Exolaunch Delivers One Ton of Small Satellites into Orbit on SpaceX's Transporter-2 Rideshare Mission

Written by Copernical Team Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Write a comment

Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jul 02, 2021

Exolaunch, the launch, deployment and integration services provider for the New Space industry, announced a successful launch of 29 satellites totaling one metric ton for its customers from the United States, South America and Europe on a dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program. The mission, named 'Fingerspitzengefuhl', lifted off on June 30 at 19:31 UTC on Falco

The mission, named 'Fingerspitzengefuhl', lifted off on June 30 at 19:31 UTC on Falcon 9 'Transporter-2', completing one of the largest and most diverse rideshare missions for Exolaunch. With this launch, Exolaunch has flown 170 small satellites on multiple launch vehicles.

Exolaunch's small satellite cluster includes payloads with cutting-edge technologies for IoT, Earth Observation and scientific applications, and satellites from its international customers such as Spire Global, ICEYE, Loft Orbital, NanoAvionics, and Technical University of Berlin. Exolaunch has also provided flight hardware, separation systems and integration services to support Satellogic's four microsatellites on this mission.

Fingerspitzengefuhl is Exolaunch's 13th rideshare mission. It is also the second in a series of rideshares Exolaunch is manifesting on Falcon 9 as part of a Multi-Launch Agreement the company signed with SpaceX in 2020.

On SpaceX's first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission Transporter-1 earlier this year Exolaunch launched 30 contracted satellites. For every Falcon 9 launch procured through the Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX, Exolaunch ensures comprehensive rideshare mission management, satellite integration and deployment services for its customers.

'Fingerspitzengefuhl' symbolizes Exolaunch's vast experience in successfully deploying customers' satellites into orbit, inherent to Exolaunch ingenuity and mastery that the company has demonstrated once more. It's also a continuation of the individual mission names that started with 'Zeitgeist', literally 'Spirit of the Time', Exolaunch's previous rideshare launch aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 in January 2021.

"Our work with the New Space leaders is always dynamic and exciting, as they are constantly leveraging the latest technological innovations for their satellites and payloads. This requires sophisticated and flexible technological solutions and efficient mission architecture to make their journey to orbit pleasant and successful," said Jeanne Medvedeva, Vice President of Launch Services at Exolaunch.

"We are pleased to work under the Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX as an established partner shaping the unique launch infrastructure for our customers encompassing the needed flexibility and reliability of launch services. With the successful completion of the Fingerspitzengefuhl mission on Transporter-2, Exolaunch readies for the next rideshare launch aboard SpaceX's Transporter-3 at the end of 2021!"

To maximize payload capacity and cost-effectiveness for the customers of this mission, Exolaunch used its recent product addition, EXOport, a flexible multi-satellite adapter designed to optimally accommodate microsatellites and cubesats on a single Falcon 9 ESPA port.

The company also utilized its proprietary flight-proven separation systems - CarboNIX, the next generation shock-free separation system for microsatellites, and the EXOpod, Exolaunch's upgraded cubesat deployer with half a decade of flight heritage, to flawlessly deploy the customers' satellites into the target sun-synchronous orbit above 500 km.

"We are thrilled to be expanding Exolaunch's presence to U.S. soil. This move allows us to provide tailored launch and deployment services to all our customers launching from the U.S., ensuring that we meet all of their mission needs," said Kier Fortier, Director of Launch at Exolaunch U.S.

"This is our second SpaceX Transporter mission to date, and we look forward to continuing to build upon the strong partnership between the companies so that we can offer smallsat developers the most cost-effective, flexible, and reliable rides to orbit."

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Finnish company will test tiny, wooden satellite in space
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 23, 2021
An educational space technology company in Finland, Arctic Astronautics Ltd., plans to launch this fall a tiny 2-pound satellite made mostly of wood, named Woodsat, as a science experiment and to encourage interest in space. Small launch company Rocket Lab plans to carry the Woodsat into space aboard an Electron rocket lifting off from New Zealand. The goal of the mission is to determine how wood and how instruments carried on the satellite behave in space, Samuli Nyman, chief technology ... read more