Orbital Astronautics (Guardian)
Constellation name |
Guardian |
Constellation area |
Orbital Data Relay, 3D Imaging |
Constellation info |
24-hour access to satellites through an optical data relay inter-link and RF ground link. Semi-autonomous satellite and constellation management and space traffic management for OrbAstro platforms.
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Constellation status |
Prototype development, Prototype(s) launched |
Launched satellites |
0 |
Planned satellites |
? |
Satellite type |
6U |
Manufacturer |
In-house |
First launch |
2025 |
Launch cadence |
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Notes |
- Flock Management System - Enabling nanosatellites to operate in large flocks.
- All satellite platforms procured through us will benefit from a low-latency optical data relay network and a high level of autonomous management at the satellite, mission, constellation, and even at the local space traffic level.
- AIT for our onboard computer subsystem involves measurement of ~17,000 parameters over a 60-hour period, mostly in vacuum, generating ~93GB of data. This data is analysed in our 800teraflop datacentre by our AI server against various pass/fail criteria. Even incoming inspection of component placement on assembled PCBs involves automated neural network based image analysis.
- Dove-Jay described the envisioned constellation as “a semiactive, multi-static SAR.” “It’s effectively one microsat with a cluster of typically a dozen nanosats around it. The microsat transmits and the nanosats receive,” Dove-Jay said. “Because of the different olocations of nanosats from the transmitter, you can effectively create a three-dimensional image of what you’re looking at. The more satellites you’ve got, the [more] power you’ve got, the higher resolution you can get to. And we think within the next four to five years, it’s perfectly viable for us to hit 10-centimeter resolution in Ka-band.”
- AstroForge: An update on Mission 1 and Mission 2: Same name, new vehicle, new standard for space exploration. 2024-07-30.
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Photos |
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Photo source |
[1] [2] |
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Logo |
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Company name |
Orbital Astronautics (Orb Astro, OrbAstro) |
Oneliner |
OrbAstro (Orbital Astronautics Ltd) is a space technology company focused on compressing the upfront cost and lead-time to get from business idea to revenue generation, for companies utilising satellites.
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Description |
OBC contains an Ultrascale+ based OBC (4GB RAM, 256GB high-speed storage), full ADCS, reaction wheel controls, magnetorquer controls, star-trackers, camera interfaces, full SDR S-/X-band (up to 150Mbps), GPS, optical data link control & processing, and Kintex FPGA for heavy data-processing and AI applications. The baseline system provides a total processing power exceeding 2 TFLOPs. Fault tolerance (SEU and SEL protection) implemented on both hardware and software. Most of the systems are based on TMR for fault-tolerant logic. EDAC is implemented on all memory units.
We have developed high-gain X-band and Ka-band reflectarray antennas for use on the OrbAstro ORB-6 class satellites (~10kg) and larger. These antennas mirror the effectiveness of dish antennas in a lighter, flatter design. They also offer wider bandwidth and greater efficiency than patch antenna arrays. Coupled to our Ultrascale+ based SDRs, these RF systems are compelling. They will be operational in orbit from October onwards. The example shown is our 29.3dBi X-band variant associated with our ORB-50 class satellites (~100kg).
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Funding |
Yes |
Nation |
UK |
Established |
2018 |
Socials |
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Own nanosats launched |
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Last modified: 2024-12-31