In its fourth dedicated rideshare mission with SpaceX, Exolaunch,
the leading global provider of launch, in-space logistics and
deployment services, integrated and launched 12 small satellites
from customers across the globe.
The mission lifted off on April 1, 2022 at 16.24 UTC from Cape
Canaveral on 'Transporter-4' mission. This mission brought the
total number of satellites sent to space by Exolaunch to over two
hundred.The Falcon 9 launch was performed in the interests of the
company's new and returning customers such as NanoAvionics,
Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), UNSEENLABS,
Omnispace, Thales Alenia Space, Satellogic, Pixxel, Spacemanic and
the University of Brasilia (UnB). With small satellite deployment
into two different orbits on a single mission of Falcon 9 and the
debut flight of the newest CarboNIX 8-inch microsat separation
system, this was the most trailblazing Transporter mission yet for
Exolaunch.
The mission is the fourth Transporter mission in a series of
rideshare launches, which Exolaunch has manifested on Falcon 9
under a Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX first signed in 2020
and extended at the end of 2021. For each Falcon 9 launch
procured through the Multi-Launch Agreement, Exolaunch provided
a turnkey solution encompassing comprehensive rideshare mission
management, satellite integration, environmental testing and
deployment services. Exolaunch has deployed nearly 100 microsats
and cubesats on SpaceX's first three record-breaking dedicated
rideshare Transporter missions.
To maximize payload capacity and cost-effectiveness for their
customers, Exolaunch used its recent product addition, EXOport,
a flexible multi-satellite adapter designed to optimally
accommodate microsats and cubesats on a single Falcon 9 port.
Exolaunch also used its proprietary flight-proven separation
systems CarboNIX, a next generation shock-free separation system
with 100% reliability, that to date has successfully separated
30 microsats, and the EXOpod, Exolaunch's cubesat deployer with
a heritage of 145 deployed satellites.
Exolaunch's manifest on the Transporter-4 mission included the
following payloads and companies:
-
SPARK 1 from Omnispace (USA)
Designed and built by
Thales Alenia Space in
conjunction with
NanoAvionics, Syrlinks & ANYWAVES,
this new-generation NGSO satellite will operate in the 2 GHz
S-band. Omnispace Spark 1 will support the mobile industry
3GPP standard, making connectivity possible direct to
compatible devices. This program will serve to advance the
development and implementation of Omnispace's global hybrid
non-terrestrial (NTN) network.
-
MP42 from NanoAvionics (USA, UK & Lithuania)
The first ring-deployed microsat of
NanoAvionics carrying
payloads from 5 different companies. The hardware and
software of MP42 satellite bus, as well as mission
operations infrastructure, are established on baseline
architecture and mission-specific “building blocks” for
flexible, time- & cost-efficient integration, resulting in
wide applicability, reliability, repeatability, and
manufacturability.
-
SHAKUNTALA from Pixxel (USA & India)
Is a hyperspectral Earth imaging satellite. The
constellation is designed to provide global coverage every
24 hours, with the aim of detecting, monitoring and
predicting global phenomena.
-
BDSAT from Spacemanic (Slovak Republic) and BD Sensors
(Czech Republic)
BDsat project aims to support the radio amateur community
with several HAM services and activities. Secondary goal is
a verification of a prototype of pressure measuring
equipment and to verify the functionality of this technology
in open space conditions.
-
ALFACRUX from the University of Brasilia (Brazil)
Developed by UnB and manufactured by
Alen Space, the AlfaCrux
satellite is designed for educational and technical
investigations of narrowband communication and its
applications carried out by researchers, students, and
amateur radio operators interested in radio technique
without pecuniary interest. Possible in-orbit technical
demonstrations include digipeater solutions, scintillation
impacts in the satellite communication link, and data
collection systems.
-
BRO-7 from UNSEENLABS (France)
The seventh satellite of UNSEENLABS' constellation dedicated
to the geolocation of vessels at sea. UNSEENLABS processes
and analyzes the RF data, and provides unique knowledge for
national security operations, for environmental protection
and for an increasing number of applications in the
commercial sector. Their constellation is designed to
provide data to clients to follow maritime traffic,
regardless of the time of day and weather conditions.
-
ARCSAT from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
(FFI) (Norway)
A GomSpace manufactured
nanosatellite designed to demonstrate the use and relevance
of a satellite relay for UHF communication at high
latitudes. The satellite will be able to cover any point on
the Earth's surface ranging from 4 up to 15 daily passes at
higher latitudes from a polar orbit.
-
5 x NEWSAT MICROSATS from Satellogic (USA & Argentina)
The mission will include the first deployment of
Satellogic's new Mark V satellite model. This new generation
of satellites enhances the company's constellation with
improved cameras, radios, computers, and other subsystems
compatible with all components from previous models,
offering Satellogic's customers higher quality products. The
remaining satellites are four updated NewSats Mark IV. These
improved satellites contain increased onboard storage and
upgrades to the propulsion and navigation systems. This
launch will expand Satellogic's fleet to 22 satellites
delivering high-resolution data from space.
VIDEO © EXOLAUNCH
