In addition to the initial buses, NanoAvionics will provide launch support and in-orbit operations.
“Thales Alenia Space is one of the most reputable satellite manufacturers in the world. Being selected for the initial deployment of the Omnispace constellation is a testimony to the continued demand and trust in NanoAvionics' satellite buses,” said Vytenis J. Buzas, co-founder and CEO of NanoAvionics.
“We’re proud to be part of this innovative project, which is a tremendous opportunity for NanoAvionics to demonstrate that our first-rate products meet Thales Alenia Space's and the other partners' high standards.”
The NanoAvionics’ M12P satellite buses will host the payload which is being developed by prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, in partnership with Syrlinks. Offering “flight-proven performance” and lower costs, the buses are optimised for IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.
In 2019, NanoAvionics secured €10 million in funding from the European Commission, European Space Agency and private investors.
2019, Blink Astro hosted its custom radio receiver on a NanoAvionics’ M6P 6U spacecraft for a technology demonstration to connect it with their AgriBlinkR ground terminal devices as part of the future BlinkSat constellation. In the same year, NanoAvionics also integrated the LoRa-based Space Gateway by UK satellite communications provider Lacuna Space into its M6P nanosatellite bus and provided additional in-orbit testing and launch services.
“Due to our standardised bus design and industrial approach 80% of the satellite bus can remain the same, allowing customers to make immense cost and lead time savings, while widening the range and capabilities of the payload,” Buzas added.
Omnispace has pledged to “reinvent” mobile communications with a network delivering the world's first global hybrid 5G non-terrestrial network based on 3GPP standards. The first satellites in this constellation are due for launch in 2021.
In April it was confirmed that Omnispace had selected Thales Alenia Space to develop the initial component of its satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, advancing its vision to deliver a global hybrid communications network based on 3GPP standards.
For this project, Thales Alenia Space – a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) – is to design and build two satellites for operation in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO). The announcement marked a “key milestone” for the new generation NGSO constellation, which will operate in the S-band.
As Capacity reported earlier this month, Thales Alenia Space is also leading the design of CommStar-1, the advanced, proprietary data relay satellite to be located between the Earth and the Moon by 2023.
