Orbcomm, AAC Clyde, Saab Set to Build Maritime Communications Cubesat

Gomes also said that AAC Clyde would fly the VDES prototype in low Earth orbit and that its current design does not include propulsion. AAC Clyde typically designs its cubesats to last minimum five years, he added.

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Aerospace and Defense Review | Friday, August 28, 2020

Gomes also said that AAC Clyde would fly the VDES prototype in low Earth orbit and that its current design does not include propulsion. AAC Clyde typically designs its cubesats to last minimum five years, he added.

Fremont, CA: The companies- smallsat builder AAC Clyde Space, satellite operator Orbcomm, and Swedish aerospace contractor Saab- announced that they are working on a demonstration cubesat for maritime communications that could be the beginning of a new constellation.

The 3U cubesat would examine a very high-frequency data exchange system, or VDES, a payload from Saab capable of two-way communications between land and ships through satellite. Orbcomm would distribute VDES data to customers, as the U.S-based operator already provides ship-tracking services with Automatic Identification System, which is a subset of VDES.

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The cubesat is scheduled to launch in mid-2022 on a to-be-determined rocket.

Currently, VDES is restricted to ground-based transmitters, limiting coverage to shorelines, but it has 32 times the bandwidth of Automatic Identification System transmitters. Space-based VDES would expand coverage across the oceans if provided through a constellation with sufficient satellites.

Luis Gomes, CEO of Sweden-based AAC Clyde, stated a decision about proceeding with a constellation would not be made up until the demo satellite is launched and assessed. However, the three companies are discussing what one could look like.

The Swedish Transport Administration is giving $1.4 million to AAC Clyde for the cubesat, would be built in Uppsala, Sweden, at a facility previously utilized just for satellite subsystems. AAC Clyde stated that it expects to receive 17 million Swedish krona in total for the program, even though Gomes refused to reveal the satellite's total projected cost.

Gomes also said that AAC Clyde would fly the VDES prototype in low Earth orbit and that its current design does not include propulsion. AAC Clyde typically designs its cubesats to last minimum five years, he added.

See also: Top Space Technology Companies

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