. | . |
Exolaunch Delivers One Ton of Small Satellites into Orbit on SpaceX's Transporter-2 Rideshare Mission by Staff Writers Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jul 02, 2021
Exolaunch, the launch, deployment and integration services provider for the New Space industry, announced a successful launch of 29 satellites totaling one metric ton for its customers from the United States, South America and Europe on a dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program. The mission, named 'Fingerspitzengefuhl', lifted off on June 30 at 19:31 UTC on Falcon 9 'Transporter-2', completing one of the largest and most diverse rideshare missions for Exolaunch. With this launch, Exolaunch has flown 170 small satellites on multiple launch vehicles. Exolaunch's small satellite cluster includes payloads with cutting-edge technologies for IoT, Earth Observation and scientific applications, and satellites from its international customers such as Spire Global, ICEYE, Loft Orbital, NanoAvionics, and Technical University of Berlin. Exolaunch has also provided flight hardware, separation systems and integration services to support Satellogic's four microsatellites on this mission. Fingerspitzengefuhl is Exolaunch's 13th rideshare mission. It is also the second in a series of rideshares Exolaunch is manifesting on Falcon 9 as part of a Multi-Launch Agreement the company signed with SpaceX in 2020. On SpaceX's first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission Transporter-1 earlier this year Exolaunch launched 30 contracted satellites. For every Falcon 9 launch procured through the Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX, Exolaunch ensures comprehensive rideshare mission management, satellite integration and deployment services for its customers. 'Fingerspitzengefuhl' symbolizes Exolaunch's vast experience in successfully deploying customers' satellites into orbit, inherent to Exolaunch ingenuity and mastery that the company has demonstrated once more. It's also a continuation of the individual mission names that started with 'Zeitgeist', literally 'Spirit of the Time', Exolaunch's previous rideshare launch aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 in January 2021. "Our work with the New Space leaders is always dynamic and exciting, as they are constantly leveraging the latest technological innovations for their satellites and payloads. This requires sophisticated and flexible technological solutions and efficient mission architecture to make their journey to orbit pleasant and successful," said Jeanne Medvedeva, Vice President of Launch Services at Exolaunch. "We are pleased to work under the Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX as an established partner shaping the unique launch infrastructure for our customers encompassing the needed flexibility and reliability of launch services. With the successful completion of the Fingerspitzengefuhl mission on Transporter-2, Exolaunch readies for the next rideshare launch aboard SpaceX's Transporter-3 at the end of 2021!" To maximize payload capacity and cost-effectiveness for the customers of this mission, Exolaunch used its recent product addition, EXOport, a flexible multi-satellite adapter designed to optimally accommodate microsatellites and cubesats on a single Falcon 9 ESPA port. The company also utilized its proprietary flight-proven separation systems - CarboNIX, the next generation shock-free separation system for microsatellites, and the EXOpod, Exolaunch's upgraded cubesat deployer with half a decade of flight heritage, to flawlessly deploy the customers' satellites into the target sun-synchronous orbit above 500 km. "We are thrilled to be expanding Exolaunch's presence to U.S. soil. This move allows us to provide tailored launch and deployment services to all our customers launching from the U.S., ensuring that we meet all of their mission needs," said Kier Fortier, Director of Launch at Exolaunch U.S. "This is our second SpaceX Transporter mission to date, and we look forward to continuing to build upon the strong partnership between the companies so that we can offer smallsat developers the most cost-effective, flexible, and reliable rides to orbit."
Finnish company will test tiny, wooden satellite in space Washington DC (UPI) Jun 23, 2021 An educational space technology company in Finland, Arctic Astronautics Ltd., plans to launch this fall a tiny 2-pound satellite made mostly of wood, named Woodsat, as a science experiment and to encourage interest in space. Small launch company Rocket Lab plans to carry the Woodsat into space aboard an Electron rocket lifting off from New Zealand. The goal of the mission is to determine how wood and how instruments carried on the satellite behave in space, Samuli Nyman, chief technology ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |