Author Topic: Vega VV23 - THEOS 2, TRITON, rideshares - 9 October 2023 (01:36 UTC)  (Read 43483 times)

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THEOS 2

TRITON

Cross-post:
https://twitter.com/SAB_LS_Official/status/1540360468925190144
Quote
SAB Launch Services
@SAB_LS_Official
While moving closer to the Vega C Maiden Flight, let us introduce you our next VEGA C flight #VV23!

VV23 will be the first #VEGAC #Rideshare Mission of January 2023 in a SSO at 10.30 LTDN

We have the 3 last seats available to embark last minute passengers at a Special Rate!

main payload unknown

If there was a main payload on this flight it wouldn't be the first Vega C rideshare mission, as VV21 already features LARES 2 and a SSMS deployer.

I think the text says it will be the first Vega C rideshare flight without main payload, like it was the case on VV16.
VV21 is an ESA mission
I think the available Vega-C launches are too valuable to waste them on umpteen Cubesats.
So I belive there are one or two main payloads.

Definitely, this means a delay of the VV23 mission from Q4/2022 to 2023.
There are different statements about the orbit of Kompsat-7, but I haven't read LTDN 10:30 yet.
The launch is probably later.  ???
« Last Edit: 10/08/2023 05:01 pm by Galactic Penguin SST »
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Offline GWR64

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The long time "undisclosed" payload,  TRITON aka FORMOSAT-7R from Taiwan could be part of this launch.
Source in Chinese   [July 19]
Google translate
Quote
Taiwan-made satellites go to space> Wind Hunter satellite assembly completed and expected to launch in Q1 next year
Juheng.com reporter Liu Weiting Taipei   Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 8:48 pm



The Ministry of Science and Technology held a press conference on the TRITON mission statement today (20), announcing that my country's second self-made satellite has completed all assembly work a few days ago, and will continue to complete a series of subsequent environmental and functional tests in the second half of the year. Ready status, the fastest first quarter of next year at the Guyana Space Center in French Guiana, aboard the French Arianespace company (Arianespace) Vega C (VEGAC) launch into space.

I don't understand Chinese, so no guarantee.  ;)


TRITON page at NSPO

Quote
TRITON (Wind-Hunter Satellite) is a satellite of about 250kg, designed and manufactured by NSPO. TRITON carries the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), independently developed by NSPO, to collect the GNSS signal reflected by the earth surface. Its mission is to conduct researches on air-sea interaction, and typhoon intensity prediction. Taiwan is greatly affected by typhoons every year, the information of sea wave height and sea surface wind speed, retrieved from the reflected signal, are useful for the research on typhoon intensity and path prediction.


To support TRITON mission, the GNSS-R data processing module is a combined efforts of NSPO, Central Weather Bureau (CWB), and domestic academic teams, which will be performed by the Taiwan RO Processing System (TROPS) to provide users the sea surface wind data. In addition, NSPO cooperates with the academic and research community to study the application of sea surface reflection signal data in meteorological numerical models, which is helpful for forecasting severe weather and reducing uncertainty in disaster warning.

The TRITON satellite will be launched on an Arianespace Vega C rideshare mission. The orbit is a circular low earth orbit within the altitude around 550~650km and the inclination angle of about 98 degree.
« Last Edit: 07/23/2022 05:05 pm by GWR64 »

Online Galactic Penguin SST

The long time "undisclosed" payload,  TRITON aka FORMOSAT-7R from Taiwan could be part of this launch.
Source in Chinese   [July 19]
Google translate
Quote
Taiwan-made satellites go to space> Wind Hunter satellite assembly completed and expected to launch in Q1 next year
Juheng.com reporter Liu Weiting Taipei   Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 8:48 pm



The Ministry of Science and Technology held a press conference on the TRITON mission statement today (20), announcing that my country's second self-made satellite has completed all assembly work a few days ago, and will continue to complete a series of subsequent environmental and functional tests in the second half of the year. Ready status, the fastest first quarter of next year at the Guyana Space Center in French Guiana, aboard the French Arianespace company (Arianespace) Vega C (VEGAC) launch into space.

I don't understand Chinese, so no guarantee.  ;)


TRITON page at NSPO

Quote
TRITON (Wind-Hunter Satellite) is a satellite of about 250kg, designed and manufactured by NSPO. TRITON carries the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), independently developed by NSPO, to collect the GNSS signal reflected by the earth surface. Its mission is to conduct researches on air-sea interaction, and typhoon intensity prediction. Taiwan is greatly affected by typhoons every year, the information of sea wave height and sea surface wind speed, retrieved from the reflected signal, are useful for the research on typhoon intensity and path prediction.


