ArcEdge Space Inc., a company that provides comprehensive solutions from planning and designing to mass production and operation of nanosatellite constellations, is pleased to announce that it has conducted an in-orbit operation of a hosted payload mounted on its in-house developed nanosatellite “AE1c,” and completed the specified mission as planned.
This initiative will further expand the operational experience of ArcEdge Space’s hosted payload services and is an important achievement that will enhance the company’s ability to meet the increasingly diverse and sophisticated needs of its customers.
The hosted payload service is a service that provides customers with the opportunity to operate their own propulsion devices, sensors, experimental equipment, etc. in space by mounting them on microsatellites developed and operated by ArcEdge Space. This allows customers to reduce the burden of satellite development, launch, and operation, and enables them to quickly and efficiently carry out technical operations and performance evaluations in the space environment. This service is expected to contribute to the promotion of space utilization by a variety of entities and to broaden the scope of the space industry.
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For this mission, the ultra-small water vapor thruster “PBR-10” manufactured by Pale Blue Co., Ltd. was carried out as the hosted payload. The purpose of this mission was to acquire data through on-orbit operations and to verify the soundness of operation, and ArcEdge Space was involved in the entire process from the development and manufacture of the satellite bus, to formulating the satellite operation plan required to accomplish the mission, to operational support. Both the satellite and thruster operated normally, and the expected operational results were achieved.
This project was adopted with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in fiscal year 2021, and from fiscal year 2023 onwards, it will be promoted as part of NEDO’s (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) “Space Industry Technology Information Infrastructure Development Research and Development Project (Support for the development and demonstration of general-purpose buses for ultra-small satellites) / Development and demonstration of a 6U standard general-purpose bus and its production and operation system that enables rapid and efficient production of multiple types of units.”
ArcEdge Space will continue to provide hosted payload services that meet the diverse needs of government agencies, research institutes, and private companies both in Japan and overseas, by utilizing its track record and technological capabilities in satellite development and operation. By making the use of space more flexible and accessible, we will contribute to the realization of a safe and prosperous future.
SOURCE: PRTimes
