CesiumAstro Extends NASA Contract to Advance Starling Mission with CommPack Payload

CesiumAstro Extends NASA Contract to Advance Starling Mission with CommPack Payload

CesiumAstro, a company in advanced space communications solutions, has secured a contract extension with NASA for its revolutionary Starling mission. This extension builds upon the resounding success of CesiumAstro’s custom-developed CommPack cross-link communications payload, which achieved the coveted Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL 9) status in late 2023, marking its full operational capability in the harsh environment of space.

The contract extension addresses NASA’s advanced requirement for precise distance measurements between satellites, further enhancing the capabilities of the Starling mission’s collaborative “swarm” of spacecraft.

Key highlights of the contract extension:

  • Enhanced distance measurement: CesiumAstro will upgrade the custom CommPack system to include high-precision distance measurement capabilities between satellites, pushing the boundaries of inter-satellite communication and coordination.
  • Improved star tracker navigation: The new functionality will enable more accurate star tracker-based navigation, crucial for spacecraft navigation and orientation in deep space missions.
  • Seamless integration: The upgrades will be seamlessly integrated with the currently deployed payloads, which include two S-band antennas, a software-defined radio, and CesiumAstro’s proprietary CSMA/TDD waveform.

Shey Sabripour, Founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, commented on the extension: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with NASA on the groundbreaking Starling mission. This contract extension not only validates the exceptional success of our custom developed CommPack payload but also pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in distributed spacecraft autonomy. By enabling precise distance measurements between satellites, we’re laying the groundwork for even more advanced formation flying and on-orbit servicing missions.”

Launched in July 2023, the Starling mission demonstrates how distributed spacecraft autonomy can increase resilience in space operations. With this contract extension, the mission will now also showcase advanced inter-satellite distance measurement and improved star tracker-based navigation capabilities, further solidifying its position at the forefront of small spacecraft technology.

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, continues to fund and oversee the Starling mission. This extension reinforces CesiumAstro’s position as a key developer of cutting-edge space communications technology, adding to its growing list of successful developments for civil, commercial, and defense missions.

Click here to learn more about CesiumAstro's CommPack Communication Payloads

Click here to learn more about NASA's Starling CubeSats Mission


Publisher: SatNow
Tags:-  SatelliteLaunchGround

GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013