Spaceflight Awarded First GSA Schedule Contract for Satellite Launch Services

[Chris Bergin]

Spaceflight Awarded First GSA Schedule Contract for Satellite Launch Services

 

U.S. government agencies can now easily order CubeSat or MicroSat launches online, complete with pre-approved launch prices and a streamlined process

 

SEATTLE – February 10, 2016 - Spaceflight, the company reinventing the model for launching satellites into space, today announced it is the first launch services provider to be awarded the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (00CORP). As a recipient of the contract, Spaceflight provides its services to federal agencies at a pre-negotiated fixed rate, enabling them to quickly and easily secure small satellite launch contracts completely online. This in turn reduces administrative costs and overhead and potentially increases how frequently the agencies access space.

 

With the contract, the federal government recognizes Spaceflight as a preferred launch services vendor fully authorized to conduct business directly with federal government agencies. As a result, agencies can quickly and easily order a CubeSat or MicroSat launch online from the GSA Advantage’s eBuy site, cutting through red tape to receive the services faster. Utilization of the GSA Schedule as a preferred procurement vehicle ensures full compliance with all required Federal Acquisition Regulations and ultimately saves a significant amount of time and tax payer money.

 

“Spaceflight has enjoyed a long, successful history of providing innovative launch services to federal agencies, including NASA and the U.S. Air Force,” said Curt Blake, President of Spaceflight Inc. “Receiving the GSA contract is a significant endorsement not only for Spaceflight, but for the next generation of launch providers dedicated to helping more organizations increase their understanding of our world.”

 

Spaceflight has launched 81 satellites to date and has over 135 satellites to deploy through 2018. The frequency of satellite launches, combined with Spaceflight’s cross-section of customers and variety of mission-applications, is a strong indicator of the growing capabilities of small satellites and the need for more timely and cost-effective access to space.

 

In order to be awarded the GSA Schedule contract, Spaceflight had to undergo an extensive and rigorous approval process, including the negotiation of fair and reasonable prices, as well as ensure its services are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

 

Spaceflight’s launch services are available through the GSA Advantage!® website / eBuy, the online Request for Quotation (RFQ) tool which facilitates the procurement of products and services for government organizations. More information can be found at gsaadvantage.gov, by searching for Spaceflight’s GSA contract number: GS-00F-036DA.

 

About Spaceflight:

Spaceflight, a next-generation, integrated space services company, is revolutionizing the business of spaceflight by delivering a new customer-centric model for accessing space. A full service launch provider, the company provides a straightforward, cost-effective, and comprehensive suite of products and services including state-of-the-art satellite infrastructure, rideshare capabilities, and global communications networks that enable commercial and government entities to achieve their mission goals. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Spaceflight provides its services through a global network of partners, ground stations and launch vehicle providers. For more information, please visit www.spaceflight.com.

 

[Jim]

Lets see how much business they get vs secondaries on NASA and DOD missions

[nadreck]

I do believe that the business of a launch services aggregator like Spaceflight will be to keep the trains running on time as much as possible, most secondary payloads are at the dual mercy of the primary payload schedule vagaries and the launch providers separate scheduling issues. Here you have paid enough for your slot in advance that if you don't meet the schedule the aggregator and the launch provider both still have a profitable venture without your satellite, but there is another one to slip to (currently looks they are running 4 or 5 a year to SSO and maybe 3 others each year) not too far out and your flight doesn't depend on anyone elses payload meeting target.*


* actually I think so far the Spaceflight industries calendar has some of the flights where the Sherpa is still a secondary payload to a main payload that could cause a delay, but others are dedicated flights.

[Jim]

Th

most secondary payloads are at the dual mercy of the primary payload schedule vagaries and the launch providers separate scheduling issues. Here you have paid enough for your slot in advance that if you don't meet the schedule the aggregator and the launch provider both still have a profitable venture without your satellite,

Most secondaries are getting free rides.

[nadreck]

Th

most secondary payloads are at the dual mercy of the primary payload schedule vagaries and the launch providers separate scheduling issues. Here you have paid enough for your slot in advance that if you don't meet the schedule the aggregator and the launch provider both still have a profitable venture without your satellite,

Most secondaries are getting free rides.

The basic price for a 3U payload on a Spaceflight Industries aggragate launch is $300,000, and for one 10 times the mass (50Kg) it is $1.75M.   I dispute most secondaries getting free rides, Spaceflight has already launched over 80 and has another 135 manifested, those are for pay.  One of the reasons there have been a number that have gotten "free" rides is that the agency that provided the secondary slot was not the launch provider but the agency paying for the launch, so in actual fact it wasn't free, it was subsidized for an organization that the launch customer wanted to support.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

The primary costs to a secondary is not its $/kg weight so much as the "integration costs". These costs are to validate the secondaries will cause no harm to the primary or other secondaries. If it was just weight a 50kg size payload at even Atlas V prices of $8,000/kg would be only $400,000. So the other ~$1.35M is the engineering and paperwork.

