Spaceflight Inc. closes 2019 with 3 successful launches in one week across three continents

Spaceflight, the leading provider of mission management and rideshare integration services, reports it has successfully executed nine missions in 2019, the most rideshare launches the company has performed in one year, representing a 300 percent growth from the previous year.

The company ended last year with its historic dedicated rideshare mission, SSO-A, and continued to execute many more firsts in 2019. This includes the most recent accomplishment of manifesting and managing three rideshare launches in one week on three continents.

The final missions of 2019 were SEOPS-2 (ISS SpX-19/NG-12) launched in the U.S., RL-2 (Rocket Lab's "Running Out of Fingers") launched in New Zealand, and PSLV-C48 launched in India.

The nine missions in 2019 were executed across four different launch vehicles, including the ISRO PSLV, SpaceX Falcon 9, Rocket Lab Electron and Northrop Grumman Cygnus. Spaceflight managed the launch and integration services of nearly 50 spacecraft from customers in Japan, Israel, Switzerland, Egypt, Australia, Mexico and the U.S, representing both commercial and government organizations, growing constellations, the first commercial lunar lander, technology demonstrations, university spacecraft, and more.

Other important milestones for Spaceflight in 2019 include:

+ The first-ever rideshare mission to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), launching the first privately funded lunar lander, developed and operated by SpaceIL. (GTO-1)

+ The execution of its first three missions with Rocket Lab, launching more than 10 customer spacecraft. (RL-1, RL-2, RL-4)

+ The purchase of the first commercial launch of NSIL's new small launch vehicle, SSLV, for a dedicated rideshare mission in 2020.

+ Spaceflight's first deployments with Hypergiant from the International Space Station. (SEOPS-1, SEOPS-2)

+ Four launches across three continents in the span of 16 days. (PSLV C47, SEOPS-2, RL-2, PSLV C48)

"Our team has supported a record number of missions, resulting in a busy and rewarding year," said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight.

"This year has made it clear that the 'new normal' of rideshare is a high cadence of launches. With the variety and complexity of our missions, we've demonstrated our expertise and experience in mission management and integration services.

"As we look to the coming year, we plan to add more launch vehicles to our portfolio to meet growing launch demand, while delivering increased launch flexibility through a breadth of launch options. Ultimately, we aim to minimize the pain points of launch delays and ensure our customers' mission goals are achieved."

For its notable achievements, both in 2019 and the record-breaking launch of SSO-A in 2018, Spaceflight and CEO Curt Blake received numerous industry awards and recognition. In 2019, Blake was selected as an Innovator of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal, a finalist for Via Satellite's Executive of the Year Award and named one of Seattle's Most Influential People by Seattle Magazine.

In addition, Spaceflight was selected as a finalist for Company of the Year and SSO-A was nominated for Breakthrough of the Year for the SpaceNews Awards. Finally, Spaceflight was also awarded a Laureate for Launch Services in recognition of its pioneering work in bringing the rideshare business into the mainstream by Aviation Week.

"Spaceflight continues to provide smallsat operators frequent access to space, proving the importance of rideshare in the space industry," said Robert Sproles, director of ground stations and launch at Spire Global. "Spaceflight's diverse launch portfolio, depth of skills and knowledge, and commitment to providing a first-class launch experience has helped many smallsat organizations like Spire successfully achieve their missions."

In 2020, Spaceflight has plans to manage about 10 rideshare missions across five different launch vehicles. The company anticipates reaching a cadence of monthly launches and remains dedicated to maximizing launch capacity on available missions and assisting its customers achieve their missions on time and on budget
Related Links
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Rocket Lab launches shooting star satellite from New Zealand
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 08, 2019
A satellite that spits out artificial shooting stars for light shows in the sky flew into space Friday from New Zealand. The launch came at 9:18 p.m. local time, or 3:18 a.m. EST. The satellite, made by Japan-based Astro Live Experiences or ALE Co. Ltd, was packed on board an Electron rocket made by new space company Rocket Lab. It was the 10th launch for Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Rocket Lab and its eighth commercial launch, prompting the mission name of "Running out of Fingers." ... read more