ADELAIDE, South Australia, Aug. 20, 2019 (Optus Business PR) – Optus Business today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Myriota, the global leader in nanosatellite Internet of Things (IoT), with a view to providing remote and regional connectivity for IoT devices and applications.
An Australian first, the major telco-nanosatellite provider agreement
will bring together Optus’ premium national networks and digital
enablement capabilities with Myriota’s direct-to-orbit technology to
allow for massive scale, low-cost communications for IoT devices across
remote Australian geographies.
RAMONVILLE SAINT AGNE, France (Kineis PR) — Kinéis, a CLS Group spinoff, a subsidiary of CNES, is proud to announce the signing of two strategic partnerships, one with Objenious, a public IoT operator part of Bouygues Telecom, and another with the Wize Alliance (SUEZ, GRDF, Sagemcom,etc.). These alliances reinforce Kinéis’ position as a strategic player in the Internet of Things.
At the same time, Kinéis, supported by CNES, is reinforcing its technological strategy as supervising manager for the industrial space project to manufacture 25 nanosatellites and place them in orbit. Kinéis relies on Thales Alenia Space to define the system architecture, build ground stations and payloads, and on Hemeria (ex-Nexeya) to build platforms and integrate satellites. Technical specifications have been finalised and satellite production will start on 21 June.
Fig. 1: Traditional Mega Fab and Minimal Fab (Credit: JAXA)
Highlights
Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) is aiming to produce integrated circuits (ICs) for space applications with a small-volume production system (Minimal Fab) (Figure 1). Using a practical SOI-CMOS with two-layer aluminum wiring process, Technology 2018, developed by National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) (Figure 2), JAXA has designed an IC which contains around 1000 transistors (4bit shift resistor and an I/O circuit) and manufactured a prototype chip (Figure 3) whose operations has been demonstrated successfully (Figure 4).
AIST has built a fully automatic Minimal Fab system, which enables a circuit designer to manufacture a semiconductor device on his own by operating a series of manufacturing equipment. Maneuvered by a JAXA circuit engineer, the new system has proven itself and produced the above ICs.
These prototyping and operational demonstration have opened the way to manufacturing electronic devices aboard spacecraft with a Minimal Fab process, which is expected to broaden the applications of the new process.
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — JAXA and AIST have been conducting a joint research project concerning the applications of a small-volume production system (Minimal Fab) (Figure 1) to aerospace research and development applications, and have demonstrated for the first time in the world that the new system can realize ICs intended for use in space.
VILNIUS, Lithuania (NanoAvionics PR) – NanoAvionics, an international nano-satellite missions integrator, and the consortium partners KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services) and Antwerp Space have been awarded EUR 10 million [$11.34 million] funding by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020, ESA’s ARTES and private investors. The funding is for the first demonstration of the pre-cursor stage of the Global Internet of Things (GIoT) nano-satellite constellation with one or more IoT/M2M (machine-to-machine) service providers as pilot customers. The consortium will not enter the IoT/M2M business directly. Instead it will offer a GIoT constellation-as-a-service in a B2B setup to existing and emerging IoT/M2M operators.
LOS ANGELES, April 23 2019 (Relativity PR) — Relativity, the world’s first autonomous rocket factory and launch services leader for satellite constellations, today announced a partnership with mu Space, the innovative Thai satellite and space technology company, to launch a satellite to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on Relativity’s Terran 1 rocket, the world’s first and only 3D printed rocket.
Relativity’s groundbreaking, patented 3D printing technology platform together with Terran 1’s unique and flexible architecture provides mu Space a faster and more reliable launch at a lower total mission cost than any other launch services company in the world. With this launch partnership, two of the most visionary and innovative aerospace startups are sharing expertise, resources, and capabilities to transform the satellite launch and services industry across the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions.
ATLANTA, April 2, 2019 (Blink Astro PR) — Blink Astro® (Blink®) is pleased to announce the successful launch of our custom radio payload hosted on the NanoAvionics’ M6P 6U spacecraft using the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) PSLV-C45 launch vehicle. The launch took place at 11:57 pm EDT on March 31, 2019 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Preliminary communications have been established with the M6P host spacecraft.
“The culmination of three years of diligent engineering design work from a very talented team has led us to this great milestone, and we are very excited to perform live field tests with our satellite IoT solution,” said Darshan Shah, Blink’s Program Manager.
Evaluation of a test Hiber nanosatellite took place in ESA’s metal-walled Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone (Hertz) at the Agency’s technical centre in the Netherlands, shut off from all external influences for radio testing. (Credit: ESA–G. Porter)
NOORDWIJK, the Netherlands (ESA PR) — The Netherlands’ latest space firm brought its newest design for testing in ESA’s largest antenna test facility. The Hiber company has already launched its first two nanosatellites into orbit, and is busily preparing its next generation.
Dutch space company Hiber is building an orbital constellation of CubeSats – small modular satellites based around 10 cm units – to provide global low-cost connectivity for the ‘Internet of Things’, tracking and harnessing data from modem-linked objects such as haulage vehicles, power cables, pipelines or sensors for precision agriculture.
