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General Hyten joins Blue Origin as the Executive Director of the ‘Club for the Future’ as well as a Strategic Advisor

Blue Origin has announced that General John Hyten (Ret.) will serve as executive director for its foundation, Club for the Future, and as a strategic advisor to senior leadership.

General John Hyten (Ret.)

General Hyten brings decades of experience as a space operations and acquisitions officer and held multiple assignments that included leading Air Force Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command.

“We are deeply honored to have General Hyten apply his tremendous leadership skills and space expertise to Blue Origin and Club for the Future. His knowledge of the space industry and his passion for inspiring the next generation make him a natural fit for these roles,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin.

In his role with Club for the Future, General Hyten will focus on community outreach and engagement activities to empower students to become scientists, engineers, and explorers. General Hyten will also provide strategic counsel to Blue Origin senior leadership to help guide the company as it builds a road to space.

“Blue Origin combines a clear purpose of preserving Earth through safe, reliable, and affordable access to space with an equally important mission of inspiring the next generation through its foundation, Club for the Future,” said General Hyten. “That combination inspires me. My father worked on the Saturn V in Huntsville, AL, and ever since I dreamed about working on rockets and with the space community. I want the next generation to have similar dreams.”

As part of General Hyten’s first Club for the Future engagements, he will join the Launch to Learning STEM Forum at Blue Origin’s rocket factory in Florida to meet with statewide school superintendents and administrators. Hyten will also attend the upcoming premiere of “The Color of Space,” a documentary produced by NASA that showcases Black Astronauts and their career paths, providing advice to future space explorers of color.

“I’m excited to join Club for the Future and empower students from all backgrounds to pursue a career in STEM and make their dreams of working in space a reality,” General Hyten added.

General Hyten, the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently retired after 40 years in the United States Air Force. As the nation’s second highest-ranking military officer, General Hyten was responsible for overseeing joint military requirements for nearly 1.5 million service members and their families across the U.S. Armed Forces.

CDR for NOAA’s SWFO-L1 spacecraft completed by Ball Aerospace + also building WSF-M satellite for USSF / SSC

Image is courtesy of Ball/NASA-SOHO

Ball Aerospace successfully completed critical design review (CDR) for the NOAA Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft — the company will now proceed with production, integration and testing of the spacecraft.

Expected to launch in 2025, SWFO-L1 will collect solar wind data and coronal imagery to meet NOAA’s operational requirements to monitor and forecast impacts from solar storm activity

Ball Aerospace was selected by NASA to design, build and integrate the small satellite for NOAA’s SWFO-L1 mission in partnership with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ball will also perform satellite-level testing, help train the flight operations team, check-out the satellite on-orbit and support mission operations. The SWFO-L1 mission builds on the success of Ball’s spacecraft buses designed for operational weather missions such as NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP, as well as high-performing, smallsat missions such as STPSats-2 and 3 and the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM).

Ball Aerospace is also building an operational environmental satellite for the U.S. Space Force Space Space Systems Command called the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M). WSF-M will host its own Energetic Charged Particle space weather sensor in addition to its primary instrument to measure ocean surface vector winds and tropical cyclone intensity.

Artistic rendition of the WSF-M satellite on-orbit.

“The impacts of solar events such as coronal mass ejections can be significant, from knocking out communications satellites to disrupting the power grid,” said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. “SWFO will be an important tool in NOAA’s mission to monitor space weather, provide timely and accurate warnings, and help minimize the impact of these events on our infrastructure and economy.”

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 24,300 people worldwide and reported 2021 net sales of $13.8 billion.

ThrustMe wins an ESA GSTP contract to develop + qualify an electric propulsion system

ThrustMe has been awarded an ESA GSTP contract to develop and qualify the electric propulsion system NPT30-I2-1.5U.

ThrustMe technology will integrate the GomSpace lead technology demonstration GOMX-5 mission — the satellite will be equipped with several advanced payloads and ThrustMe will provide the maneuverability for orbit raising and end-of-life disposal.

During the last few years, the space industry is going through an important industrial transformation. The large and tailormade satellites, providing unique single point observations, are complimented by smaller, industrialized, “off-the-shelf” satellites that, when operating together in constellations, provide instantaneous multiple-point observation capabilities of Earth or beyond.

