Global rideshare and mission management provider Spaceflight Industries has selected Arianespace to launch a group of small satellites.
The launch will be carried out as part of the Arianespace Vega rocket’s Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser proof-of-concept (POC) flight.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The first batch of satellites is set to be launched early next year from Europe’s Spaceport at Guiana Space Center.
Microsatellites and various cubesats will be launched under the POC flight and an additional SSMS flight expected to take place a year later.
Spaceflight Industries president Curt Blake said: “Striking this deal with Vega will serve a growing part of our market demand, namely organisations that need a diversified launch plan for small satellite constellations.”
The upcoming Vega POC flight will mark the first SSMS mission for a modular carbon fibre dispenser. Its development was initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2016, with the contribution of the European Commission.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataSSMS has been designed to help cater to the growing institutional and commercial small spacecraft market with a new rideshare concept.
Italy-based Avio is the design lead for the SMSS and the industrial prime contractor for the Vega launch vehicle.
Earlier this month, Arianespace launched two telecommunications satellites, DSN-1/Superbird-8 and HYLAS 4, into space from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
The mission was conducted by Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket.