Myriota co-founders CTO Dr. David Haley and CEO Dr. Alex Grant with nanosatellite frame. (Credit: Myriota)
ADELAIDE, Australia (Myriota PR) — Myriota is rolling out its next generation technology that will continue to grow direct-to-orbit communications for hundreds of millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices thanks to today’s launch on SpaceQuest’s BRIO satellite.
Launched as part of Spaceflight’s SSO-A SmallSat Express mission, the satellite will be delivered to orbit on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket; adding to Myriota’s growing constellation by testing and demonstrating its IoT network.
SpaceX constellation includes 7,518 satellite Internet spacecraft
Three other approved constellations total 335 satellites
WASHINGTON, November 15, 2018 (FCC PR) — The Federal Communications Commission today approved the requests of four companies—Space Exploration Holdings, LLC (SpaceX), Kepler Communications, Inc. (Kepler), Telesat Canada (Telesat), and LeoSat MA, Inc. (LeoSat)—seeking to roll-out new and expanded services using proposed non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellites.
These proposed satellite systems are expected to enable fixed satellite service in the United States, expanding global connectivity and advancing the goals of increasing high-speed broadband availability and competition in the marketplace.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., 29 October, 2018 (Rocket Lab PR) — US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has signed a contract with fast-growing Internet of Things (IoT) start-up Fleet Space Technologies to launch two satellites that will form the foundation of a global IoT communications constellation. The two Proxima satellites are the first of a fleet of small, low-cost satellites that will provide internet connectivity for millions of sensor devices based in remote locations on Earth.
PARIS (CLS PR) — With the support of CNES, CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) is proud to announce the creating of a new subsidiary: Kineis.
By 2030, Kineis plans to connect several million objects around the globe, becoming a leader in the new space race. New Space companies and the general public alike will have access to a global satellite location and connectivity service that is both easy to use and very affordable. This connectivity is being offered by an unprecedented constellation of nanosatellites developed with: Thales Alenia Space, Nexeya and Syrlinks. The constellation will be in orbit by 2021.
TORONTO (Kepler Communications PR) — Kepler has contracted leading UK small satellite manufacturer, ÅAC Clyde, for a 6U satellite bus in support of the machine-to-machine communications mission. This new platform, TARS, will be the third built by the company for Kepler’s growing constellation, offering satellite communication services for Internet of Things (IoT) and data backhaul applications. The mission is part of the UK’s Satellite Applications Catapult In-Orbit Demonstration Mission 5.
LOGAN, Utah, Aug. 7, 2018 (Astrocast PR) — Astrocast and D-Orbit today announced an InOrbit NOW DPOD agreement for the launch and deployment of ten Astrocast nanosatellites.
Signed today by company officials at the SmallSat Conference in Logan, Utah, the agreement calls for the Astrocast nanosatellites to be launched onboard an Arianspace VEGA or Vega C vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana between late 2019 and early 2020. VEGA C, the last generation of launcher is a European vehicle realized by AVIO SpA in the Colleferro Headquarters, in Italy.
SINGAPORE (mu Space PR) — mu Space Corp, a Thailand-based space and satellite company, has approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a manufacturer to build the company’s first satellite with coverage spanning across Asia-Pacific.
The high throughput satellite will be on a geostationary orbit (GEO) location at 50.5-degree East, an orbital slot secured on a recent agreement between mu Space and SES, the world’s leading satellite operator. It is expected to provide broadband and Internet of Things (IoT) service via satellite, and will have a lifespan of at least 15 years.
Samathorn Teankingkaeo, Chief Technical Officer of mu Space, said: “This RFP and the resulting contracts demonstrate mu Space’s capability to proceed with our plan of launching a satellite.”
According to mu Space’s plan, the company will launch its own satellite in the early 2020s aboard New Glenn, a space vehicle of US-based aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin.
“We’re searching a technology partner who is flexible and adaptable with our design ideas and long term business goals. We’ll look at all sorts of proposals from bidders, and we’ll consider everything to make sure we award this project to the right satellite manufacturer,” he added.
About mu Space
mu Space is a satellite and space technology company founded in Thailand in 2017. The company develops satellite communication technologies to accelerate the adoption of Internet of Things devices and smart cities. It plans to launch its own satellite in 2020 using Blue Origin’s New Glenn space vehicle and to lead space tourism in Asia-Pacific. Read more: www.muspacecorp.com
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with a Dragon resupply ship on April 2, 2018. (Credit: NASA)
by Douglas Messier Managing Editor
SpaceX received $500 million of the nearly $1 billion in investment raised by commercial space companies during the first quarter of 2018, according to the Space Investment Quarterly report from Space Angels.
“SpaceX shows no signs of slowing down—after the inaugural flight of the Falcon Heavy, the company secured $500 million from Fidelity Investments to drive development of their satellite communications network, Starlink,” the report added.