In this industrial satellite constellation era, on-orbit propulsion becomes an essential subsystem to close the constellation business models. Additionally, countermeasures of collision avoidance and removal strategies at the end-of-life are vital to avoid risks to all other spacecrafts in the same orbit — it is essential for the sustainability of the industry.

Electric propulsion systems, such as ion thrusters, are a particularly attractive choice due to their very high fuel efficiency and, therefore, their ability to deliver all of the orbital maneuvers required for a constellation satellite. The GomSpace GOMX-5 mission is focused on demonstrating new smallsat capabilities in space for the next generation of LEO constellations. This includes significant increases in payload data downlink communication rates, maneuverability for orbit raising and end-of-life disposal, and satellite position accuracy.

ThrustMe’s highly performant, electric propulsion system, NPT30-I2-1.5U, was selected to guarantee maneuverability for orbit raising and end-of-life disposal as well as satellite position accuracy. The General Support Technology Program (GSTP) is an ESA program to enable the European space industry to develop leading edge space technology.

“The GOMX-5 mission is an extremely ambitious and exciting mission, where ESA through GomSpace and all the other European actors selected for this mission, will demonstrate capabilities never achieved before. We are very proud to take part, and it shows really how European actors are leading the technology revolution that is coming as a result of all the new requirements to make the industrial space era a success,” said Ane Aanesland, CEO and co-founder of ThrustMe.

“We are, of course, very glad to have the support from our space agency, CNES and ESA, through this GSTP ESA contract. Mobility should not be a constraint for high precision missions — developing such a powerful technology, as we do here at ThrustMe, will be advantageous for the entire space community”, said Giulio Coral, head of product development at ThrustMe and project manager of this GSTP contract.

“ThrustMe electric propulsion system NPT30-I2-1.5U will be thoroughly analysed and qualified by ESA experts. Analyzing in detail the technology developed by ThrustMe will give us confidence that the NPT30-I2-1.5U is the optimal propulsion system for this ambitious mission”, said Davina Maria Di Cara, Electric Propulsion Engineer and Technical Officer for this GSTP project from ESA.

ThrustMe is a one-stop shop provider of high performing in-orbit mobility solutions for customer across the globe. It offers a portfolio of disruptive, deeply integrated and smart on-orbit space propulsion solutions design for the new industrialized constellation space era. The company made the world’s first demonstration of an iodine-fueled electric propulsion system in space – an achievement the space industry has tried to reach for 60 years. Now delivering propulsion systems to major constellation players, ThrustMe has set up an industrial production line in the southern outskirt of Paris in France.

AST SpaceMobile reveals their BlueWalker 3 test satellite will launch in mid-August

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, has confirmed plans to launch their BlueWalker 3 test satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, during the week of August 15, 2022.

The actual launch date remains subject to change and is contingent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, final testing, final integration, ground transport, timely readiness of the launch vehicle and other unknowns including, but not limited to, weather conditions or technical problems.

BlueWalker 3 carries a 693-square-foot phased array (see image above) that is designed to test cellular broadband communications directly with standard mobile phones, from space, for the first time. AST SpaceMobile has invested approximately $85 million in the satellite’s development and the company’s engineers have successfully conducted more than 800 ground tests with BlueWalker 3.

To date, the company has more than 2,300 patent and patent-pending claims in support of its technology. The BlueWalker 3 mission is expected to complete the company’s initial research and development program and facilitate integration testing with mobile network operators around the world.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license that allows the company to test BlueWalker 3 satellite-to-phone connectivity in the United States at sites in Texas and Hawaii. Once BlueWalker 3 is operational, the company plans to conduct testing on five different continents, in coordination with leading mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile, Orange and others.

AST SpaceMobile’s investors and strategic partners in support of the company and its mission are leaders in cellular technology and infrastructure, digital services and the internet, including Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile and American Tower.

“The launch of BlueWalker 3 is the culmination of years of effort by our engineers to let us test connecting the phone in your pocket, with no modifications to the phone, directly with one of our satellites in space,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “This revolutionary technology supports our mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by more than 5 billion mobile subscribers today moving in and out of coverage, and bring cellular broadband to approximately half of the world’s population who remain unconnected. We want to close the gap between the digital ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.”

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 Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Watch this video for an overview of the SpaceMobile mission.

