NanoRacks Announces 6U and 12U CubeSats for ISS DeploymentGuadalajara, MX, September 27, 2016–NanoRacks is pleased to announce that starting early 2017, customers will be able to utilize the International Space Station a new CubeSat deployer that accommodates additional industry standards. This announcement comes after a successful deployment cycle of eight Planet Labs Doves (2e’) CubeSats two weeks ago from the Space Station.NanoRacks will utilize a 12U CubeSat standard offering maximum utilization of the Company’s commercial ISS deployment opportunities. The deployer will house two 6U CubeSats in the 2x3U Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) form factor, or one 12U CubeSat in the never before offered 2x6U form factor.Both the 6U and 12U are open for business. The 12U configuration is first planned for launch in early 2017.
Flying Through Our First 7 YearsApril 5, 2017 //(Photo: NanoRacks Houston Team 2017)Our first 7 years have flown by at NanoRacks. Today, we celebrate the seventh anniversary of our first platform ever flown to the International Space Station- the NanoRacks Frame-1 launched on STS-131.What started as a technology company operating from a friend’s Houston garage has manifested into one of the world’s leading provider of commercial access to space. We at NanoRacks are proud to continue building on our same mission from day one: democratizing access to space.Our journey began with our first two research platforms- NanoRacks Frame 1 and 2, and the customers quickly followed. We then added MixStix for basic research, and then grew to launch our Plate Reader and Centrifuge for advanced science applications. We then built the NanoRacks External Platform – the first-ever commercial gateway to the extreme space environment.Next came our biggest market success, which leverages one of the original intents of the International Space Station: Satellite deployment. Today, we operate as the leading provider for CubeSat deployment from the International Space Station having deployed over 150 CubeSats to date. This is a major accomplishment for the whole team at NanoRacks as our satellite program has shown a vital role for space stations in a maturing market. We are proud of our role in facilitating the growth and development of at least four startup companies, including Planet Labs, Spire, NanoAvionics, and GomSpace- all who started with their first CubeSats via NanoRacks. And now there is a core business of organizations seeking to utilize the unique advantages of a space station deployment. Whether “Stash and Deploy” – where the customer picks the time of deployment for satellite stored on station, to launching complex satellites in the gentle environment of station cargo ships, or for the development of a greater sophistication in on-orbit manufacturingAs always, the NanoRack’s hardware has been funded by our investors, with no funding from the U.S. Government. What’s more, we have uniquely worked ways to “pay-back” NASA for use of on-station resources, thereby pushing public –private partnerships to commercial levels previously unseen in the space station community.Today, we not only celebrate our past, but also our future. We are investing the future of commercial space exploration. We’re partnering across the industry – from payload integration with our friends at Blue Origin to building the NanoRacks Airlock Module with Boeing Aerospace, we’re paving the way for U.S. industry leadership to the stars and back.We look forward to developing our Ixion concept throughout 2017 with our partners at Space Systems Loral using the Atlas V launch vehicle Ixion utilizes an original NASA idea from Wernher von Braun – reuse, and repurpose, the upper stages of launch vehicles. We’re maximizing each part of the launch vehicle and changing the way we think about hardware in space: there’s no need to burn everything after one use.We’re also investing in technology to increase efficiency and decrease dependence on launch- from the “Stash and Deploy” concept to on-orbit manufacturing from commercial platforms, we’re making sure NanoRacks is at the front lines for all of our customers’ in-space needs.It hasn’t been easy. Our decision to launch new companies, such as our educational sister company “DreamUp,” perplexes those looking for a one-shot effort. However, DreamUp is already the number one in-space education company. It is our goal to build a family of companies that meet the in-space needs of our growing customer base, whether in low-earth orbit, cis-lunar or on to Mars. With customers from more than 25 nations, ranging from high schools to space agencies, from corporations to universities, we are doing something right!My personal goal is to have us involved with numerous commercial platforms and space stations, with crew and without, in differing orbits and locations, in the nearest future. Wouldn’t that be cool?No one can be sure what exactly the next seven years will hold, but they can be sure that NanoRacks will be there opening the doors to space each and every day.Thank you to all of our customers who have made running our business possible, and our friends at NASA who continue to allow us to leverage existing government hardware and services to help grow a new commercial market place.We’ll see you in orbit—Jeffrey ManberCEO, NanoRacks
Mods: not sure if this should have a better home, but:I spent this morning at NanoRacks HQ in Houston, and their airlock is confirmed to be manifested on SpaceX CRS-19. Saw the FPIP graphic and all.
