Air Force orders a Viasat-3 terminal to demonstrate space relay service

The Air Force Research Laboratory has ordered a Viasat-3 space terminal that will be used to demonstrate communications services for low-Earth orbit spacecraft. Viasat will deliver a space-qualified Ka-band terminal that will be launched to orbit on a LEO satellite and serve as a data communications relay to the ViaSat-3 network. AFRL will use the terminal for high data rate LEO-to-GEO communications, said Lt. Col. David Johnson, head of the lab’s Integrated Experiments and Evaluations Division. Viasat received a $10 million task order from AFRL for the Viasat-3 space terminal, Johnson said in a statement to SpaceNews. The task order is part of a seven-year contract worth up to $50 million that AFRL awarded Viasat in 2020 for satellite communications technologies and services. Satellite operator Viasat on April 30 launched the first of three planned Viasat-3 Ka-band broadband satellites.

Data transfer via Viasat-3

LEO satellites that collect Earth observation data, for example, would use Viasat’s space relay service to send data through the Viasat-3 high-throughput satellite.

“Having the persistent capability to communicate to LEO spacecraft by relaying through a constellation of spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit can enable the ability to maintain almost near constant communication with those LEO spacecraft,” Johnson said.

The relay service using the Viasat-3 satellite, “once proven, would enable reduced response time for mission-tasking or spacecraft anomalies and frees up bandwidth on government ground communications assets,” he said.

AFRL’s project, Johnson said, is “focused on providing 24-7 persistent command and control capabilities to LEO spacecraft by utilizing GEO constellations that are always in view of ground stations.”

Viasat in a June 7 news release said the AFRL mission will be the first pathfinder demonstration of the company’s space relay service expected to become available in late 2025.

In addition to a Ka-band space relay payload, Viasat will provide engineering analysis, integration and test support for the on-orbit demonstration.

Craig Miller, president of Viasat Government Systems, said this “real-time space relay capability will offer an efficient method of moving LEO satellite data to the ground for operations.”

Intelsat and Eutelsat forge multi-orbit capacity deal

Eutelsat said March 9 it has signed a multi-million euro deal to provide more satellite capacity to Intelsat, including from OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network the French operator is acquiring. The seven-year agreement will help Intelsat enhance connectivity services it already provides over Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific with its own fleet of satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO). The contract expands a deal Eutelsat reached in 2019 with Gogo Commercial Aviation, the inflight connectivity provider Intelsat later acquired, for capacity on Eutelsat 10B that SpaceX launched in November. Eutelsat 10B is slated to enter service from GEO by the middle of 2023. Eutelsat said the expanded agreement includes capacity from two more GEO satellites: Eutelsat 172B launched in 2017 and Flexsat that was recently ordered for services starting in 2026. The agreement also includes LEO capacity that would enable Intelsat to provide integrated multi-orbit connectivity services “in the air, at sea, or on the ground,” Eutelsat and OneWeb executives said in a joint statement. OneWeb’s network is currently only available in a handful of countries across the upper part of the northern hemisphere. The British broadband operator expects to provide global commercial services by early next year following a launch of satellites slated for later this month out of India. Financial details about the capacity agreement were not disclosed.

Artist view of the Eutelsat 10B satellite that SpaceX launched in November 2022. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

Intelsat’s nimble growth strategy

In August, Intelsat announced a global distribution deal with OneWeb for providing multi-orbit connectivity services to airlines.

The GEO operator’s third-party capacity deals are part of a cost-saving growth strategy following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early last year.

This strategy also saw Intelsat order a satellite from 3D printing specialist Swissto12 in November that is one-tenth the size of a conventional GEO communications spacecraft.

For Eutelsat, their agreement underlines the value of its proposed combination with OneWeb and its push out of a declining broadcast business into high-growth connectivity markets.

Eutelsat recently said it expects to complete its OneWeb acquisition in the second or third quarter of this year, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.

