We have launched the Excelsior Flight, our 19th successful memorial spaceflight! #earthorbit
Lacuna Space launches latest LS2f satellite with NanoAvionics & Space-Xcompany, are excited to announce the successful launch of Lacuna Space’s latest satellite provided by NanoAvionics and launched on Space-X Transporter-7 Rideshare mission. This new satellite expands the Lacuna Space constellation bringing low-cost connectivity to the most remote parts of the world.Another Lacuna Space 2nd-Gen (LS2) gateway payload, developed with the support of UKSA, and hosted on NanoAvionics’ modular satellite platform, features Lacuna Space’s proven payload technology utilising LoRaWAN® wireless technology to provide long-range, low-power connectivity for IoT devices around the world. With this additional satellite, Lacuna Space will increase the coverage and capacity of the Lacuna Space IoT network, providing customers with more reliable and cost-effective IoT connectivity solutions.The launch was performed on the Space-X Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex in California at 7:48am BST on April 15th 2023. The complete launch sequence and LS2f satellite deployment (T+1:04:38) can be replayed at (www .youtube.com/watch?v=F_OEbfFvdeE). With the Falcon 9 first stage successfully landed for reuse nine previous times, Space-X launch services are an ideal match for Lacuna’s environmental and cost-sensitive objectives.“We are pleased to have worked with NanoAvionics and Space-X on this exciting project” says Martin Pointer, Director of Space Segment at Lacuna Space, “we look forward to sharing more updates with you as the new satellite goes through commissioning and is brought into our operational infrastructure.“With this seventh successful satellite launch, Lacuna’s global IoT service shall provide enhanced data collection and analytics, enabling transformative services for a variety of industries including agriculture, environmental monitoring, and logistics.
CelesTrak has @18thSDS GP data for 38 objects from the Transporter-7 launch from Vandenberg SFB on Apr 15 at 06:48:00.118 UTC: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2023-054
42 payloads deployed so far from the Transporter-7 launch on Apr 15. 41 have been cataloged by the US Space Force and 35 of those have been identified. No IDs yet for the Stanford, UC Pomona, AstroForge, Kenya, Norwegian Space Agency, Sateliot and ClydeSpace EPIC satellites.
Can anyone provide any details, including any related NOTAM's, relating to the 2nd stage deorbit? I had two participants on the Celestis memorial, which was supposed to go into orbit. Various media have reported the expected duration of orbit as 5-10 years, which was my expectation as well. We received an email from Celestis 6 days ago informing us that our loved ones: "completed ten orbits around the Earth before becoming a shooting star and reentering over the Pacific Ocean at approximately 2:45 am PDT on April 15, 2023."We learned that the "space casket" was not attached to a satellite, but rather to a Maverick Space Endor 2 module on the 2nd stage, apparently destroyed on reentry. As 10 orbits should take around 15 hours, and their stated reentry time was less than 3 hours after launch, something seems fishy in Denmark.Would appreciate any information or insight anyone can provide. Thank you
The catalog has ELO-3, which may be another name for EPICHyper-1. Others not named in the catalog yet include Brokkr-1/OBRASTRO-AF-1, TAIFA-1, Sateliot-0/Platform-3 (Endurosat), Pleiades-Squared, NORSAT-TD, (undisclosed ION customer).
Pleiades Squared flew on Transporter 8.