NanoRacks Commercial Space Station Airlock “Bishop” Completes Critical Design Review, Moves to FabricationApril 17, 2018 – Colorado Springs, Colorado – The NanoRacks Space Station Airlock Module “Bishop” met another major milestone with completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) on March 20 and 21, 2018 in Houston, Texas. This milestone begins the transition from the engineering design phase to the fabrication phase. Detailed design drawings such as those for the critical pressure shell will be signed and released to NanoRacks fabrication partner, Thales Alenia Space, in order for them to continue their fabrication efforts. In February 2018, NanoRacks announced that Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), was chosen as the latest partner in its commercial airlock program, joining with a number of key partners, including Boeing.Thales Alenia Space is set to produce and test the critical pressure shell for the NanoRacks Airlock Module and will also manufacture various secondary structures, including the Micrometeoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) shields with Multi-Layer Isolation (MLI) panels, the power and video grapple fixture support structure and other structural components.Other key features, such as the Passive Common Berthing Mechanism (PCBM), being manufactured by Boeing, require a long lead time and have been in production for over a year now. The PCBM will be delivered to Thales Alenia Space in May 2018 and will then be installed to the pressure shell.“I’m very proud of the NanoRacks engineering team and our partner, ATA Engineering, who performs the structural and thermal analysis for Bishop,” says Airlock Project Manager Brock Howe. “This is a crucial milestone that required many long hours, and the team has been working together very smoothly. We’re also very appreciative of our relationship with NASA and the International Space Station Program Office, as they have provided guidance and expertise in several critical areas. As always, there is plenty of work still to do – and we will continue to push forward.”The next major milestone is the Phase II Safety Review scheduled for June 2018. The project is still on track to meet the SpaceX CRS-19 launch, targeting fourth quarter 2019.Download the press release pdf.For additional media inquiries, please email Abby Dickes at [email protected].For continued updates, be sure to follow @NanoRacks on Twitter.
QuoteNanoRacks Commercial Space Station Airlock “Bishop” Completes Critical Design Review, Moves to Fabricationhttp://nanoracks.com/airlock-bishop-completes-critical-design-review/
NanoRacks Commercial Space Station Airlock “Bishop” Completes Critical Design Review, Moves to Fabrication
NanoRacks Brings Groundbreaking Satellite, Biological Research to International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-14Cape Canaveral, Florida – April 4, 2018 – NanoRacks, the leading provider for commercial access to low-Earth orbit, has brought yet another unique payload mission to the International Space Station. Carrying a professional protein crystal experiment, college-level biological research, and a debris capturing microsatellite (MicroSat), this mission continues to push the boundaries of commercial opportunities on the International Space Station.The SpaceX CRS-14 Dragon was successfully installed on the Harmony Module of the International Space Station at 9:00 EDT this morning. NanoRacks third flagship MicroSat mission is the RemoveDebris satellite from The University of Surrey/Surrey Space Centre. The RemoveDebris satellite is planned to be deployed from the NanoRacks Kaber Deployer (Kaber). NanoRacks created the Kaber system to accommodate the increasing customer demand for commercial opportunities to deploy MicroSats from the Space Station. Kaber offers deployments for satellites up to 100 kilograms. RemoveDebris is a low-cost mission funded jointly by the European Commission (EU) and 10 partners. Surrey Space Centre (University of Surrey) leads the consortium. The consortium consists of: Airbus, Ariane Group (France); Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (United Kingdom), Innovative Solutions In Space (Netherlands); CSEM (Switzerland); Inria (France); Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Once deployed, RemoveDebris will deploy two CubeSats as artificial debris targets to demonstrate some of the technologies being discussed for orbital debris removal. These technologies include: net capture, harpoon capture, vision-based navigation, and “dragsail de-orbitation.”