Among the new programmes announced are a new orbital transfer vehicle, an online booking site, a mission management portal as well as all-in pricing and spacecraft tracking.
Satellite rideshare and mission management provider Spaceflight has announced it is providing an array of new programmes to deliver launch schedule assurance and greater flexibility to smallsat customers needing frequent, reliable, and cost-effective ways to get spacecraft on orbit.
The announcement was made during the opening of Small Satellite Conference 2020 which began on August 1 and will continue until August 6.
Designed to increase flexibility across the entire launch spectrum, Spaceflights new services and programmes include transparent pricing for launch services, an online reservation system for launches, a separate platform to manage mission tasks and track progress.
The company also announced it will be flying the first in its portfolio of new space vehicles, Sherpa-FX, on its next SpaceX rideshare mission, slated no earlier than December 2020.
Spaceflight is actively developing a highly flexible and reconfigurable separation sequencer which provides capabilities for small satellite deployments. The company is also working with a global portfolio of launch vehicles, including Falcon 9, Antares, Electron, Vega, and PSLV, to provide a variety of launch options to its customers.
One thing weve learned about launching smallsats over the past 10 years is that there is a growing requirement for flexibility in everything from contracting to switching vehicles, orbital destinations, booking options, and integration services, said Curt Blake, president and CEO of Spaceflight. With our expertise working with all major launch vehicles, we have the unique advantage of building flexibility into all aspects of our business to meet our customers individual mission needs. Its foundational to our vision of getting spacecraft inro orbit exactly when and where our customers want, and were excited to unveil several first-of-their-kind programmes to support it.
Delays in the launch are inevitable but being able to switch launches when they occur is critically important to ensure our IoT network constellation gets on orbit as efficiently and expeditiously as possible, said Kjell Karlsen, Chief Financial Officer of Astrocast. Spaceflight not only offers an expansive portfolio of launch options but their integration and mission management expertise in working with the various vehicles, as well as their experience with the international regulations and licensing, has given Astrocast a reliable and valuable partner. Working with Spaceflight has been a pleasure, and were looking forward to our next launch with them on their next SpaceX rideshare aboard the Sherpa-FX flyer.
Spaceflight has launched more than 270 satellites across nearly 30 rideshare missions.
