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Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) awarded GHGSat contract for 2 additional smallsats

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has been contracted by GHGSat to develop two additional greenhouse gas monitoring microsatellites – GHGSat–C12 and C13 — the company will develop the new satellites on thefirnm’s low-cost, high-performance 15 kg NEMO bus, the same bus that was used to build the first nine GHGSat spacecraft.

GHGSat is a world leader in detecting and measuring facility-level greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources on the Earth’s surface from space. Decision-makers across government and industries including oil and gas, power generation, mining, waste management, and agriculture rely on GHGSat emissions data to drive emissions reduction and accelerate the decarbonization of the planet. In 2023 alone, its satellite constellation made more than three million measurements across 85 countries, enabling the mitigation of more than six million metric tons of CO2e of methane emissions, equivalent to removing more than 1.4 million cars from the road for a year.

All nine GHGSat spacecraft developed by SFL are in excellent operational health. SFL developed the GHGSat-D (Claire) demo satellite for its launch in 2016 and was then selected to build the commercial GHGSat-C1 through C8 spacecraft launched since 2020. GHGSat-D has surpassed its design operational life by three years, and the eight commercial microsatellites achieved sustained detection and measurement of methane emissions on the ground at double their design capacities.

Development of GHGSat-C12 and C13 is underway at the SFL facility in Toronto. The two new satellites will be identical in design and technical capabilities to GHGSat-C6, C7, C8 that were launched in 2023.

GHGSat originally selected SFL to develop the breakthrough Claire demonstration mission due in part to SFL’s expertise in implementing advanced attitude control and stability technologies that enable smaller spacecraft to accurately point sensors at targets on the ground. Rare in satellites of that size and price point, this capability was crucial to GHGSat’s mission objectives.

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In addition. SFL incorporates robust design margins into every satellite, and these include the onboard power systems, data storage, and downlink capacities. These margins in orbit translate into better operations and longer missions, contributing to the better-than-anticipated collection capacity of the GHGSat smallsats.

“SFL is pleased to build upon our long-standing relationship with GHGSat as it continues to leverage our exceptional microspace technology and develop a world-class commercial greenhouse gas monitoring constellation,” said SFL Director Dr. Robert E. Zee. “We take pride in building cost-effective small satellites that outperform and often exceed operational specifications.”

“As GHGSat continues to rapidly expand its constellation of high-resolution emissions-monitoring satellites, we are proud to once again partner with SFL for an additional two satellites. These spacecraft, which will build on the extensive track record of the previous nine SFL-built GHGSat satellites, mark exciting progress in GHGSat’s mission to measure emissions at every industrial site, worldwide, every day. The insights they generate will enable tangible emissions reductions for GHGSat’s government and industry customers, creating global climate impact,” said GHGSat President Stéphane Germain.

SFL’s 25-year heritage includes 76 operational successes totaling 325 cumulative years in orbit, with an additional 30 satellites under development or awaiting launch. SFL offers a complete suite of nano-, micro- and small satellites – including high-performance, low-cost CubeSats – that satisfy the needs of a broad range of mission types from 3 to 500 kilograms. These missions relate to Earth observation, atmospheric monitoring, ship tracking, communication, radio frequency (RF) geolocation, technology demonstration, space astronomy, solar physics, space plasma, and other scientific research.

NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 RFP

The United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) operational imperative is to deliver national security space capability to the warfighter to deter/defeat current, emerging, and future threats — the NSSL Phase 3 approach is to provide assured access to space for the integrated space architecture at affordable prices.

The recently released Phase 3 Acquisition Strategy consists of a dual-lane approach with two separate contract types to fulfill program and national security requirements.

This RFP is for the Phase 3 Lane 1 procurement only.

The Government intends to competitively award multiple award Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. These IDIQ contracts will have a five (5) year basic ordering period and a 5 year option ordering period. The Government will reopen the original IDIQ solicitation on an annual basis to on-ramp emerging providers or systems.

The Lane 1 RFP is available at this direct link. Sensitive RFP documents will be provided via DoD SAFE. Potential offerors must contact the Contracting Officer, Kirsten Prechtl, and courtesy copy the Contract Specialist, Tyler Davis, listed in this notice to receive the sensitive RFP documents.

Proposals are due by 1500 Pacific Time on December 15, 2023.

SCC oversees the Air Force’s five space wings and ensures space capabilities such as GPS navigation and satellite-based communications are available to U.S. commanders and allied nations.