To support TRITON mission, the GNSS-R data processing module is a combined efforts of NSPO, Central Weather Bureau (CWB), and domestic academic teams, which will be performed by the Taiwan RO Processing System (TROPS) to provide users the sea surface wind data. In addition, NSPO cooperates with the academic and research community to study the application of sea surface reflection signal data in meteorological numerical models, which is helpful for forecasting severe weather and reducing uncertainty in disaster warning.

The TRITON satellite will be launched on an Arianespace Vega C rideshare mission. The orbit is a circular low earth orbit within the altitude around 550~650km and the inclination angle of about 98 degree.

The article states a Q1 2023 launch date.
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Offline GWR64

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Another candidate for this launch is LUXEOSys, formerly known as NAOS.

https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/luxeosys.htm

Rapport spécial sur la gestion financière du projet LUXEOSys. (pdf from July 5, page 19)

https://download.rtl.lu/2022/07/11/3d606f8f1750e3871de3ef298af7521b.pdf

Quote
Le lancement du satellite est prévu pour le premier trimestre 2023. Ce lancement sera suivi par une phase de tests qui dure environ six mois. Ainsi le satellite devrait être opérationnel au troisième trimestre 2023.

Offline GWR64

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...

The article states a Q1 2023 launch date.

According to the Arianespace smallsat rideshare schedule, only this launch is possible. I think.

https://smallsats.arianespace.com/opportunities
« Last Edit: 07/23/2022 06:43 pm by GWR64 »

Offline GWR64

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Another candidate for this launch is LUXEOSys, formerly known as NAOS.

...

wild speculation, after reading at Arianespace: LUXEOSys launch on Vega-C or on Vega early 2023?
Arianespace has confirmed most of the known Vega-C payloads there.
Not mentioned are the known Vega payloads, Biomass and PLATiNO-1.
Also missing the CO3D satellite constellation (2024 on Vega-C, forgot?) and LUXEOSys.
Can I conclude from this that LUXEOSys will be launched on Vega? Maybe together with PLATiNO-1?
« Last Edit: 07/24/2022 12:20 pm by GWR64 »

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0815-EX-CN-2022 SpinLaunch AlphaSat
Quote
The AlphaSat spacecraft is scheduled for launch December 1st, 2022 – February 28th, 2023 aboard a Arianespace Vega-C rocket. The spacecraft is expected to be inserted into SSO orbit with a target perigee and apogee of 564 km, with a +6/-14 km orbital variance (i.e. between 550-570 km).

The mission will demonstrate custom satellite avionics components developed to survive the launch environment of the SpinLaunch system. The mission will also demonstrate an experimental water-based propulsion system developed by Miles Space. The AlphaSat satellite employs 2-axis stabilization1 for operational attitude control.

...

Clear overall spacecraft dimensions:
The physical dimensions of the AlphaSat spacecraft bus are: ~34 cm x 24 cm x 23 cm.
Once the solar arrays have been deployed, the AlphaSat spacecraft dimensions increase to ~100 cm x 34 cm x 24 cm.

Total spacecraft mass at launch, including all propellants and fluids:
~16.7 kg for the AlphaSat spacecraft, this includes 0.25kg of water propellant for the experimental propulsion system.

Dry mass of spacecraft at launch, minus consumables and propellants:
~16.45 kg for the AlphaSat spacecraft.

Identification, including type, mass, and pressure, of all fluids (liquids and gases) planned to be on board, excluding fluids in sealed heat pipes. Description of all fluid
systems, including size, type, and qualifications of fluid containers such as propellant and pressurization tanks, including pressurized batteries:
Propellant consists of 0.25kg of degassed water. No fluid in pressurized batteries. The AlphaSat spacecraft uses unpressurized COTS Panasonic NCR18650B, lithium cobalt battery cells.
« Last Edit: 07/28/2022 09:09 pm by gongora »

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https://space-travel.blog/estcube-2-2022-e26ca01ec695
Quote
...ESTCube-2 launch preparations
We are three months away from delivering ESTCube-2 to the SAB Aerospace Facility in Brno, Czechia for final preparations and tests. During this period, all flight models of ESTCube-2 subsystems and payloads will come together into the whole ESTCube-2 flight model, or FM. Our Space Technology Laboratory at UT Tartu Observatory is well equipped for environmental testing – shock and vibrations caused by the rocket, thermal vacuum of space, and electromagnetic radiation of the satellite itself. The ESTCube-2 cameras are being characterised and calibrated at the optics lab. The observatory’s vibration bench isn’t big enough for three-unit cubesats, so the team is looking for a facility with a large enough vibration bench.