Millennium Space Systems completes DRAG RACER satellite qualification ahead of orbital debris mission

TriSept Corporation, a leading provider of launch integration and mission management services, and Millennium Space Systems has announced preparations are underway for the experimental DRAG RACER orbital debris mission payload to be delivered to New Zealand and integrated aboard a Rocket Lab Electron ahead of the planned launch this fall. Millennium has completed space qualification of its two DRAG RACER small satellites that will embark on a first-of-its-kind Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mission to help solve the orbital debris challenge in space. The DRAG RACER mission will use scientific methods to compare the deorbit performance of two identical satellites - one that will reenter naturally and a second satellite featuring a tether developed by Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) that is expected to significantly accelerate the deorbit process. Millennium plans to observe, evaluate and characterize the satellite hosting the 70-meter-long (230 feet) Terminator Tape tether aboard the control satellite, while calibrating predictive models through the use of radar tracking data. An onboard timer will trigger the tether deployment on the experimental satellite a few days into the mission, with reentry estimates averaging about a month-and-a-half, while the untethered spacecraft could take up to nine years to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up. "We are motivated to study and quantify space tether applications as they will offer the LEO space community worldwide both improved deorbit capabilities and unique propulsive solutions," said Stan Dubyn, Millennium Space Systems Founder and CEO.

"This orbital debris mitigation experiment exemplifies our commitment to fielding innovative concepts using low-cost solutions."

Once launched, the DRAG RACER mission payload will separate into two identical 6U satellites with identical stowed mass properties and drag coefficients.

"The DRAG RACER mission is built on an innovative collaboration between Millennium Space Systems, TriSept, Tether's Unlimited and Rocket Lab that is dedicated to exploring and enabling creative and affordable solutions to the orbital debris challenge," said Rob Spicer, TriSept President and CEO.

"We look forward to leading the integration effort for this historic payload that could ultimately play an integral role in clearing orbital debris from Low Earth Orbit for years and generations to come."

"The space community understands tether systems can expedite reentry, but this is our first opportunity to truly quantify performance directly and more effectively calibrate models developed over the last 50 years," said Dr.

Robert Hoyt, President of Tether's Unlimited. "Predictions suggest the tethered spacecraft will deorbit in approximately 45 days, while the untethered spacecraft remains in orbit for approximately seven to nine years."

Southern Launch prepares for lift off In South Australia

The development of small satellite technologies (SmallSats) has ushered in an era of dynamic and responsive space systems. Hundreds, and soon thousands, of these small platforms will be launched into Low Earth Orbits (LEO) every year. LEO are ideal for Earth Observation missions and other near-earth activities, including internet with global coverage. Approximately half of these SmallSats are projected to be launched into Polar Orbits with the other half orbiting around the equator. According to recent estimates by an SSTL study, close to 1000 SmallSats will be launched annually from 2025 onwards. These satellites will be inserted into new and existing LEO constellations, offering innovative new services to the world while actively limiting the proliferation of space debris in orbits. SmallSats in LEO remain there for less than 3 years before burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. Historically, launch sites have been constructed closer to the equator to support large satellites launches into equatorial orbit. However, direct launch to polar orbit is achieved most efficiently from launch sites nearer the poles, which have minimal interference from aviation and maritime traffic. Southern Launch, founded in 2017, is developing a multi-user launch complex at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, offering a turn-key launch service solution to polar and sun-synchronous orbit. In addition to providing the complete launch infrastructure, Southern Launch has the ability to undertake flight and range safety, vehicle design, avionics componentry and assist with launch permitting and other support services. The year-round temperate weather coupled with the highly skilled local workforce and a robust logistics supply network enables a launch site that offers high cadence launch operations at cost competitive prices.

The growing global demand for launch services and a world class launch location has attracted several early investors, with Southern Launch running an oversubscribed seed funding round at the end of 2019 with a larger Series A round to be finalised in coming months.

With a highly skilled team drawing on previous experience with the Australian Department of Defence, commercial launch providers, and global infrastructure companies, the Southern Launch team offers unique capabilities to enable safe, secure, and efficient launch operations.

Southern Launch have signed a number of agreements with launch service providers and launch vehicle manufacturers from around the world, including companies based in South Korea, Singapore, Germany, USA, Canada, Poland and the Netherlands.

While some launch service providers are looking for a launch site for their maiden (test) flights, looking further ahead, all customers have recognized the incredible potential of the Whalers Way location for regular commercial launches, and the cost effective and efficient services offered them by Southern Launch's complete launch service solution.