L3Harris + BigBear.ai to deliver AI for autonomous surface vessels (ASV)

L3Harris’ Arabian Fox outfitted with BigBear.ai’s AI-based forecasting, situational awareness analytics, and computer vision capabilities will advance manned-unmanned teaming. Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Vincent Aguirre

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has entered into a teaming agreement with BigBear.ai (NYSE:BBAI) to deliver advanced autonomous surface vessel (ASV) capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) for current and future maritime defense programs.

Under the agreement, L3Harris’ ASView system will be integrated with BigBear.ai’s forecasting computer vision technology to better identify and classify vessels, enhance situational awareness and support manned-unmanned teaming missions.

“Integrating L3Harris’ ASView technology and BigBear.ai’s AI solutions will increase our ASVs’ sophistication by improving contact identification accuracy and pattern-of-life detection for autonomous fleets to inform effective maneuver decisions. Partnering with BigBear.ai reinforces our commitment to delivering dependable and comprehensive autonomous C5ISR-T capabilities to increase survivability and readiness for the fleet.”
— Anthony Nigara, President, Maritime, L3Harris

“We are thrilled to partner with L3Harris and combine our cutting-edge AI technology with a key leader in unmanned and autonomous systems. Our advanced AI capabilities enable autonomous vessels to operate with unparalleled efficiency and safety, supporting higher-risk missions, expanding operational reach, and most importantly, saving lives. As the battlespace evolves, autonomous systems will play an increasingly significant role. We look forward to the limitless possibilities that lie ahead.”
— Mandy Long, BigBear.ai Chief Executive Officer

About the companies

L3Harris Technologies is the Trusted Disruptor for the global aerospace and defense industry. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our 46,000 employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains.

BigBear.ai’s mission is to deliver clarity for the world’s most complex decisions. BigBear.ai’s AI-powered decision intelligence solutions are leveraged in three core markets: global supply chains & logistics, autonomous systems and cyber. BigBear.ai’s customers, which include the US Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, the US Federal Government, as well as complex manufacturing, distribution, and healthcare, all rely on BigBear.ai’s solutions to empower leaders to decide on the best possible scenario by creating order from complex data, identifying blind spots, and building predictive outcomes. Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, BigBear.ai is a global, publicly-traded company on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI.

SSC to host reverse industry event focused on AI / ML apps / innovations for space

Story by Lisa Sodders, SSC Public Affairs

Space Systems Command (SSC) will host a Reverse Industry Day focused on Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI / ML) for Space, May 17-18, 2023 at the Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus in Mountain View, California.

Aerial photo of the Microsoft Silicon Valley campus, courtesy of Microsoft.

SSC’s AI/ML Reverse Industry Day, one in a series of space capability and mission area-themed events, will focus on educating government and space industry professionals on how AI / ML can improve effectiveness across all U.S. Space Force (USSF) mission areas.

Focus areas will include communicating where AI / ML will help to solve space mission area objectives, supported through USSF investments and future budgets; matching industry partners with government customers to show AI / ML’s art of the possible; and enabling opportunities for collaboration between government, industry, investment banking and venture capital.

For example, in the space domain awareness arena, if you have a high-value space asset such as a satellite, operators and warfighters, including Space Force Guardians, need to be able to understand and interpret a lot of information and data quickly, Roth said. Is that dot a defunct satellite? A piece of space debris? An adversary moving a little too close to your valuable satellite?

The two-day event will feature a variety of keynote speakers and presentations; panel discussions with SSC, space industry leaders, and investors in space and AI / ML technologies; tours of the Microsoft facility; and one-on-one meetings between government, space industry leaders. For the first time ever, financial institutions and venture capitalists have been invited to attend, providing that critical third component – how to secure funding. More than 100 companies and nearly 300 professional have already registered to attend.

AI / ML won’t replace humans, but it has the potential to make them more effective and efficient, said Brian Gamble, an industry engagement leader within Front Door, SSC’s initiative to drive communication across the space enterprise and help industry and investors navigate the government acquisition labyrinth. “One of the first objectives is just trying to get a sense of what the ‘realm of the possible’ is when it comes to AI and machine learning, within our different mission areas,” he said.