After delivering the satellite, ESTCube-2 will be tested to see whether it is fit for the launch. These tests will ensure that the satellite won’t cause any problems to the launch vehicle and other satellites on board the Vega-C VV23 rocket. After the test campaign in Brno, ESTCube-2 will be delivered to the Guiana Space Centre, where it will be integrated on board the rocket. And off it will go.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

https://indico.ict.inaf.it/event/993/contributions/11228/attachments/6070/12172/EIRSAT_GMOD_HEMERA.pdf

Quote
EIRSAT-1
• 2U CubeSat designed by students and staff at University
College Dublin
• Part of the 2 nd round of ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite!’ programme
• 3 experiment payloads, each incorporating novel Irish
technology
• GMOD – a scintillator and SiPM based 𝛾-ray detector
• EMOD – to make LEO measurements of SolarBlack and
SolarWhite thermal management coatings developed for
Solar Orbiter
• WBC – a control scheme for flexible mechanical systems,
developed at UCD
• First Irish Satellite!!!

...

GMOD / EIRSAT-1 Next Steps
EIRSAT-1 Flight Model Assembly
• Done
EIRSAT-1 Full Functional Testing
• Ongoing – finishing this week
GMOD FM Characterisation
• Beginning 11 July 2022
EIRSAT-1 Vibration Testing
• Beginning 18 July 2022
EIRSAT-1 TVAC Testing
• Beginning 25 July 2022
Flight Acceptance Review
• September 2022
Flight Model Delivery
• October / November 2022
Launch
• Vega-C VV23 – estimated January 2023

« Last Edit: 07/29/2022 05:15 pm by GWR64 »

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Will VV22 delay cause the delay of VV23?
Launch of VV22 delayed to December–January:

Startup OQ Technology raises $13 million to expand satellite IoT network [dated Sept. 1]

Quote from: SpaceNews
Arianespace is set to launch OQ’s first fully commercial satellite as part of its next Vega C mission, which was slated for November but is now targeting December through January.
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https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/09/20/2519630/0/en/SAB-Launch-Services-awarded-contract-to-launch-two-ICEYE-SAR-satellites.html

Quote
SAB Launch Services S.r.l., a company part of the SAB group specialized in Small Satellite launch service provision on Arianespace missions, and ICEYE, the global leader in persistent monitoring with radar satellite imaging, have signed an agreement to fly two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites on the first VEGA-C SSMS mission in Q1 2023.
...
The two ICEYE spacecraft will be flown on VEGA-C mission VV23, the first flight of the SSMS on the new rocket, which had a successful maiden flight in July.

The two spacecraft will be accommodated in VV23 on the upper part of the SSMS dispenser together with the two main passengers of this mission. The final aggregate counts a total of 5 microsatellites and a large number of deployers including institutional as well commercial cubesats customers from all over the world. Thanks to the AVUM performance, the aggregate will be released in 3 different orbits, whereas one of them has been specifically selected by ICEYE. ...

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https://twitter.com/SAB_LS_Official/status/1575424897634926592

I think this image confirms there will be no main payload on board, only microsats and cubesats.

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I think this image confirms there will be no main payload on board, only microsats and cubesats.

Please compare it with this picture:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2020/06/Artist_s_view_of_Vega_VV16_with_SSMS3

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Agree, thank you.

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Italian Space Agency IPERDRONE.0 = DAVID = Tyvak 0415 (6U cubesat)
1234-EX-CN-2022 (Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc.)
https://www.asi.it/2022/08/qualificato-il-propulsore-perseus/

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TRITON launch in March 2023
Quote
Taiwan to launch first homegrown weather satellite in 2023

TRITON to boost country’s grasp of ocean surface winds and thus better typhoon forecasts

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is set to launch its first indigenously-developed meteorological satellite next March from French Guiana.

TRITON, the name of the satellite, was designed and made by the National Space Organization (NSPO). After eight years in the making, the satellite has completed testing and is undergoing review.

The satellite will be transported to the Guiana Space Center, a European spaceport in French Guiana, a region of France in South America, in January. TRITON will be carried by a Vega C rocket, manufactured by France’s Arianespace, and is scheduled to launch in March.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will inspect the final preparations of the satellite, Taiwan’s second homegrown satellite after Formosat-5, a remote-sensing satellite, on Monday (Nov. 7).

TRITON’s launch marks a milestone for Taiwan in its bid to enhance its weather research and forecast capabilities.

Fitted with the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), a technique that uses reflected GNSS signals to derive information about the Earth’s surface, the satellite allows for a better understanding of environmental conditions. This will contribute to more precise weather analysis of ocean surface winds for a country prone to typhoons, according to NSPO.
source https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4709114

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TRITON launch in March 2023
Quote
Taiwan to launch first homegrown weather satellite in 2023

TRITON to boost country’s grasp of ocean surface winds and thus better typhoon forecasts

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is set to launch its first indigenously-developed meteorological satellite next March from French Guiana.

