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Contract signed by Momentus to deploy the CUAVA-2 smallsat for the Australian Research Centre

Momentus Inc. has signed a contract with the CUAVA Training Centre at the University of Sydney to deploy the CUAVA-2 cubesat to LEO in October 2023.

CUAVA is the Australian Research Council Training Centre for CubeSats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles, and their Applications and is a partnership centered at the University of Sydney that aims to fundamentally change the capabilities and applications of cubesats to create major, commercial value, with wide applications.

CUAVA-2 is a 6U cubesat with two primary payloads…

(1) A Hyperspectral Imager developed by the Space Photonics group (SAIL) in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney to demonstrate a novel imager and provide high resolution spatial and spectral data for applications across agriculture and forestry, coastal and marine environments, urban areas, water hazards and mineral exploration

(2) A GPS Reflectometry payload developed by the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research (ACSER) at the University of New South Wales. CUAVA-2 will be the second satellite to be launched by CUAVA, targeted for deployment from a Momentus Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle that will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Artistic rendition of the Momentus OTV — Vigoride, courtesy of the company.

CUAVA-2 also carries multiple secondary payloads and technology demonstrations, including the Charge Exchange Thruster (CXT), the wide field-of-view CROSS star tracker, the Electron Density and Debris Instrument (EDDI), the Electro Permanent Magnetorquer, the Perovskites in Orbit Test (Port) payload of advanced solar cells, and a Radiation Counter and Data over Power-bus payload. These payloads were developed at the University of Sydney.

“Momentus is proud to partner with CUAVA, a leading Australian research center,” said Momentus Chief Executive Officer, John Rood. “Innovation and pushing the boundaries of technology is what we love to do at Momentus. We look forward to supporting CUAVA’s mission to use leading edge capabilities in space to improve life on Earth.”

“The CUAVA-2 CubeSat is the culmination of several years of hard work by the satellite team and our partners,” said CUAVA Director, Professor Iver Cairns. “We are looking forward with great excitement to the launch with Momentus, and to gathering unique data from the many advanced payloads and technology demonstrators on CUAVA-2 once in orbit.”

Momentus is a U.S. commercial space company that offers in-space infrastructure services, including in-space transportation, hosted payloads and in-orbit services. Momentus believes it can make new ways of operating in space possible with its in-space transfer and service vehicles that will be powered by an innovative water plasma-based propulsion system that is under development.

CUAVA is funded by the Australian Research Council. Working with Industry Partners, its mission is to train the next generation of workers in advanced manufacturing, commercial space, and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. In doing so, CUAVA will develop new instruments and technology to solve crucial problems, and develop a world-class Australian industry in CubeSats, UAVs, and related products. CUAVA has been in operation since December 2017, with headquarters at the University of Sydney.

UPDATE: SpaceX successfully launches Dragon’s first resupply mission to the ISS via Falcon 9 and Eutelsat’s 10B satellite launched

On Tuesday, November 22 at 9:57 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched the Eutelsat 10B mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This was the eleventh launch of this booster, which previously supported the launch of Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and nine Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8 and eight Starlink missions.

Artistic rendition of the EUTELSAT 10B satellite on-orbit, courtesy of Eutelsat.

On Saturday, November 26 at 2:20 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched Dragon’s 26th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-26) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Dragon will autonomously dock with the space station on Sunday, November 27, at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET (12:30 UTC).

The instantaneous launch window is at 3:54 p.m. ET (20:54 UTC), and a backup launch opportunity is available on Saturday, November 26 at 2:20 p.m. ET (19:20 UTC), pending range approval.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first flight of the Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission.

SubOrbital Express 3 mission carries 12 payloads to space from the Esrange Space Center

Launch of the SubOrbital Express 3 mission.

Following two-and-a-half years of preparation, on Wednesday, November 23rd, the SubOrbital Express 3 mission launched from Swedish Space Corporation‘s Esrange Space Center located above the Polar Circle in Northern Sweden.

The Esrange Space Center. SSC provides support for sounding rocket missions at the Esrange facility. This includes providing complete solutions ranging from only using the site for launches with customer personnel, to the provision of flight tickets on one of the sounding rockets being launched by SSC.

Among the 12 payloads onboard were scientific experiments to investigate everything from stem cells for diabetes research to particle research that will provide answers about the origin of planets.