Space Flight Laboratory deorbits the CanX-7 smallsat using drag sail technology

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has announced the successful deorbiting of the 3.5 kg. CanX-7 demonstration smallsat using drag sail technology designed to reduce the time retired smallsats spend in orbit as space debris.

CanX-7 burned up in Earth’s atmosphere in May, just five years after drag sail deployment and roughly 178 years before the satellite would have spent on-orbit without any deorbit technology.

CanX-7 was a 10x10x34cm smallsat built by SFL and funded by Defence Research and Development Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, COM DEV Ltd., and the Canadian Space Agency. The satellite was launched in September of 2016 with a two-fold mission of demonstrating Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) message collection from space for global aircraft situational awareness, and then testing the deorbiting technology developed by SFL.

SFL deployed the four drag sails – each about one square meter in area – on May 4, 2017, with the intent of decreasing the ballistic coefficient of the nanosatellite and using atmospheric drag to accelerate orbital decay. Mission participants observed an almost immediate change in altitude decay rate and continued tracking the orbital decay rate until CanX-7 re-entered the atmosphere on April 21, 2022.

“The SFL drag sail technology developed for nano- and microsatellites is among the only commercially viable deorbiting devices available today, aside from propulsion,” said SFL Director, Dr. Robert E. Zee. “The drag sails performed better than designed, deorbiting CanX-7 in far less time than the maximum 25-year target recommended by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).”

“Orbital debris is a big concern for the space industry, and the passive de-orbit technology demonstrated on CanX-7 is an advantageous solution for nano- and microsatellites,” said SFL’s CanX-7 Mission Manager, Brad Cotten. “The mission verified that SFL’s lightweight drag sail technology is a more cost-effective and less complex method for deorbiting smaller satellites than traditional propulsion techniques.” Additionally, the deorbiting technology allows smallsats to be launched into a wider range of orbits than would be possible if natural orbital decay were to be relied upon, he said.

According to Dr. Lauchie Scott, defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada, the CanX-7 drag sail deployment campaign provided a very rare opportunity to observe a satellite drastically change shape and size while being tracked by ground-based telescopes. This view showed the nanosatellite’s brightness signature during the sail deployment and how its rotational motion evolved while the longer-term space sustainability deorbit experiment continued. Dr. Scott added that this was an outstanding Canadian collaboration to help mitigate risk from space debris.

According to Dr. Brad Wallace, defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada, the project successfully proved that UTIAS/SFL’s innovative drag-sail technology can deorbit a spacecraft decades faster than would have happened otherwise and demonstrated Canada’s continued leadership not only in space technology, but also in responsible space stewardship. He added that the lessons learned from the CanX-7 mission will be used to help minimize the number of inoperable spacecraft orbiting the Earth, ensuring that space continues to be used to benefit Canadians and people around the world.

SFL is a unique microspace provider that offers a complete suite of smallsats that satisfy the needs of a broad range of mission types from 3 to 500 kilograms. Dating from 1998, SFL’s heritage includes 61 operational successes and 31 currently under construction or awaiting launch. These missions relate to Earth Observation (EO), atmospheric monitoring, ship tracking, communication, radio frequency (RF) geolocation, technology demonstration, space astronomy, solar physics, space plasma, and other scientific research. In its 24-year history, SFL has achieved more than 194 cumulative years of operation in orbit. These microspace missions have included SFL’s trusted attitude control and, in some cases, formation-flying capabilities. Other core SFL-developed components include modular (scalable) power systems, onboard radios, flight computers, and control software.

Terran Orbital completes Fleet Space’s CENTAURI-5 bus commissioning

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has concluded the bus commissioning for the CENTAURI-5 satellite with nominal health and status checkouts.

Tyvak International SRL, Terran Orbital’s wholly-owned international subsidiary, designed and built this LEO satellite for Fleet Space Technologies.

CENTAURI-5 adds capacity, reduces signal delay, and provides additional network redundancy. The 3D printed metal patch antenna satellite is traveling to an expected altitude of 330 miles where it will orbit in the existing Centauri constellation operated by Fleet Space and Terran Orbital.

Upgrades from the CENTAURI-4 payload include enhancements that mitigate the effects of radiation in LEO as well as direct communication links to ground stations and an extended S-band range, allowing uplink at standard ground station frequencies.

