Launch scheduled for Nov-Dec 2019
Spaceflight, the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider from Seattle, will launch 14 more spacecraft from India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) this year.
Payloads will launch on PSLV’s C47, C48 and C49 missions, scheduled to launch in November and December 2019 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center. Customers aboard the missions include Analytical Space, Spire, iQPS and Kleos Space, said Spaceflight on 21 Oct 2019.
Analytical Space Inc.’s (ASI) second technical demonstration spacecraft, dubbed Meshbed, will be launching on PSLV C47 in November. ASI’s mission is an on-orbit demonstration intended to test technology that will enable users on Earth to gain faster access to satellite data.
The spacecraft features a patented antenna from MITRE that could help enable faster access to space-based data, as well as government missions including tactical communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
PSLV C48, slated for early December, will carry Japan’s iQPS SAR microsatellite and four multi-payload Earth observation nanosatellites that add to Spire Global’s constellation of maritime, aviation and weather monitoring satellites.
PSLV C49, also scheduled in December, will take Luxembourg-based Kleos’ Scouting Mission satellites, the foundational system in the company’s radio frequency monitoring constellation, and additional Spire nanosats to orbit.
“PSLV continues to be a reliable launch partner for us, enabling Spaceflight to launch a variety of customers,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight.
“By the end of 2019, we will have executed 11 launches on PSLVs and sent more than 100 satellites to orbit on this vehicle. The consistency of the PSLV has played a critical role is assisting our customers, especially those launching constellations, achieve their mission and business goals,” said Blake.
The company’s last mission aboard this launch vehicle was PSLV C45, which deployed 21 rideshare spacecraft earlier this year. Spaceflight has completed five missions already this year, with another five planned in 2019.
Other noteworthy 2019 missions include Spaceflight’s GTO-1, which deployed the first commercial lunar lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, and two rideshare missions with Rocket Lab, which sent nine spacecraft to orbit.
In December 2018, SSO-A, the company’s historic dedicated rideshare mission, successfully launched 64 unique smallsats, making it the single largest deployment of satellites from a U.S.-based launch vehicle.
Spaceflight also recently announced its purchase of the first commercial launch of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), scheduled for early 2020.
Spaceflight is revolutionizing the business of spaceflight by delivering a new model for accessing space. A comprehensive launch services and mission management provider, the company provides a straightforward and cost-effective suite of products and services including state-of-the-art satellite infrastructure and rideshare launch offerings that enable commercial and government entities to achieve their mission goals on time and on budget.
A service offering of Spaceflight Industries in Seattle, Spaceflight provides its services through a global network of partners and launch vehicles, including the Falcon 9, Antares, Electron, Vega, Soyuz, PSLV, SSLV, and LauncherOne. fiinews.com
