Smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics, collectively with other UN:IO consortium members, will start working on a feasibility study, which has been granted €1.4 million ($1.6 million) by the European Commission, to create a sovereign communications community for Europe by 2025. The consortium contains 14 corporations led by satellite tv for pc producer Reflex Aerospace, launch supplier Isar Aerospace and laser specialist Mynaric. According to the Lithuanian mission integrator the idea will “include breakthrough technologies for small satellites”.
It’s not the first time for NanoAvionics to be concerned in such R&D initiatives. Last yr, the firm was awarded a 1 million euros grant by ESA (the European Space Agency) to develop new applied sciences for small satellite tv for pc propulsion techniques, and participated in two further ESA funded satellite tv for pc know-how R&D initiatives. And in 2019, NanoAvionics obtained a €10 million grant by the EU’S Horizon 2020 and ESA to develop and launch the preliminary stage of a Global Internet of Things (GIoT) nanosatellite constellation. It has additionally constructed satellites for a number of area missions that included innovative know-how comparable to NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) and Los Alamos National Laboratory’s first astrophysics payload in 20 years.
The feasibility study is the first section of the deliberate communications community, finally consisting of greater than 400 laser-linked satellites, varied floor stations and a number of management centres. The community will guarantee a sovereign capability for each industrial and institutional communication channels. It will allow quick Internet, autonomous mobility at sea, on floor and in the air, automated change of data between technical installations, help for navy and humanitarian actions, and other purposes for public authorities, corporations and European residents.
Vytenis J. Buzas, co-founder and CEO of NanoAvionics, stated: “Being a part of one in every of the largest NewSpace initiative in Europe may be very thrilling and an necessary strategic step for NanoAvionics. With solely two consortiums being chosen to ship such feasibility research, it’s testimony to the capabilities of the UN:IO which we are able to strengthen with our personal manufacturing experience and confirmed small satellite tv for pc mission expertise and flight heritage. In explicit our know-how with communication missions, having launched all kinds of communication nanosatellites, shall be of nice benefit when growing this study.
“Ever since we launched the first nanosatellite with “green” propulsion, NanoAvionics has been spearheading innovation for nano- and microsatellites. This yr we constructed the first commercially out there modular microsat bus in the business. It has the similar modularity for hard- and software program and mission operations infrastructure as our very profitable nanosatellites. We have additionally been one in every of the firsts corporations in the nanosatellite business to efficiently kickstart and proceed a industrial satellite tv for pc rideshare programme.”
For the EU, a safe, very quick and, above all, sovereign communications community for Europe is a prime precedence. The European Commission can also be very taken with such a focus of progressive forces. One of its two study tenders addressed to SMEs and startups from the “NewSpace” business, endowed with 1.4 million euros, was awarded to the UN:IO consortium. The study should meet sustainability standards for the EU’s “Green Deal” and construct the technical bridge from right this moment to a extra distant future, when the communications community in Europe shall be extraordinarily effectively protected towards cyber assaults by quantum encryption.
In six months, as required by the phrases of the monetary help, the consortium will current its technical options intimately to the EU. In parallel, work is already starting on constructing the {hardware} construction. The latter is predicated on funding from the consortium’s personal assets and enterprise capital. A primary demonstrator is deliberate to start working in area as early as 2023. It shall be adopted by greater than 400 laser-linked satellites, floor stations, a number of management centres and other operational infrastructure till Europe’s personal UN:IO constellation is absolutely operational in 2025.
All corporations tackling this process have repeatedly pushed improvement and set the requirements for innovation in area know-how of their areas of experience. Another necessary factor they’ve in widespread is that they’re all small and medium-sized corporations (SME).