SubOrbital Express 3 is the 15th in a series of MASER, “Materials Science Experiment Rocket,” rockets launched from Esrange Space Center since this sounding rocket program started in 1987. European Space Agency is the largest customer of the program, funding several of the experiments onboard.

NEUROBETA: A research team from Uppsala University in Sweden bring living stem cells and insulin-producing beta cells as a payload. By exposing these cells to microgravity, the researchers hope to come closer to a treatment for type-1 diabetes by influencing beta cell proliferation and beta cell function for diabetes patients with stem cells.

ARLES: Through two separate experiments, researchers from the Belgian university ULB in Brussels will use two different liquid experiments to investigate how drops of different liquids behave during evaporation. Through the experiment, the researchers will focus on understanding how liquids can best be used to transfer heat and could help improve thermal control systems in Space.

CHIP: Researchers from University of Duisburg-Essen will investigate how electrically charged particles behave in Space in order to learn more about the origin of planets. Just recently, electrical charging has been proposed as motor of planet formation, and CHIP will give new insights into the structure of clusters formed by charge driven coagulation, the corresponding growth rate and the maximum size to be reached.

MINI-IRENE: This flight experiment, developed by a research team of CIRA, ALI Consortium and the University of Naples, will test the durability of an aero-breaker capsule which could potentially be used for atmospheric re-entry for various spacecraft in the future. The experiment will be separated from the rocket in Space, and the umbrella shaped capsule will allow, after the return into the atmosphere, for a stable flight and impact upon landing.

“There are plenty of mechanisms that are easier to study in microgravity as gravity often has a strong influence on the research that we work with. This year’s SubOrbital Express campaign has a payload containing twelve experiments from a wide range of disciplines, which could potentially provide answers which are directly significant for life on Earth. It’s wonderful that Sweden and SSC can be part of such important research,” said Stefan Krämer, program manager of the mission.

SatNews Publishers Wishes Everyone a Happy Thanksgiving

The team at SatNews Publishers wishes everyone
celebrating Thanksgiving

an enjoyable holiday with whoever—and whatever—joins you
at your table. 

The SatNews offices will be closed Thursday, November 24
through Friday, November 25 for Thanksgiving.

Rocket Lab completes the final launch rehearsal prior to the 1st Electron mission from U.S. soil

With rocket and launch pad checkouts complete, Rocket Lab is ready for its first mission from U.S. soil at Launch Complex 2 in Virginia

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has completed a final launch rehearsal and is ready for the lift-off for the company’s first mission from U.S. soil as early as December 7th — the mission will occur at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) that is located within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility — a launch pad developed to support U.S. Electron missions for government and commercial customers.

Electron Rocket Arrives at Launch Complex 2 for Rocket Lab’s Inaugural Mission from Virginia

Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, this pre-launch exercise sees the launch team carry out the same activities and procedures they will conduct on launch day to ensure the Electron rocket, launch pad, and supporting systems are ready for flight. As part of the rehearsal, Electron was rolled out to the launch pad and raised vertically before it was loaded with fuel and liquid oxygen to verify fueling procedures.

The launch team then conducted a full launch countdown, ending before the final step of engine ignition of Electron’s Rutherford engines. Electron was then de-tanked of fuel and returned to Rocket Lab’s Integration and Control Facility (ICF) at the Wallops Research Park to await launch during a window that extends from December 7 – 20.

The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission will deploy three satellites for radio frequency (RF) geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360, with integration of those satellites to Electron taking place in the coming days at Rocket Lab’s ICF.

The NASA Autonomous Flight Termination Unit.
Credits: NASA

Meanwhile, NASA is continuing to make progress in certifying its Autonomous Flight Termination System (AFTS) software required for the launch. This will be the first time an AFTS will be flown from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, representing a valuable new capability for the nation.

Rocket Lab has already conducted 32 Electron missions from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and has delivered 152 satellites to orbit for customers that have included NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office, DARPA, the U.S. Space Force and a range of commercial constellation operators. Electron is already the most frequently launched, small orbital rocket globally and, now with the capacity of the pads at Launch Complex 1 and 2 combined, Rocket Lab has more than 130 Electron launch opportunities every year.

