Kongsberg NanoAvionics (“NanoAvionics”), a global leader in small satellite manufacturing and mission services, announced that six satellites manufactured for international customers will be launched tonight on the SpaceX Transporter-14 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 00:25, June 24, Lithuanian time, unless delayed by weather conditions or other reasons. The flight can be followed live on the SpaceX website at https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=transporter14
This launch marks a significant milestone as NanoAvionics will have launched more than 50 customer satellites into space. The company’s first satellite, LituanicaSAT-2, was launched in 2017.
In addition to the above missions, the company has produced more than 20 additional satellites, the launch of which is being handled by the company's customers. The company's growing order portfolio currently amounts to more than 300 satellites for the provision of broadband communications, earth observation and other services.
The upcoming missions will use different NanoAvionics satellite platforms, weighing from 3 to 115 kilograms. The satellites will help advance quantum communications, satellite-based air traffic control, enhance maritime security, measure Earth's surface temperature, and conduct scientific research.
Atle Wøllo, CEO of Kongsberg NanoAvionics, said: “This variety of innovative missions perfectly demonstrates how NanoAvionics satellite platforms enable a wide range of scientific, commercial and national security applications. Lithuanian-made satellites not only meet the stringent reliability requirements of government applications, but also provide the speed and cost-effectiveness needed for commercial and research missions.”
The SkyBee-2 satellite will join its predecessor, SkyBee-1, launched in January, and expand the growing constellation of satellites from the German company constellr. Together, the satellites will measure the temperature of the Earth's surface during the day and night. Accurate measurements and insights into the Earth's surface temperature are particularly valuable for agriculture, energy, transportation, construction and public sector planning. Real-time thermal data helps industries allocate resources more intelligently and ensure long-term efficiency of operations. The resolution of the resulting images will exceed the capabilities of current commercial solutions.
The Spanish company Startical's IOD-2 mission is designed to test satellite voice and data communications for air traffic control over oceans and remote areas of the world. It is the first step towards a planned constellation of more than 200 satellites. The company's goal is to improve global air traffic safety and efficiency by ensuring uninterrupted communication between aircraft pilots and air traffic control. This will allow for more direct routes.
ARVAKER 2 and ARVAKER 3 will complete the initial phase of the N3X satellite constellation from Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The satellites will help detect and identify ships attempting to conceal their location, and will also contribute to search and rescue operations even in cases where the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) is down. The data collected by the constellation will be shared with several Norwegian government agencies and international partners.
The QUICK³ satellite, built for Germany's Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (FSU), will test a compact quantum light source in orbit. The mission aims to test secure quantum cryptography technologies in space and explore fundamental principles of quantum physics in weightlessness.
The TPA-1 satellite, built for the Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute at the University of Auckland, will test four instruments: a deployable sail for faster deorbiting, a satellite selfie camera, Earth observation cameras and a satellite thermal imaging system. It is the first of two satellites for which NanoAvionics is supplying platforms to the New Zealand university.