CEO, Southern Launch, Lloyd Damp, says: 'The space industry is in the midst of a rapid transition seeing increasing impact of the private sector providing services to Government agencies such as NASA. Small satellites, in the class of 1 to 500 kg, are a major part of this transition and need suitable locations to be launched from. Our Whalers Way site in South Australia meets this market demand and with the ongoing support from the Australian Space Agency and South Australian Government, we are on track to realise this very real opportunity for Australia.'

Construction of the Whaler's Way Orbital Launch Complex is scheduled to be completed ahead of the first launch in 2021, with Southern Launch already contracted for flights.

The UK's first complete ground rocket test in 50 years takes place in Scotland

The UK's Space race heats up as Skyrora effectively made the UK ready for launching rockets into space after a team successfully built a mobile launch complex and completed a full static fire test with the Skylark-L rocket on it - in only five days. Skyrora's combined achievement also signifies the first vertical static fire test of this magnitude in the UK since the Black Arrow Programme, 50 years ago. The Skylark L rocket could be ready to launch from a British spaceport as early as spring 2021 and the inaugural launch of the low Earth orbital (LEO) Skyrora XL rocket by 2023. The ground test at the mobile launch complex at Kildemorie Estate in North Scotland earlier this month, saw Skyrora's launch vehicle, Skylark-L perform all actions of a launch while restrained to the ground and prevented from taking off. Skylark-L is a bi-liquid propellent launch vehicle. It is Skyrora's first sub-orbital flight vehicle, ready to reach a height of approximately 100km, just on the Karman line, and carry a payload of up to 60kg. Skylark-L uses a propellent combination of Hydrogen Peroxide and Kerosene which are pressure fed into a Skyrora 30kN engine. Building up to the static fire test, the rocket engine itself has gone through three hot fire tests before integration into the vehicle. When commercial, the company plans to use their own Ecosene, an equivalent Kerosene fuel made from un-recyclable plastic waste. In Skyrora's rocket suite, its aim is to start with launching sub-orbital rockets and move to orbital by 2023.

The full static firing test, fully checked out the design and in-house manufacture, making sure the vehicle itself is ready for launch. It was also successful in the feed system validation tests leading up to the full static fire test. During the test, Skylark-L was supported by Skyrora's transporter-erector that was fixed to a trailer.

In order to complete this test, the Skyrora team accomplished the build of a mobile launch complex in record time right in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The mobile complex was made up of several modules including, a command centre, oxidiser and fuel handing containers and a compressed gas container. During the test, the Bells and Two Tones Fire and Rescue team were onsite ready to perform any necessary procedures if anything was to go wrong.

Leading the operations of Skylark-L's static fire testing, Dr Jack-James Marlow said: "It is very hard to oversell what we have achieved here with this test; the whole team has pulled through again to deliver another UK first. We have successfully static tested a fully integrated, sub-orbital Skylark L launch vehicle in flight configuration. This means we performed all actions of a launch but did not release the vehicle. The rocket engine successfully burned, with all vehicle systems showing nominal operation.

"The test did not only validate the vehicle, it also tested our mobile launch complex's ground equipment and performed many cold flow and fuel/defuel tests. In all, there were over one hundred unique operations and the team has gained vital experience. This collection of tests, combined with the 25 other engine tests this year, allow us to take another step along our technology roadmap to orbital launch.

"This is the first time a launch vehicle of this magnitude has been tested in the UK for many years and I am very proud of my team for achieving this. The vehicle is now ready for flight and we are one step closer to putting the UK back into space."

Skyrora's chief executive officer, Volodymyr Levykin said: "As the launch aspect of the UK's new Space industry starts to emerge, there will be many events that have never happened here previously and this is one of them. This was a mammoth effort in very trying circumstances, so it is quite an achievement to be proud of.

"The operation was carried out while having to adhere to very strict social distancing measures, and in an extremely remote location, providing additional challenges, all of which were handled expertly by all the team.

"We see this as being the first significant step towards reaching space from our own soil and are very proud to have taken that step as part of the UK's Space ambitions. We are now in a full state of readiness for launch. It is this milestone that is the start of the UK's new space revolution, a fantastic example of the potential of what the UK Space holds for future.