This launch will be the first of three Electron launches for HawkEye 360 in a contract that will see Rocket Lab deliver 15 satellites to LEO between late 2022 and 2024. These missions will grow HawkEye 360’s constellation of RF monitoring satellites, enabling the company to better deliver precise geolocation of radio frequency emissions anywhere in the world.

“This mission is a significant moment for Rocket Lab and a pivotal milestone for Virginia’s long legacy in spaceflight,” said Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck. “With wet dress rehearsal now complete, we’re excited to move into launch operations for this historic mission.”

“We are honored to support the launch of this historic mission,” said Ted Mercer, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space. “In addition to being Rocket Lab’s first and only U.S. launch location, we will also be building rockets and processing their payload right here in Accomack County – something that has never been done in Virginia. Our partnership with Rocket Lab is a unique opportunity for the Commonwealth of Virginia to create long-term economic development opportunities in the form of high-paying jobs, launch viewing tourism, and construction of new facilities on the Eastern Shore.”

A live launch webcast will at this direct link and will start at approximately T-40 minutes.

Boeing’s Reorg of Defense, Space & Security Business Unit

Boeing conducted a series of executive leadership changes and reorganizations with the goal of accelerating operational discipline, first-time quality and performance while streamlining senior leadership roles and responsibilities.

The results are effective immediately, Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) will consolidate its eight divisions into four, including:

Mark C. Cherry
 VP & Gen Mgr, Vertical Lift
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Philadelphia Senior Executive

Vertical Lift, led by Vice President and General Manager Mark Cherry who is also the Boeing Philadelphia senior site executive. Cherry’s responsibilities include a portfolio of rotorcraft capabilities and aircraft that include the AH-6 Little Bird, AH-64 Apache, H-47 Chinook, MH-139 Grey Wolf, V-22 Osprey and future vertical lift solutions such as DEFIANT X.

Dan Gillian VP and Gen Mgr Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers

Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers, led by Vice President and General Manager Dan Gillian, whose responsibilities will include KC-46, SAOC, E-7, VC-25B, P-8, Bombers, AWACS/AEW&C, 777X components and all executive transport programs.

Steve Nordlund
VP and Gen Mgr Air Dominance
St. Louis Senior Executive

Air Dominance, led by Vice President and General Manager Steve Nordlund, whose responsibilities will include classified programs; the F/A-18, F-15, T-7, MQ-25 and MQ-28 programs; and the non-space Phantom Works portfolio, including the Virtual Warfare Centers. Steve will also become the senior site executive for the St. Louis region.

Kay Sears
VP and Gen Mgr
Space, Intelligence & Weapon Systems

Space, Intelligence & Weapon Systems, led by Vice President and General Manager Kay Sears, whose responsibilities will include space exploration and launch programs, satellites, munitions, missiles, weapon system deterrents, maritime undersea, Phantom Works Space and subsidiaries (BI&A, Millennium, Insitu, Liquid Robotics, Spectrolab, Argon and DRT).

These changes build upon a consolidation of Manufacturing & Safety, Total Quality, Supply Chain and Program Management, and the appointment of Steve Parker as BDS chief operating officer.

“I am confident this reorganization will drive greater and more simplified integration and collaboration across Boeing Defense, Space & Security,” said Colbert. “These changes will help accelerate operational discipline and program quality and performance, while stabilizing our development and production programs. These are necessary steps to put BDS on the path to stronger, profitable growth.”

Additionally, Tim Peters, currently vice president and general manager of Mobility and Surveillance, and Cindy Gruensfelder, currently vice president and general manager of Missile and Weapon Systems, will be retiring after assisting with the transitions.

“Over the past three decades, Tim and Cindy have played an integral role in delivering critical capabilities for our customers and developing top talent across the enterprise,” Colbert said. “The Boeing Executive Council and I are grateful for their leadership and years of service.”

Coinciding with these changes, Boeing Global Services (BGS) will integrate all government services — domestic and international — into one organization, led by Torbjorn (Turbo) Sjogren, vice president and general manager of BGS Government Services. 

SmallSat Symposium — Early Bird pricing ends on December 2nd… register ASAP…

Conference objectives for 2023 include…

DEEP INDUSTRY INSIGHT AND A BROAD MARKET OVERVIEW

High speaker-to-attendee ratio gives unparalleled access to industry leaders, while selective exhibitor attendance ensures visitors are able to gain a comprehensive overview of the key players, trends and technologies in the market.

