Category: News

Photo Source: MBRSC, https://mediaoffice.ae/en

In January, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced the development of the PHI-Demo mission under the Payload Hosting Initiative. The Initiative aims at providing an effective satellite platform that can host payloads for multiple purposes. The project includes a 12U modular satellite platform that is going to be designed in partnership with OQ Technology and SteamJet Space Systems. Thanks to this program, the UAE intends to strengthen its position in space innovations.

Together with an innovative IoT communication payload, PHI-Demo’s main goal will be to test SteamJet’s environmentally friendly propulsion subsystem, the Steam Thruster One. The Steam Thruster One is a flexible water-powered resistojet able to provide a high thrust, tens of times more than electric propulsion, by using at the same time very low power consumption. Another major benefit of the Steam Thruster One is the possibility to customize its water tanks size and shape to meet the mission requirements, improving also the subsystem final integration into the spacecraft.

The mission launch date is scheduled for Q4 2022. The Director-General of the MBRSC, His Excellency Salem Humaid AlMarri, said that this collaboration gave more opportunities for countries and entities to deploy and operate their own satellites in space. In addition to that, it would contribute to the advancement of satellite-related technologies.

According to the Head of Payload Hosting Initiative of the MBRSC, Zakaria Al Shamsi, the space sector’s future relies on possibilities for cooperation. And the Payload Hosting Initiative means a strategic step for the space sector.

Marco Pavan, CEO of SteamJet Space Systems expressed his appreciation to have been selected for the first PHI mission. He sees the partnership with MBRSC as an essential step towards a greener and safer approach to propulsion in the small satellite industry.

Last year Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) announced the Payload Hosting Initiative (“PHI”) and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for satellite payload hosting. The program starts in 2022 and plans to hold two satellite missions annually.

More technical information about the Steam Thruster One can be found here.

Virgin Orbit announced the changes in the “Above the Clouds” mission where SteamJet Space Systems take part.

According to Virgin Orbit, the Spire CubeSat will be joined to the smallsats of the Space Test Program and SatRevolution on the next LauncherOne mission, which is going to be its fourth flight since the first launch in May 2020. The launch date of the “Above the Clouds” mission with a Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket is currently January 12, 2022 (UTC).

The mission “Above the Clouds” was announced in November. Back then, the participants were the Defense Department’s Space Test Program (STP) and SatRevolution, a Polish manufacturer of nanosatellite technologies. The satellite aimed to collect information about “micro” space debris in low Earth orbit with the help of a short-range radar provided by Spire. SatRevolution was going to test two projects: STORK-3 as an imaging satellite and SteamSat-2, based on SteamJet’ TunaCan Thruster, a compact resistojet with a unique water-powered propulsion technology, produced by SteamJet Space Systems. The TunaCan Thruster has been specifically designed for CubeSat platforms, keeping in mind all the limitations in terms of volume, power, and safety.

One of the major benefits of the SteamJet’ TunaCan Thruster system is the possibility to install it in the Tunacan volume, located outside the CubeSat structure. This is the only propulsion unit in the market that needs almost no volume inside the satellite. Moreover, the TunaCan Thruster is environmentally friendly, as water is the main propellant, provides a high thrust, and has a low power consumption. More technical information about the TunaCan Thruster can be found on our website.

Photo Source:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211214006222/en/SatRevolution-Secures-Series-B-Funding-from-Virgin-Orbit

The World Satellite Business Week is the annual event held for leaders from the global satellite connectivity and information business. This year it took place on December 13-16, 2021. And one of the main results of this year was a statement made by SatRevolution S.A. and Virgin Orbit. According to this statement, SatRevolution S.A., a Polish manufacturer of nanosatellite technologies, announced secured funding from Virgin Orbit, the responsive launch and space solutions company.

Under the signed arrangement, SatRev company is valued at approximately $150 million that aims to support its business development. This arrangement has become a result of a strategic alliance between SatRev and Virgin Orbit starting in June. Both companies tend to design modern business applications for the use of nanosatellites. Currently, SatRev has already launched two satellites cooperating with Virgin Orbit. The launching of another two satellites is awaiting under the Virgin Orbit’s Above the Clouds project next month. SatRev and Virgin Orbit expect to give up to 500 kg of hosted payload services on LauncherOne rockets, ready solutions for fast deployment of space services, etc.

Among the developed nanosatellite technologies, SatRev provides the Stork medium-resolution earth observation platform and a deployable high-resolution telescope ScopeSat that has onboard processing capabilities. This gives opportunities for earth observation in the near real-time and with high resolution. All these technologies will help SatRev and Virgin Orbit successfully enter the global market for weekly mapping services which, according to the estimates, could reach $140 billion by 2026.

It is expected that the announced transaction will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2022. The total fundraise is estimated to close at $30 million.

Originally published at Virginorbit.com

SteamJet planned to perform the first in-orbit demonstration of a reliable, compact, and affordable water-based propulsion system launched from a Soyuz. Nevertheless, this launch has been delayed and is now canceled. This is the reason why our second test in-orbit demonstration in cooperation with Space X becomes the first one.