TRITON, the name of the satellite, was designed and made by the National Space Organization (NSPO). After eight years in the making, the satellite has completed testing and is undergoing review.

The satellite will be transported to the Guiana Space Center, a European spaceport in French Guiana, a region of France in South America, in January. TRITON will be carried by a Vega C rocket, manufactured by France’s Arianespace, and is scheduled to launch in March.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will inspect the final preparations of the satellite, Taiwan’s second homegrown satellite after Formosat-5, a remote-sensing satellite, on Monday (Nov. 7).

TRITON’s launch marks a milestone for Taiwan in its bid to enhance its weather research and forecast capabilities.

Fitted with the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), a technique that uses reflected GNSS signals to derive information about the Earth’s surface, the satellite allows for a better understanding of environmental conditions. This will contribute to more precise weather analysis of ocean surface winds for a country prone to typhoons, according to NSPO.
source https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4709114

March 10th.

Quote
Triton, Taiwan’s first locally built weather satellite, is provisionally scheduled to launch on March 10 next year, National Space Organization (NSPO) Director Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) said on Monday.

Source : https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/11/09/2003788571


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The last 3 cubesat slots are still available. Confirmation of March as launch month.
Quote
Need a launch in 2023?
Get onboard the last 3 slots on #VEGA #VV23, launching March 2023.

Special rates on offer only until eob on Black Friday!
https://twitter.com/SAB_LS_Official/status/1596560863108157441
« Last Edit: 11/27/2022 08:18 pm by GWR64 »

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Quote
We are very proud today to announce the launch of our new #5G satellite mission in Q1 2023 aboard a #Vega-C rocket. The satellite will enable #5G NB-IoT in remote and rural areas for a wide range of applications in energy, agriculture.
Read more: https://www.oqtec.com/news/oq-technology-announces-launch-date-for-the-5g-iot-macsat-mission
https://twitter.com/OQTEC/status/1598296642796412929

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MACSAT, a 6U cubesat, presumably taking the one remaining 6U slot aboard:

https://www.oqtec.com/news/oq-technology-announces-launch-date-for-the-5g-iot-macsat-mission

Nov 30, 2022

OQ Technology announces launch date for the 5G IoT “MACSAT” mission

(Image caption)
Jeremy Dracis (OQ Technology) & Charles Koener (Luxembourg Space Agency) with MACSAT model at the Space Tech Europe event in Bremen

Luxembourg, Europe, 1 December 2022 – Following its recent 13 million Euro Series A funding round, OQ Technology, a pioneer of 5G IoT (Internet of Things) satellite services, has announced March 2023 as the planned launch date for the LSA & ESA-supported MACSAT mission.

The on-orbit pathfinder mission, to be launched on a Vega-C rocket rideshare mission (VV23), is aimed at demonstrating advanced 5G IoT services. It will be able to process a high number of 5G enabled devices via strategic satellite frequencies that are common with terrestrial mobile from Low Earth orbit (LEO).

MACSAT is a smallsat mission led by OQ Technology as the prime contractor and funded by the Luxembourg Government through an ESA contract in the Luxembourg National Space programme (LuxIMPULSE).

“We are so excited to launch this mission which we have been working on since some time, we thank our partners at the Luxembourg Space Agency and the European Space Agency for trusting us and who have been always supporting us throughout this journey.”

The mission will be used to test advanced 5G IoT algorithms, and also pavinges the way for qualifying existing 5G NB (narrowband)-IoT chips for commercial via-satellite deployment. It will also be part of OQ Technology’s constellation to offer commercial connectivity services.

The 6U nanosatellite was built by Lithuanian mission integrator and smallsat manufacturer NanoAvionics, who also handles launch brokering and logistics. The payload was developed by OQ Technology. The 5G IoT operator is also responsible for overall management, satellite procurement, and operations of the mission.

“With the cellular Ddirect-to-dDevice (D2D) heating up, OQ Technology is proud well positioned to be a pioneer in connecting cellular IoT devices to LEO satellites with its first successful Nnarrowband IoT wWaveform mission back in 2019. With many customers from the energy, logistics, agriculture, and maritime market interested in OQ’s solution and large Telcos willing to onboard satellite cellular IoT products, OQ Technology is well positioned to serve these customers next year,” Qaise said.

(Image caption)
MACSAT Mission Patch

(Image caption)
MACSAT satellite during integration and test (courtesy Nanoavionics & OQ Technology)

(Image caption)
MACSAT Satellite during assembly (courtesy Nanoavionics & OQ Technology)
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