ReOrbit has successfully completed the preliminary design review (PDR) of WARPSPACE’s WarpHub InterSat constellation, a 3-satellite mission for an optical data relay service in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
The review was part of the commercial contract for the three satellites, previously signed between the two entities, where ReOrbit is the prime contractor. The satellites are based on ReOrbit’s satellite platform Gluon, an advanced software-defined platform, optimised for autonomy, fault-tolerance, and on-orbit networking. Now, entering the next phase of the development, the design will be finalised and reviewed in mid-2022 in a critical design review (CDR). The first satellite is planned to reach its final orbit by the end of 2023, after launch and orbital adjustments.
“We appreciate the incredibly capable team of ReOrbit for their agile development of the completion of the preliminary design review (PDR) of WARPSPACE’s WarpHub InterSat constellation. We would love to continue working with RoOrbit to realise the launch of the first inter-satellite optical communication service in the world, in order to help society to be more sustainable by reinforcing the power of the earth observation industry.”
– Satoru Tsunemachi, CEO WARPSPACE.
“The successful completion of the PDR is an important milestone to demonstrate the solidity of the technical design and capabilities of the GLUON satellite bus. Completion of the PDR in the planned schedule shows the huge commitment of all the teams working on this exciting project. This acts as a gateway to achieve the next milestones of the WarpHub InterSat, which would be the world’s first commercial optical inter-satellite communications relay service”
– Sethu Saveda Suvanam, Founder & CEO ReOrbit.
About ReOrbit
ReOrbit builds reusable space systems for sustainable future space exploration. The vision is to enable the next generation of space applications by transforming the traditional way of making rigid and single-use satellites into reusable and flexible space systems, aiming to maximise service availability and cost-effectiveness. ReOrbit provides end-to-end space solutions based on the advanced software-defined satellite platform, called Gluon, optimised for autonomy, fault-tolerance and on-orbit networking. Following a modular and scalable approach to accommodate different types of missions, it is capable of a wide range of missions, such as LEO, MEO, GEO and beyond (Lunar). ReOrbit is based in Helsinki, Finland with a subsidiary in Stockholm, Sweden.
About WARPSPACE
WARPSPACE was established in 2016 and has launched three communication satellites including the one made in the predecessor university project. The mission is to lead the frontier era of space telecommunication. Currently, WARPSPACE develops an optical inter-satellite data relay network, “WarpHub InterSat”, to leverage the utilization of earth observation data. Since WARPSPACE is located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, it partners with research institutes such as JAXA, and has access to the abundant experimental and test facilities owned by Tsukuba Science City.
About The “WarpHub InterSat”
The WarpHub InterSat is the world’s first optical inter-satellite communication relay network service consisting of three small satellites. WARPSPACE aims to contribute to realising a more sustainable global society by building an optical inter-satellite data relay network. While the number of satellites is exponentially increasing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO：500~800 km), the conventional communication infrastructure is not sufficient. “WarpHub InterSat” enables the LEO satellites to constantly communicate with the ground stations with a high-speed optical link in near real-time.
Courtesy of ReOrbit
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