ENGAGING CONTENT

We livestream and record all presentations and sessions, making content accessible even if you need to miss a session or talk.  Access keynote speeches, exciting panels, Q&A, exhibitions, product demos, devoted meeting areas and coordinated networking events; the knowledge you need in the way you want.  

CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT TO MAKE YOUR WORKING LIFE EASIER

Set in a medium sized venue in the heart of Silicon Valley, SmallSat Symposium is centralized, accessible and straightforward to navigate. Combined with delicious complimentary meals, snacks and reception events, business and pleasure has never been easier.

There are early registration incentives that extend through December 2, 2022.

AST SpaceMobile has deployed the largest commercial communications array in LEO

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (“AST SpaceMobile”) (NASDAQ: ASTS) has successfully completed deployment of the communications array for the company’s test satellite, BlueWalker 3 (“BW3”), in orbit. BW3 is the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in LEO and is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies at 5G speeds. Now that it has been unfolded, the satellite spans 693 square feet in size, a design feature critical to support a space-based cellular broadband network. The satellite is expected to have a field of view of more than 300,000 square miles on the surface of the Earth.

The 693-square foot array on Blue Walker 3 successfully completed deployment. Image is courtesy of AST SpaceMobile.

The unfolding of BW3 was made possible by years of R&D, testing and operational preparation. AST SpaceMobile has a portfolio of more than 2,400 patent and patent-pending claims supporting its space-based cellular broadband technology. Additional details on the BlueWalker 3 mission can be seen in this video, viewable via this direct link…

Artistic rendition of BlueWalker 3 on-orbit, courtesy of AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile has agreements and understandings with mobile network operators (“MNOs”) globally that have over 1.8 billion existing subscribers, including a mutual exclusivity with Vodafone in 24 countries. Interconnecting with AST SpaceMobile’s planned network will allow MNOs, including Vodafone Group, Rakuten Mobile, AT&T, Bell Canada, MTN Group, Orange, Telefonica, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Millicom, Smartfren, Telecom Argentina, Telstra, Africell, Liberty Latin America and others, the ability to offer extended cellular broadband coverage to their customers who live, work and travel in areas with poor or non-existent cell coverage, with the goal of eliminating dead zones with cellular broadband from space.

“Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work. Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile. “The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites.”

“We want to close coverage gaps in our markets, particularly in territories where terrain makes it extremely challenging to reach with a traditional ground-based network. Our partnership with AST SpaceMobile – connecting satellite directly to conventional mobile devices – will help in our efforts to close the digital divide,” said Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D, Vodafone and an AST SpaceMobile director.

Tareq Amin, CEO of Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony and an AST SpaceMobile director, said, “Our mission is to democratize access to mobile connectivity: That is why we are so excited about the potential of AST SpaceMobile to support disaster-readiness and meet our goal of 100% geographical coverage to our customers in Japan. I look forward not only to testing BW3 on our world-leading cloud-native network in Japan, but also working with AST SpaceMobile on integrating our virtualized radio network technology to help bring connectivity to the world.”

Chris Sambar, President – Network, AT&T, said, “We’re excited to see AST SpaceMobile reach this significant milestone. AT&T’s core mission is connecting people to greater possibilities on the largest wireless network in America. Working with AST SpaceMobile, we believe there is a future opportunity to even further extend our network reach including to otherwise remote and off-grid locations.”

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected. For more information, follow AST SpaceMobile on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Watch this video for an overview of the SpaceMobile mission.

SpaceRyde’s MLAs with ISILAUNCH

SpaceRyde has announced multiple launch agreements with ISILAUNCH — the MLA is an agreement for four of SpaceRyde’s commercial launches, starting in 2024, and confirms ISILAUNCH’s increased customer demand for private missions that are counter to rideshare options currently existing in the market. With the addition of SpaceRyde’s private space transportation services, ISILAUNCH will offer their customers private launches with customizations, including: launch scheduling as late as four weeks prior to launch; custom orbits and fairing configurations; all at a market-low price of $250,000 per launch.

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SpaceRyde builds its spacecraft and launch systems in-house and will manage everything from payload integration to launch. This vertical integration, teamed with its innovative private AI-powered balloon launch system, has allowed for leading rocket optimization, mission customization and customer cost savings. Its full-service solution aligns perfectly with ISILAUNCH’s goal of making its customers’ smallsat launches as simple and easy as possible.

