Aerospace and Defense Review : News

Initially, Capella planned to cluster the satellites in a polar orbit. Both Capella and Rocket Lab have refused to disclose the launch costs of the mission. However, it is sure to be significantly higher than the price of a rideshare mission San Francisco-based Capella Space is set to launch a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into mid orbit later this year onboard a Rocket Electron launch vehicle. “It will be the first commercial SAR satellite in a mid-inclination orbit,” said Payam Banazadeh, Capella Space CEO. “Customers want to monitor areas around Korea, the Middle East, some portions of Europe and North America. Putting a satellite in a 45-degree-inclination orbit allows you to have good coverage of those areas.” Capella Space intends to launch its first seven operational satellites in 2020. The first satellite, named Sequoia, is scheduled to launch into sun-synchronous orbit later this month along a Saocom 1B, an Argentine L-band SAR satellite, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The company's Electron launch is set to take place somewhere in mid-2020. Capella is yet to announce the launch dates and contracts for five additional satellites in its Whitney constellation. The five satellites are under construction at the firm’s Boulder, Colorado, facility. "As we have talked to more customers, we've realized a hybrid constellation with some satellites in mid-inclination orbit, and others in polar orbit will solve a lot of interesting problems. The launch contract announced today will most likely be one of many mid-inclination launches we will do with Rocket Lab and others," Banazadeh said. Initially, Capella planned to cluster the satellites in a polar orbit. Both Capella and Rocket Lab have refused to disclose the launch costs of the mission. However, it is sure to be significantly higher than the price of a rideshare mission. Meanwhile, Capella’s 100-kilogram SAR satellite will be the primary payload on the Electron launch. "Our dedicated launch solution will get Capella Space on-orbit faster, enabling them to focus on their core mission – providing reliable, up to the hour imagery data to inform everyday decisions down here on Earth," said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder, and CEO. "By launching on Electron, the team at Capella is in control of their mission every step of the way. The ability to book a launch quickly, have control over launch timing, and select an exact orbit puts customers like Capella in the driver's seat as they build out their constellations how and when they want to." See Also :-  Top Space Technology Companies   ...Read more

Wingcopter plans to expand its team by hiring more people, as well as announce new partnerships Wingcopter, the Darmstadt-based drone startup, announced that it had secured seven-digit financing from Singapore-based Corecam Capital partners. As the startup performed well and achieved a number of milestones, Corecam Capital Partners bolstered investments on Wingcopter just after three months of its initial seven-digit funding. Founded in 2017, Wingcopter produces and develops autonomously flying delivery drones for civilian and social applications, for example faster delivery of life-saving medicine for remote islands. There are a number of other use cases that are true to the company's guiding principle –'Technology with a Purpose'. The startup closes the gap between the helicopter, commercial drones, and fixed-wing aircraft with the help of its patented tilt-rotor mechanism, which is helping Wingcopter to achieve a new dimension of efficiency. Martin Lechner, the Managing Partner of Corecam Capital Partners, commented: "The worldwide commercial interest in Wingcopter's innovative and powerful eVTOL drones is impressive. Based on the very positive development in recent months, we are supporting Wingcopter in the second round of financing to enable the team to successfully implement their ambitious growth plans". Since its first seven-digit funding, Wingcopter has achieved a number of milestones. Firstly, in collaboration with Merck and the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Wingcopter flew the world's first beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight (BVLOS) between two production services, over a distance of 25 kilometers. Next, during a humanitarian aid project in Malawi, Wingcopter delivered 90kg of medicines to remote areas that were cut-off from the outside world. After the successful participation in the African drone Forum and lake Kivu Challenge in Rwanda, Wingcopter has become the preferred choice of several African governments and international organizations. Philipp Weber, Venture Capital Partner at FPS Law and member of Wingcopter's advisory board, adds: "In contrast to many other drone startups in the logistics sector , which currently only present prototypes and visions, Wingcopter has been able to impressively demonstrate the capabilities of the Wingcopter drone in flight operations in recent months, among other things through flights in aid projects. The further investment by Corecam is an important step towards rapid growth". Wingcopter plans to increase its current team members from 45 to 70 within the next few months, as well as announce its new partnerships. See Also :-  Top Space Technology Companies   ...Read more

After her second spaceflight, she returned to the Kennedy Space Center for a one-year assignment as the Astronaut Office representative to the Commercial Crew Program and the team responsible for selecting contractors to build the next U.S. human-rated spacecraft ILC Dover has hired veteran astronaut Nicole Stott as a Senior Technical Advisor for the Space Systems Division. The former NASA astronaut and founder of the Space for Art Foundation has been on two spaceflights and lived and worked for 104 days in space, on both the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle. She was the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk, was the first person to fly the robotic arm to capture the free-flying H-II Transfer Vehicle and was a member of the crew of the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133. "I'm thrilled to be joining the ILC Dover team,” said Nicole. “During my time as an astronaut, I enjoyed the opportunity to perform a spacewalk in an ILC Dover EVA spacesuit and to evaluate various ILC Dover designed and manufactured advanced EVA spacesuits, and since 2015 I have worked closely with them and am very thankful for their support of several Space for Art Foundation projects. Joining their team as a consultant feels like a natural next step, and I'm excited to see what the ILC Dover engineering leadership and expertise makes possible in space for the future." Nicole worked as a NASA engineer for ten years at the Kennedy Space Center and as a manager for the Space Shuttle Program, before the astronaut selection in 2000. After her second spaceflight, she returned to the Kennedy Space Center for a one-year assignment as the Astronaut Office representative to the Commercial Crew Program and the team responsible for selecting contractors to build the next U.S. human-rated spacecraft. Nicole recently served as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office in the Astronaut Office/Flight Operations Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. “I am very excited to welcome Nicole to ILC Dover,” said Patricia Stoll, ILC Dover’s Vice President of Space Systems. “Her vast experience will strengthen our Space Systems team and ensure that ILC Dover continues to provide the best solutions to make human and commercial spaceflight achievable and successful.” Nicole has received degrees from both Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida before joining NASA. She retired from NASA in 2015.  Founded in 1947, ILC Dover has been striving to develop solutions to solve its customers’ complex problems applying its best talent and highest-quality materials. The company's 700 plus members serve customers globally across six facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia.  “We partner with different companies in diverse areas of the space technology to develop several parts of the spacesuits and space habitats,” said Dan Klopp, director of Product Marketing at ILC Dover.  The company has been featured as one of the Top 10 Space Tech Solution Providers by Aerospace and Defense Review magazine for the year 2020. ...Read more