"With the expertise in place and all the necessary hardware at the ready, we are poised to take the next steps in making the UK a serious leader in the Space business once again".

Commercial satellite launch service market to grow strongly through 2024

According to a new research report by the market research and strategy consulting firm, Global Market Insights, Inc, the Commercial Satellite Launch Service Market to hit $7bn by 2024. Increasing usage of communication data-based services and GPS systems is driving the commercial satellite launch service market size over the forecast period. These services are adopted by various sectors such as Automotive, Electronics, Military, IT, among others. Increasing number of vehicles integrated with built-in navigation units will contribute majorly for launching additional satellites. Additionally, Oil and Gas companies across the globe uses vehicle tracking systems for their official vehicles and tankers to locate their vehicles and maintain transparency. Usage of smart devices and services for personal use such as Smart TVs, online streaming services, etc. accelerates the financial investments. High demand for weather forecasting software is witnessed such as AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, Yahoo Weather, Google Weather, etc. Schools and colleges across the globe are introducing new smart classes initiatives. Rising penetration of mobile phones internet usage across the globe owing to next generation 4G/LTE networks with attractive data plans is driving the wireless technology. Due to proliferating usage of these applications across the globe additional number of satellites will be required. This in turn will escalate the revenue generation of the commercial satellite launch service market.

Technological advancements will result in decline of the launching service cost. For instance, in 2017, ISRO announced the launch of 3000 satellites in the next 10 years for navigation-based applications. In 2017, Airbus commissioned a high-volume satellite factory in the U.S. to build OneWeb satellites with an annual investment amounting to USD 17 billion. The focus is to reduce weight and enhance performance.

The modular satellites are easily customizable with various configurations according to the user requirements. Increasing manufacturing of satellites will positively impact the commercial satellite launch service market size.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is exploring alternatives to introduce micro launchers for various applications such as education, technology demonstration, telecoms, and earth observation. With this ESA aims to target companies with small satellites focusing on various mobile applications. However, the prohibitive cost of commercial satellite launch services is hindering the industry growth.

Moreover, the lack of proper commercial satellite launch facilities, quality control, launch problems, supply chain issues may negatively impact the industry size. However, with the growing demand for satellites, prices are expected to decline, resulting in strengthening of the commercial satellite launch service market size.

LEO is likely to exhibit over 3% CAGR in the commercial satellite launch service market from 2018 to 2024. This growth can be credited to low initial launch cost as compared to other orbits, less time to deploy and compact size commercial satellite. LEOs are a positive step towards providing connectivity to remote areas.

The micro segment of the commercial satellite launch service market share is expected to pose a CAGR of more than 6% over the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the continuous developments improving reliability and affordability of the launch vehicles.

Reconnaissance commercial satellite launch service market size is expected to hold around 36% of the revenue share by 2024. Introduction of new farming techniques such as precision farming, utilizing the satellite imagery for improving farming will play a key role for the industry growth. Geographical Information System (GIS) tools and online web resources with the help of UAVs for farmers are spurring the segment growth.

North America was worth more than USD 2 billion in 2017 and is anticipated to dominate the commercial satellite launch service market share. This can be credited to robust infrastructure available in the region for developing new space programs by organizations such as NASA and SpaceX. Increasing number of navigation and communication satellites for locating destinations and data usage is significantly contributing towards regional growth of the commercial satellite launch service market.

Airbus S.A.S., Arianespace S.A., Axelspace Corporation, Boeing, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Orbital ATK, Space Exploration Technologies are few industry participants in commercial satellite launch service market. Joint ventures and partnerships are among the prominent strategies implemented by the competitors to enhance their industry share. For instance, in 2018, United Launch Alliance acquired Atlas 5 division of Lockheed Martin for reducing launch prices and improving business efficiencies.

Several industry players are focusing on innovations and next generation technologies to reduce satellite weight, introduce flexible modularity options, and low-cost models to enhance the commercial satellite launch service market share. Generally, the launch services are designed for a single time use. However, with the latest developments for vehicle reusability will further widen the industry scope over the forecast period.