Even on a "free" flight the secondary would still have to pay for these additional costs. So a free ride is not free but only a 25% discount.

[Jim]

I dispute most secondaries getting free rides, Spaceflight has already launched over 80 and has another 135 manifested, those are for pay.  One of the reasons there have been a number that have gotten "free" rides is that the agency that provided the secondary slot was not the launch provider but the agency paying for the launch, so in actual fact it wasn't free, it was subsidized for an organization that the launch customer wanted to support.

There is no dispute.
a.  It doesn't matter if it is the launch provide or agency that paid for the launch, if the secondary payload doesn't pay for it, it is free.  Also, the secondary doesn't pay for the integration so, it is still a free ride.
b.  Dpner flights of all cubesats doesn't qualify as secondaries
c.  Nanoracks doesn't count.  That is ISS and again not secondary.  It is just one of the many experiments.
d.  This is a GSA catalog item meaning it is only for the gov't.  But the govt owns all the secondary capabilities for the launches it buys and the gov't can fly any experiment to the ISS.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

I dispute most secondaries getting free rides, Spaceflight has already launched over 80 and has another 135 manifested, those are for pay.  One of the reasons there have been a number that have gotten "free" rides is that the agency that provided the secondary slot was not the launch provider but the agency paying for the launch, so in actual fact it wasn't free, it was subsidized for an organization that the launch customer wanted to support.

There is no dispute.
a.  It doesn't matter if it is the launch provide or agency that paid for the launch, if the secondary payload doesn't pay for it, it is free.  Also, the secondary doesn't pay for the integration so, it is still a free ride.
b.  Dpner flights of all cubesats doesn't qualify as secondaries
c.  Nanoracks doesn't count.  That is ISS and again not secondary.  It is just one of the many experiments.
d.  This is a GSA catalog item meaning it is only for the gov't.  But the govt owns all the secondary capabilities for the launches it buys and the gov't can fly any experiment to the ISS.

Ah, but all those government launches secondaries available free slots are booked up and to fly you have to purchase a ride on someone else's launch (non-government). So your gov't cubesat experiment goes and purchases a ride from the GSA "catalog".

[Jim]

Ah, but all those government launches secondaries available free slots are booked up

Are they?

[nadreck]

I dispute most secondaries getting free rides, Spaceflight has already launched over 80 and has another 135 manifested, those are for pay.  One of the reasons there have been a number that have gotten "free" rides is that the agency that provided the secondary slot was not the launch provider but the agency paying for the launch, so in actual fact it wasn't free, it was subsidized for an organization that the launch customer wanted to support.

d.  This is a GSA catalog item meaning it is only for the gov't.  But the govt owns all the secondary capabilities for the launches it buys and the gov't can fly any experiment to the ISS.

Indisputably BUT I not have disputed you had you written "Most government secondaries are getting free rides"

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

Ah, but all those government launches secondaries available free slots are booked up

Are they?

Slots are a matter of what orbit you are interested in and how far (how long) out you are willing to wait for an available slot. There will always be a slot, but will it be soon enough that the program will have funds to be able to collect and analyse the data? Its this part of the scheduling problem that is the catch 22 for most cubesats. It can be launched for free but there will no longer be anyone around to collect and analyse the data. A group of 3 researchers cost NASA >$600,000/yr. So waiting an additional year or two for a free slot is not worth it if it only costs $300K to fly on an earlier non-government flight slot. Most of these programs are only funded for a max of 3 years. Keeping the personnel around for longer periods becomes very expensive and keeps from being able to spend those funds on other cubesats. TANSTAAFL.

[Jim]

I dispute most secondaries getting free rides, Spaceflight has already launched over 80 and has another 135 manifested, those are for pay.  One of the reasons there have been a number that have gotten "free" rides is that the agency that provided the secondary slot was not the launch provider but the agency paying for the launch, so in actual fact it wasn't free, it was subsidized for an organization that the launch customer wanted to support.

d.  This is a GSA catalog item meaning it is only for the gov't.  But the govt owns all the secondary capabilities for the launches it buys and the gov't can fly any experiment to the ISS.

Indisputably BUT I not have disputed you had you written "Most government secondaries are getting free rides"

I didn't need to make that distinction.  The context of the thread is government only

[Rik ISS-fan]

I fear there is a mistake in the document. I think the 150L 60w 60h (all in centimeters) 150kg should have been 100L ......
About the price: they are in line with NanoRacks, they ask 85 000 usd per U = 255 000 for 3U.
The discount for cubesats is because of simplefied logistics, they use ISIS Quadpack. With 12U an Quadpack is filled, so it can directly be mounted on a launcher. For cubesats that need power during launch, they will use canister dispensers from planetary. But I could be wrong about the deployers