Momentus Deploys All Payloads from Vigoride-6 MissionHosted Payload Services for Caltech Continues on Vigoride-5July 28, 2023 07:31 AM Eastern Daylight TimeSAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) (“Momentus” or the “Company”), a U.S. commercial space company that offers orbital transportation and in-space infrastructure services, has deployed all customer payloads from its Vigoride-6 Orbital Service Vehicle launched in April 2023 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-7 mission.“One of the upcoming events that we are looking forward to conducting on the Vigoride-6 mission is a test of the Tape Spring Solar Array (TASSA), a Momentus technology demonstration of a new kind of solar array”To date, Momentus has deployed a total of 15 customer satellites over three missions conducted over the past year and has also placed three Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicles (OSVs) into orbit. While these initial three missions were demonstration missions focused on testing the performance of the Vigoride OSV, Momentus is proud to have orbited a number of customer satellites in the missions summarized below:Vigoride-3 launched in May 2022: Momentus’ inaugural mission deployed six satellites for FOSSA Space Sytems and the SelfieSat satellite for Orbit NTNU from Vigoride. The Company also used a third-party deployer to deliver a satellite to orbit for CalPoly Pomona for a total of eight satellites deployed from Vigoride-3 and a third-party deployer.Vigoride-5 launched in January 2023: Momentus’ second mission included the deployment of the Qosmosys Zeus-1 payload. The Company is providing ongoing hosted payload services to Caltech’s Solar Power Project Demonstrator (SSPD) mission. Caltech reports that its payload recently demonstrated its ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and to beam detectable power to Earth. Momentus will continue to provide hosted payload support to SSPD over the coming months as it continues its operations.During the Vigoride-5 mission, the Momentus team also tested its Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) that uses water as a propellant. This included 35 firings of the thruster that demonstrated its ability to perform its intended use cases in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).Vigoride-6 launched in April 2023: The Vigoride-6 mission successfully deployed the REVELA payload for ARCA Dynamics, the VIREO CubeSat for C3S LLC., the DISCO-1 CubeSat for Aarhus University, and the IRIS-C payload for an Asian customer booked through ISILAUNCH.During the Vigoride-6 mission, Momentus also deployed two CubeSats into Low-Earth Orbit as part of the NASA LLITED (Low-Latitude Ionosphere/Thermosphere Enhancements in Density) mission. These two CubeSats, housed behind a single deployer door, were released from the Vigoride OSV earlier than scheduled. While the CubeSats were deployed at the intended altitude of 495km, they were deployed at a different inclination than the intended target orbit needed for the science experiment. NASA has confirmed the two CubeSats are functional, and the team will be able to operate the science instruments onboard. Momentus conducted a thorough investigation and identified the root cause as human error in the mapping of a software command. The Company is implementing corrective actions to prevent a recurrence.LLITED launched in April as ELaNa 40 (Educational Launch of a Nanosatellite) managed by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative.“One of the upcoming events that we are looking forward to conducting on the Vigoride-6 mission is a test of the Tape Spring Solar Array (TASSA), a Momentus technology demonstration of a new kind of solar array,” said Momentus Vice President of Program Management Krishnan Anand.The TASSA features 11-meter-long metal sheets with flexible solar cells bonded to them. To stow, they are tightly coiled around a mandrel. After launch, motors unroll the mandrel, deploying the solar array. The goal of the TASSA program is to reduce the cost per watt of power generated by 50% over arrays currently on the market. Momentus aims to drive down vehicle production costs and streamline on-orbit operations, while reducing the cost of power for the satellite, with this technology once operational.Along with Vigoride-6, Momentus is concurrently operating its Vigoride-5 spacecraft that launched in January 2023. As mentioned above, the Vigoride-5 spacecraft is providing ongoing hosted payload services to Caltech’s Solar Power Project Demonstrator (SSPD) mission.The Company’s next flight is targeted for no earlier than November 2023 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission. During this mission, Momentus will use a deployer to place three satellites into Low-Earth Orbit for three different customers:The AMAN-1 Earth Observation satellite will be deployed for SatRev. The satellite can also be used for other services such as land survey, precision agriculture, weather, environmental and smart cities.The JINJUSat-1 satellite will be deployed for CONTEC Co. of the Republic of Korea. JINJUSat-1 is spearheaded by three entities: Jinju City, Korea Testing Laboratory, and Gyeongsang National University. Once in orbit, cameras mounted on the satellite will carry out a mission to take pictures of the Earth.The Picacho satellite will be deployed for Lunasonde - a U.S. sub-surface imaging company with the goal of making underground resources – like water and minerals – easier to find. The Picacho CubeSat is a technology demonstration of Lunasonde’s sensors. It will measure the power spectral density of low-frequency radio signals in the ionosphere, which will help inform designs for the company’s future satellites.Additionally, Momentus now plans to launch its Vigoride-7 OSV, originally scheduled for launch in October 2023, on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission targeted for no earlier than February 2024. On the Vigoride-7 mission, Momentus will aim to deploy several customer satellites in Low-Earth Orbit and provide services to a hosted payload. The Company will also release a target satellite and maneuver the OSV into proximity with the target satellite for a Remote Proximity Operations demonstration. The revised mission plans will enable Momentus to launch Vigoride-7 with a fuller load of payloads for deployment in LEO with better mission economics, while still meeting the needs of customers requiring orbital delivery in 2023.