The Centauri constellation is set to become one of the world’s most advanced, low-power, satellite networks, securing global coverage for internet of things (IoT) devices by using its in-house smallsat technology. Satellites within the constellation will each perform a specific function. CENTAURI-5 will focus on improving data transfer and communication in the energy, utilities and resource industries.

“Terran Orbital is thrilled yet another of our Transporter-5 satellites has achieved bus commissioning shortly after launch,” said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Bell. “The data and insight gained from CENTAURI-5 will improve IoT operations in ways we can only begin to imagine. The quality-of-life implications here on Earth are endless. Terran Orbital will continue to design, build, integrate, and operate cutting-edge satellite solutions for clients like Fleet Space as we usher in the New Space Industry.”

“Fleet’s mission is to unlock the extraordinary power of global connectivity by launching constellations of LEO satellites,” said Fleet Space Technologies Founder, Flavia Tata Nardini. “The applications, from aiding more sustainable approaches to finding rare earth minerals to exploring worlds beyond ours, have true benefit for the whole of our planet. This work requires the very best technical minds and partners. Terran Orbital is a leader in their field collaborating with a global team of space technology pioneers to deliver one of the most advanced networks of low-power satellite networks ever launched.”

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and in-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers.

SEAKR Engineering successfully demos optical communications on DARPA’s Mandrake 2 satellites

Originally scheduled for a January 2021 launch, a pre-launch incident damaged both Able and Baker satellites...

SEAKR Engineering, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, announced a successful demonstration of optical inter-satellite links between two Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Mandrake 2 satellites. During the first test, more than 280 gigabits of data were transferred at a range of 114 kilometers during a period of more than 40 minutes. 

“This was a demonstration not only of optical communications in space but also a closer look at some of the foundational building blocks needed for a networked space architecture,” said Jeff Schrader, president of SEAKR Engineering and Blue Canyon Technologies. 

Under DARPA’s Blackjack project, two Mandrake 2 spacecraft were launched last year to demonstrate advanced laser communications. The satellites, called Able and Baker, were outfitted with SA Photonics optical links onboard an Astro Digital bus. ASI provided the satellite software needed to operate the vehicles. SEAKR, the prime contractor, led the system integration of both satellites.

Artistic rendition of optical comms between two DARPA Mandrake 2 satellites. Image is courtesy of SEAKR.

Originally scheduled for a January 2021 launch, a pre-launch incident damaged both Able and Baker satellites. SEAKR was able to repair and rebuild the satellites, and then deliver them for launch in less than six months. 

“This recent on-orbit demonstration was the culmination of several organizations working in tandem to solve a number of challenges,” said Scott Lowery, SEAKR Mandrake program manager. 
SEAKR also led the Mandrake 1 program that completed its mission, establishing Technical Readiness Level 9 for some of the highest performing CPUs to ever fly. These processing elements are the building blocks for DARPA’s Pitboss and future Battle Management Command Control and Communication systems. Like Mandrake 2, the schedule for Mandrake 1 was nine months from program award to launch integration. 

Cobham Satcom + Mangata partner together to deploy satellite tracking systems + ground infrastructure

Cobham Satcom and Mangata Networks have an agreement to deploy multiple Cobham Satcom 4.0 meter TRACKER gateway antennas across the globe.

Cobham Satcom supports Mangata’s initial terrestrial ground stations. and also represents the company’s first major step toward leveraging their HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbit) and MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellite constellations, which the infrastructure will service. Mangata’s architecture will decrease the capital expenditure required for this scale of global connectivity, all the while creating access to cloud technology, backhaul, IoT services, and 5G coverage to end-users around the globe.

Cobham Satcom takes a new approach to gateways and ground stations that is scalable, easily implemented and cost-effective. The company’s TRACKER Gateways have been selected by multiple LEO and MEO constellation operators based on proven performance, reliability, robust design that is suitable for all environments, low total cost of ownership, and Cobham Satcom’s ability to meet demanding implementation schedules.

Modular and easily configured, TRACKER Gateway terminals are available in a range of sizes up to 6 meters in single or multiple frequency bands. Three-axis tracking with protective radome allows operation in the harshest environments and ensures accurate tracking at all times, with optimum signal quality, uninterrupted passes, low power consumption, and high reliability.

