 minis.

The company’s internet service is available in more than 60 countries and has more than 1.5 million subscribers according to reports in May of this year.

The first stage booster previously launched the Cargo Dragon CRS-24, Eutelsat Hotbird 13F, OneWeb 1, and SES-18/SES-19 missions, plus four Starlink deployment flights. Its last flight was the Starlink 5-12 mission on June 23, 2023.

After separating from the second stage about two and a half minutes into flight, the first stage booster, that had previously flown the Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and the Starlink 4-4 mission, will target landing on the drone ship, Just Read the Instructions stationed east of the Bahamas in the Atlantic. The booster’s last launch was 37 days ago.

The booster had previously flown the Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and the Starlink 4-4 missions. Its last launch was 37 days ago.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink V2 mini small sats delayed and rescheduled

SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 rocket originally scheduled to launch 22 of the second-generation “V2” mini satellites, that are larger and have four times the bandwidth of the previous models, is now rescheduled to 12:27 a.m. EDT (0427 UTC) early Friday morning. The 22 Starlink satellites will head into low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX’s photo of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites at Cape Canaveral.

If needed, an additional launch opportunity is available at 1:17 a.m. ET (5:17 UTC). Five backup opportunities are also currently available on Friday, August 11 starting at 9:30 p.m. ET (1:30 UTC on August 12) until 12:52 a.m. ET on August 12 (4:52 UTC). This will be the 11th launch of the V2 minis.

The company’s internet service is available in more than 60 countries and has more than 1.5 million subscribers according to reports in May of this year.

The first stage booster previously launched the Cargo Dragon CRS-24, Eutelsat Hotbird 13F, OneWeb 1, and SES-18/SES-19 missions, plus four Starlink deployment flights. Its last flight was the Starlink 5-12 mission on June 23, 2023.

After separating from the second stage about two and a half minutes into flight, the first stage booster, that had previously flown the Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and the Starlink 4-4 mission, will target landing on the drone ship, Just Read the Instructions stationed east of the Bahamas in the Atlantic. The booster’s last launch was 37 days ago.

The booster had previously flown the Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and the Starlink 4-4 missions. Its last launch was 37 days ago.

Planet Labs and MAXAR images provide updates of Maui fires’ devastation

Overview of Lahaina on Maui in Sept. 2022 and Aug. 2023, after the wildfire. Photo: Planet Labs PBC

Reports from Maui indicate that that the death toll from a wildfire that has turned the resort town of Lahaina on Hawaii’s Maui island into smoldering ruins was expected to rise “very significantly” on Thursday, according to Hawaii Governor Josh Green. “We will need to rebuild the entirety of Lahaina, I believe,” Governor Green told KHON 2 TV.

Lahaina square on June 25 and Aug. 9. Photo: Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies

Official reports indicate that 36 people have died after the fires broke out late on Tuesday, and more have suffered burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries. Search and rescue efforts continue, and thousands of people have fled the area, into emergency shelters and off the island.

The governor indicated that the death count will climb into the 40s later on Thursday.

The fires were the worst disaster to befall Hawaii since 1960, one year after it became a U.S. state, when a tsunami killed 61 people.