With SpaceRyde as their space transportation provider, ISILAUNCH will be able to further uphold its promise of customer satisfaction by offering customizable dedicated rockets to precise orbits for the low minimum cost of $250,000.

SpaceRyde is offering space missions from Earth as a means to build its network of interplanetary rockets that will perform ongoing missions and serve the $1 trillion space economy. The company’s proprietary multi-purpose rocket can repeatedly refuel, rendezvous and maneuver in space. The MLA represents the addition of four of SpaceRyde’s in-space vehicles to its Rocket Network.

SpaceRyde has test flights scheduled for 2023. Commercial space flights begin in 2024, along with their first mission to the Moon. The signing of this MLA with an established industry player strongly indicates SpaceRyde’s technological readiness for commercial operations.

“We’re excited to add SpaceRyde to our roster of launch providers,” said ISISPACE and ISILAUNCH’s co-founder, Abe Bonnema. “Our mission is to provide the best launch experience to each of our customers, and with SpaceRyde’s reusable technology, we will be able to cater to even more customer missions in various inclinations and altitudes.”

‍”SpaceRyde is excited to join ISILAUNCH’s portfolio of heritage launch partners,” said SpaceRyde’s CRO, Negar Feher. “A gap exists for fast and reliable access to custom orbits in space at a competitive price. These four launches are only the beginning.”

LEOcloud and Axiom Space collaborate and take their assistance to the sky with space-based cloud services

LEOcloud Envisions A Strong Demand For Cloud Services In Space For Commercial, Government and Military Customers

LEOcloud announced they have entered into a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Axiom Space Inc., the developer of the world’s first commercial space station, for the purpose of developing and delivering space-based cloud services.

LEOcloud’s Space Edge™ Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) will enable scalable, resilient, reliable Space-hardened cloud edge computing services that are a seamless extension of today’s terrestrial cloud services. Space Edge IaaS multi-cloud service will be part of the critical infrastructure that is evolving in Space where data can be sourced from anywhere in Space and on Earth to be processed by workloads hosted in Space. LEOcloud Space Edge IaaS includes support for Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, to enable cloud services across hybrid cloud and at the edge with greater speed, flexibility and consistency.

Space Edge IaaS is extensible from LEO to the lunar region and beyond, bringing the benefits of edge computing as close as possible to the sources and users of data. End users can operate their services or application workloads in a local hybrid cloud environment just as they would on Earth.

LEOcloud’s Space Edge IaaS is based on Ramon.Space compute and data storage technology that is Space-hardened and scalable for the Size, Weight and Power (SWAP) constraints of a satellite to the relatively large SWAP available on Space stations.

Microsoft and LEOcloud’s joint strategic vision is to extend cloud services into space where the combination of Azure Space hosted on LEOcloud’s IaaS will enable end users to run workloads in space-based hybrid cloud regions. For example, local Azure services on a space station will support researchers in space in effectively and efficiently advancing AI and ML insights on-orbit as well as collaborating with their colleagues on Earth. Our mutual customers will be able to realize these benefits in LEO, the cislunar region and beyond.

“Our collaboration combines the possibilities of space with the power of Microsoft Azure extending its capabilities anywhere in the universe through new space infrastructure making cloud connectivity and compute increasingly attainable for all at the ultimate edge—on-orbit in space,” said Steve Kitay, Senior Director of Azure Space at Microsoft. “Together, Microsoft and LEOcloud can unlock brand new edge and cloud computing scenarios equipping organizations around the globe with fresh insights from space data to drive innovative solutions to their most complex and time-consuming questions.”

“Red Hat is excited to be working with LEOcloud in this latest collaboration to deliver open hybrid cloud computing to the next frontier with edge computing. Hosted on LEOcloud’s Space Edge IaaS, Red Hat open source technologies provide a common foundation from core to edge to cloud to deliver a reliable and secure infrastructure for mission critical, high-stakes environments like Space,” said Francis Chow, vice president and general manager, In-Vehicle Operating System and Edge, Red Hat.

“LEOcloud is proud to be delivering Space Edge IaaS to Axiom Space to meet the anticipated demand of their customers,” said Dennis R. Gatens, CEO and founder of LEOcloud. “Space is the next domain for cloud edge computing where it will be part of the rapidly evolving critical infrastructure.”