WASHINGTON — OQ Know-how of Luxembourg, which raised $13 million in September to construct out a narrowband web of issues (NB-IoT) constellation, ordered three extra satellites from Kongsberg NanoAvionics.
NanoAvionics has constructed three satellites for OQ Know-how up to now, two of that are already in orbit. The launch of the third — the European Area Company-backed MACSAT — is on maintain following the December failure of an Arianespace-operated Vega C rocket carrying a pair of economic imaging satellites for Airbus.
“MACSAT was presupposed to be launched on Vega-C in March 2023, which, following the December incident with the lack of the Vega-C VV22 mission, has been postponed. Arianespace and ESA have been investigating the problem and we’re ready to know when it will likely be launched,” OQ Know-how’s founder and CEO, Omar Qaise, mentioned in a March 15 assertion to SpaceNews. “Nevertheless, with the current announcement from ESA in regards to the investigation outcome and manner ahead, we’re very assured MACSAT will fly this 12 months.”
Investigators pinned the launch failure on eroded nozzle part within the Vega C’s Zefiro-40 solid-fuel second stage however Ukraine’s area company criticized the March 3 findings as “untimely.” ESA mentioned a number of unnamed payloads would launch earlier than the top of summer time on an older Vega rocket unaffected by the issue. Vega C is scheduled to return to flight by the top of the 12 months, launching the Sentinel-1C radar imaging satellite tv for pc for the European Union’s Copernicus Earth-observation program.
Beneath the three-satellite order introduced this week, NanoAvioncs will construct Tiger-4, Tiger-7 and Tiger-8 round 5G NB-IoT payloads supplied by OQ Know-how. NanoAvionics mentioned the three 6U cubesats will likely be constructed at a brand new facility in Vilnius, Lithuania, and can have electrical onboard propulsion for deployment, formation flying and end-of-life disposal. “These three nanosatellites will enable us to develop our constellation, increase our world protection, and enter new markets,” Qaise mentioned in a press release.
NanoAvionics CEO and founder Vytenis J. Buzas referred to as the contract “a testomony to the good working relationship now we have constructed with OQ Know-how over the previous few years.” He attributed the repeat enterprise to NanoAvionics’ “degree of standardisation, automation, and expertise with communications missions.”
Neither firm would disclose the contract’s worth or focus on launch plans for any of the remaining satellites in addition to the Vega-manifested MACSAT.
Three in orbit
OQ Know-how has put up three Tiger nanosatellites since 2018. The corporate mentioned in a March 13 information launch it expects to have 10 satellites on orbit by late 2023 or early 2024.
“[A]ll remaining satellite tv for pc launches are deliberate for this 12 months with the ultimate ones, pending launch circumstances, to probably go into orbit in early 2024,” it mentioned.
OQ Know-how’s constellation presently contains:
• Tiger-1, a 6U cubesat constructed by Denmark’s GomSpace and launched in February 2018 on a Chinese language Lengthy March 2D rocket.
• Tiger-2, a 6U cubesat constructed by NanoAvionics and launched in June 2021 aboard SpaceX’s second Falcon 9 devoted rideshare mission.
• Tiger-3, a 6U cubesat constructed by NanoAvionics and launched in April 2022 aboard SpaceX’s fourth Falcon 9 devoted rideshare mission.
Seven in the pipeline
As well as the Tiger-4, Tiger-7 and Tiger-8 nanosatellites simply ordered from NanoAvionics and the already-built MACSAT awaiting the resumption of Vega launches, OQ Know-how a pair of 6U cubesats, Tiger-5 and Tiger-6, on order with Denmark-based Area Inventor.
OQ Know-how can be partnering with the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed Bin Rashid Area Centre on the event of a 12U modular satellite tv for pc platform referred to as PHI-Demo, brief for Payload Internet hosting Initiative demonstration.
PHI-Demo will carry an OQ Know-how communications payload that shops and forwards knowledge collected from IoT gadgets. PHI-Demo associate SteamJet Area Programs of Birmingham, England, will provide the satellite tv for pc’s water-based propulsion system.
“The PHI mission represents a significant enabler for us in increasing our world satellite tv for pc 5G protection and in addition enterprise within the [Middle East and North Africa] area,” Qaise mentioned in a January 2022 announcement.