“AI / ML can help better tip and cue to potential threats to satellites on orbit by cutting through the ‘noise’ faster than humans can, so you’ll need fewer operators to fly these systems and you’ll have better protections to think through on how to protect our systems if we’re ever attacked. We look at artificial intelligence and machine learning as a game-changing breakthrough technology that will really help ensure our ability to protect and defend the United States, especially in space. What this Reverse Industry Day is going to help us do is find out how we can better leverage these technologies for the Space Force,” Roth said. “Some key areas where we already use AI and machine learning are cyber security and space domain awareness. But that’s just scratching the surface of all the capabilities that this technology can provide to us. It’s really the government and the U.S. Space Force trying to take advantage of all the great innovation that’s occurring in our industrial base.”
— Colonel Joseph J. Roth, director of SSC’s Innovation & Prototyping Delta

Unlike a traditional SSC Industry Day, where government officials with a specific need meet with industry representatives to do market research, Reverse Industry Days are focused more on hearing from industry what is possible, Roth said. The events also provide a good opportunity for companies who haven’t previously worked with government to meet SSC officials and get all their questions answered. Over the last year, SSC has hosted more than 10 of these events.

For more information about SSC’s AI/ML Reverse Industry Days and other events, visit SSC’s Front Door webpage.

Isar Aerospace + DLR disclose the selected smallsat payloads for the 2nd flight of the Spectrum launch vehicle

Ten European institutions and small and medium sized (SMEs) companies have been selected to launch 19 smallsats on the second flight of Isar Aerospace’s launch vehicle, Spectrum. Payloads were selected as part of the Microlauncher Payload Competition conducted by the German Space Agency at DLR.

At the first German Small Satellite conference, Isar Aerospace and the German Space Agency at DLR announced the selection of payloads for the second flight of the company’s launch vehicle Spectrum, planned for 2023-2024.

The payloads have been selected from the Microlauncher competition, which included an Announcement of Opportunity for European payloads to come on board Spectrum’s second flight at no cost. The smallsats, with a total mass of approx. 150kg, including the deployers, will be transported to LEO from Andøya in Norway. These payloads from European research institutes, student research groups and SMEs will mainly used to demonstrate technologies

Selected to fly on Spectrum’s second flight are…

Research institutes and student research groups:

  • Austria, Vienna | TU Vienna Space Team
  • Finland, Vaasa | University of Vaasa
  • Germany, Berlin | Technical University Berlin
  • Germany, Bremen | German Aerospace Center – Institute of Space Systems
  • Norway, Trondheim | Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
  • Spain, Madrid | Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM)

Small and medium sized companies:

  • Bulgaria, Sofia | EnduroSat
  • Finland, Helsinki | ReOrbit Oy
  • Spain, Elche | EMXYS
  • Spain, Nigrán | UARX Space

The selected payloads are on-orbit demo and technology validation spacecraft ranging from Internet of Things (IoT) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications for communications, EO and environmental measurements.

With the Microlauncher competition, the German government entrusts a privately financed, European space company under the ESA C-STS program to transport institutional payloads into orbit. DLR and ESA established the Microlauncher competition as a program to drive the commercialization of European spaceflight, especially in the field of smaller payloads. Isar Aerospace achieved the top place in the German Microlauncher competition in April of 2021, for which it received 11 million euros toward the launch of institutional payloads on its first two flights.

“Congratulations to the winners of this round! We are pleased to welcome the payloads onboard of Spectrum’s second flight and very happy to provide such great projects with access to space. Pushing the development of research and technology in space will help grow the overall private space ecosystem in Europe,” said Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace.

“Technological excellence and cost-efficient value creation processes are the basis for positioning oneself successfully in the dynamic and growing small satellite market. Start-ups and SMEs play an essential role here due to their agility,” said Walther Pelzer, Member of the DLR Executive Board and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR. “The reliable prospect of public contracts helps young companies in particular to secure funding. Our microlauncher and payload competitions are key elements here.”

Isar Aerospace, based in Ottobrunn/Munich, develops and builds launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth’s orbit. The company was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Technical University Munich. Since then, it has grown to more than 300 employees from more than 40 nations with many years of hands-on rocket know-how as well as experience within other high-tech industries. The company is privately financed by former SpaceX VP Bulent Altan as well as world-leading investors including Airbus Ventures, Apeiron, Earlybird, HV Capital, Lakestar, Lombard Odier, Porsche SE, UVC Partners, and Vsquared Ventures.

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is the Federal Republic of Germany’s research centre for aeronautics and space. The organization also conducts research and development activities in the fields of aeronautics, space, energy, transport, security and digitization. Within DLR the German Space Agency implements the Federal Government’s space strategy. More than 330 employees based in Bonn coordinate all of the German space activities at national and European levels and represents German space interests worldwide on behalf of the Federal Government. The tasks of German Space Agency at DLR include the planning and implementation of the national space program and the management of Germany’s contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).