Brian Holz, CEO and co-founder of Mangata, said, “Cobham Satcom has provided Mangata with an extremely reliable, high-performance gateway solution that will be a core component of our network. Their technology enhances our value proposition to our customers and will enable us to operate high-capacity feeder links in more places, at all times, reducing network access costs.”

Manish Gupta, CEO at Cobham Satcom, said, “We’re delighted to be collaborating with the Mangata team on this expansive project. We recognize the critical importance of bringing rapid, reliable and affordable connectivity to the globe and we were particularly impressed by the Mangata’s mission and vision, which is so well aligned with our own.”

NanoAvionics to build two smallsats for New Zealand’s Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute

Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute (TPA-SI) at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has tasked NanoAvionics to build two nanosatellite platforms, designed in partnership to support educational and technology demonstration missions. These two smallsats are the first commercial contract for NanoAvionics in New Zealand.

With a payload mass of up to 3 kg., developed by TPA-SI, NanoAvionics’s 3U smallsat bus “M3P” is an ideal vehicle for hosting small experiments for educational and science missions. Being pre-integrated (mechanically, electrically and functionally tested) and pre-qualified, it is ready for the payload integration, minimising procedures for final flight acceptance and flight readiness for the customer.

Vytenis J. Buzas, founder and CEO of NanoAvionics, said, “This contract with the University of Auckland, shortly after the deal with UNSW Sydney, signifies our continued strides and expansion into the Oceanian space market.”

NanoAvionics is a smallsat bus manufacturer and mission integrator currently based in four locations across the USA, UK and Lithuania. The company’s efforts are focused on enabling critical satellite functions and optimizing their hardware, launch and satellite operation costs by providing end-to-end small satellite solutions – ranging from single missions to constellations. Its core engineering team has implemented over 110 successful satellite missions and commercial projects during the past several years. With a modularity such as the fundamental principle of NanoAvionics systems’ architecture, NanoAvionics provides economic viability to a wide range of small satellite constellation-based missions, businesses and organizations worldwide. http://www.nanoavionics.com | Twitter: https://twitter.com/NanoAvionics

The University of Auckland and Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute — Founded in 1883, Auckland is the country’s largest university with over 40,000 students, nearly 10,000 of whom graduate annually. It conducts teaching and learning within eight faculties, two large-scale research institutes, and other institutes and centres. The University of Auckland has risen in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings – moving to sixth globally from ninth equal in 2021.

The Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute is a multidisciplinary center of expertise in space science and engineering at the University of Auckland, which aims to enhance the growth of the New Zealand space sector with world-leading applied research and development as well as educational programmes that shape the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Rocket Lab selected by Ball Aerospace for solar empowerment of NASA’s GLIDE spacecraft

Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”) has been selected by Ball Aerospace to manufacture the Solar Array Panel (SAP) to power NASA’s Global Lyman-Alpha Imager of Dynamic Exosphere (GLIDE) mission spacecraft that is planned to launch in 2025.

GLIDE is a heliophysics mission intended to study variability in Earth’s atmosphere.

The SAP will use SolAero by Rocket Lab’s high-efficiency, radiation-hardened, quadruple-junction Z4J solar cells, laid down on carbon composite facesheet panels manufactured at the company’s facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The GLIDE spacecraft will launch with another Rocket Lab-powered spacecraft, also built by Ball Aerospace, the NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1). SWFO-L1 is a heliophysics mission that will collect solar wind data and coronal imagery to meet NOAA’s operational requirements to monitor and forecast solar storm activity.

Rocket Lab has provided power to multiple spacecraft as part of NASA’s Heliophysics Division missions including the Parker Solar Probe, the first-ever mission to “touch” the Sun that launched in 2018, and the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, a robotic space mission to study Earth’s magnetosphere that launched in 2015.

“Rocket Lab has become the ‘go-to’ provider of space solar power and space systems products throughout the space industry, including for ambitious heliophysics missions like GLIDE,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “I am grateful to our partners at Ball Aerospace for selecting Rocket Lab and excited to be working with them to support NASA’s Heliophysics missions to deliver advanced science..”

Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle and the Photon satellite platform and is developing the Neutron 8-ton payload class launch vehicle. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 146 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a second launch site in Virginia, USA which is expected to become operational in 2022.