Herewith, SpaceX and Momentus have confirmed that the launch will take place, while the SatRevolution company has already prepared the SteamSat satellite for our thruster. SteamJet claims that the propulsion system is ready to launch, all the necessary tests are carried out, and all the documents necessary for starting are collected.

Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic and limitations caused by it are not an obstacle to launch preparation. As soon as these constraints remove and the borders open, our engineer will begin to install the propulsion system, and then the SteamJet thruster will be transported to California.

Additionally, SteamJet plans to conduct the second and third test in-orbit demonstrations of the water-based propulsion system on 3U – 6U satellites in 2021 that is why we are looking for commercial partners who would like to test their equipment in space on SteamSat satellites or install SteamJet TunaCan Thrusters on their satellite in 2021. If you would like to become our commercial partner, please contact us at sales@steamjet.space or +44 2030971534

SteamJet announced a launch service agreement with Momentus (www.momentus.space), provider of in-space transportation services for satellites. It is our first technology demonstration mission for a reliable, compact, and available water-based propulsion system that will be launched from a Soyuz to SSO.

SteamJet and Momentus have a common goal of broadening the current mission capabilities of smallsats, enabling satellites to stay in space longer. 

“It’s a pleasure to be working with Momentus on launch integration and using their technology for our final orbital placement,” said Pavel Savin, president and founder of SteamJet company. “Momentus has created a fantastic efficiency to cost ratio, and we look forward to continuing the relationship with future SteamJet satellites.”

SteamJet develops and produces water-based thrusters for SmallSats/CubeSats manufactured by SatRevolution using water or any other low pressure, non-toxic and non-corrosive fluid as the propellant to form thrust in a low power resistojet. Herewith, compared to high-pressure cold gas thrusters, our propulsion system is fully safe for launch-site operations, or storage within the International Space Station, therefore, reducing the overall mission risks.

SteamJet thrusters offer such benefits as the opportunity for SmallSats and CubeSats to stay in space longer, change and optimize their orbit, operate in constellations, avoid collisions, and de-orbit at the end of their missions. Additionally, the high thrust and low power consumption of our thrusters promote satellites to get to the final orbit sooner and with less necessary power than electric propulsion.

On November 19-21, 2019 the SteamJet team visited the Space Tech Expo Europe 2019 in Bremen, Germany. The international conference Space Tech Expo is a specialized exhibition dedicated to the design, production, and testing of space technology, including spacecraft for various purposes, satellites, propulsion systems, and ground infrastructure, etc. 

The conference participants, consisting of representatives of ThrustMe, Eutelsat, T4i and Exotrail companies, shared their experiences and had an interesting discussion regarding the choice of the right propulsion system to enhance the sustainable development of satellite constellations.

During the discussion, it turned out that there is no ideal propulsion system that can fit all customer needs. The fact is that each propulsion system has its pros and cons. The SteamJet team, in turn, presented the capabilities of our propulsion engine and made useful contacts for future flight tests and hosted payloads.

Most of the companies, the largest on the CubeSat market, showed interest in our thrusters moreover, expressed a desire to provide flight platforms for launches and even invest in our projects. Our propulsion system demonstrates better benefits than our competitors in such market segments as LEO orbits and nanosatellites up to 20 kg. Herewith, after discussion at the conference, the SteamJet team plans to increase our product portfolio to extend the market.

The SmallSat Conference put together companies – manufacturers of small satellites who were looking for innovative ways to increase the chances of mission success by using various design techniques, autonomy techniques, and streamlined processes that help detect and mitigate potential challenges. Conference participants had the opportunity to examine new technologies, design methods, processes that could finally promote their propulsion systems.

On August 3-8, 2019, the SteamJet team (hereinafter SJ) visited the SmallSat Conference 2019 in Logan, Utah, USA. The purpose of the visit was to present the capabilities of our propulsion system, search for potential customers and launch partners for flight tests. 

The majority of the exhibiting companies provided lively, detailed explanations about their products. Moreover, it was a great opportunity to have chats and meetings with representatives of the major companies in the CubeSat market. The SJ team found out that our trust system was of great interest in solving various challenges of small satellites.

Herewith, companies that planned to launch satellite constellations have expressed particular interest in our propulsion system. Finally, the SJ reached preliminary agreements on flight tests of the trust system and the provision of test results to potential customers. It was decided to demonstrate the propulsion system at its booth in 2020.

SteamJet recently attended the SmallSat conference in Logan, Utah. SmallSat is an internationally recognized conference on small satellites held annually on the campus of Utah State University. The conference is focused on providing a forum for the best minds in the small satellite community to explore new trends and directions, review recent successes, and introduce new and innovative technologies relevant to the market.

The SteamJet propulsion system was introduced and well received from both potential customers and industry professionals. The tuna can shape factor, the safety features and overall design quality and performance were greatly appreciated by industry experts, raising the interest of many key players in using our system for their future missions.

“The feedback we received from the small satellite community was extremely good. We committed to creating a really safe and compact propulsion system since day one, which are essential features in the small satellite market. We had a lot of interest around our product, so we are now pushing product development and testing to make it ready for space.” said SteamJet’s Director, Marco Pavan.

Following this year’s success, SteamJet is looking forward to #SMALLSAT 2019!