A GLASGOW miniature satellite maker says it has won its first spacecraft launch contract that will "revolutionize the space communications network".
Clyde Space has taken an order from Israeli communications firm NSLComm to provide a "full end-to-end mission service" including design and manufacture launch for a new satellite with what it calls a "ground-breaking dish-shaped antenna".
Clyde Space, which employs nearly 80 people in Glasgow, was behind Scotland's first space satellite, UKube-1, which launched in Kazakhstan in July 2014.
In addition to complete satellite platforms, it has supplied more than 2,000 subsystems for small spacecraft.
Clyde Space, which was founded in 2005, is a market leader in the CubeSat sector, supporting about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of all current and past CubeSat missions.
Craig Clark of Clyde Space.
CubeSats are tiny fully functional satellites with typical mass of 4kg.
The new satellite is currently being built by a team of highly experienced spacecraft engineers in the heart of Glasgow.
The new AAC-Clyde 6U craft named NSLSat1 is expected to launch at the end of this year.
Clyde Space said the NSLComm antenna that will be on board will "enable worldwide supercharged internet access to global satellite operators at a lower cost". The firm added: "This mission is set to revolutionize the space communications network with the introduction of an innovative, patented high-performance antenna."
Clyde Space said the system will be able to receive signals and transmit them back to earth over a broader coverage area and between ten to a hundred times stronger than a traditional transponder.
They said a "cutting-edge self-correcting solution" can turn satellites such as CubeSats and SmallSats into powerful transponders relaying signals from a low-Earth orbit, providing worldwide coverage through a constellation of 60-100 6U spacecraft.
Clyde Space said a successful mission could potentially lead to larger orders adding that the long-term vision for NSLComm is to provide worldwide communications through an orbiting cluster of 60-100 6U spacecraft providing global coverage.
Clyde Space founder and chief executive Craig Clark said “It’s an exciting time and we are proud to be at the heart of today’s space technology revolution. Serving the fast-growing communications market, this strategic project is a great example of the value we can deliver with end-to-end mission services for our customers”.
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