Space, Esa launches another 3 nanosatellites. Flying with SpaceX

Another 3 nanosatellites launched by the European Space Agency with a SpaceX Falcon 9 for monitoring the climate, ship and aircraft traffic and to enhance the IoT. The three nanosatellites – which are part of ESA’s objectives to revive the European space industry, promote innovation and create jobs – are part of ESA’s Pioneer Partnership Program, with the support of the British Space Agency, which aims to stimulate entrepreneurship by helping relatively small companies demonstrate how new and advanced telecommunication technologies can work in space and provide new commercial services. The European Space Agency, in post on its official website, explains that two of the satellites, equipped with terminals that allow inter-satellite optical links, were developed by Spire, a data and analysis company based in the United Kingdom that uses a constellation of nanosatellites to track weather patterns and track maritime and air traffic. The third was developed by In-Space Missions, a UK-based satellite manufacturer that offers rideshare services for companies looking to quickly demonstrate their technologies without having to organize their own launches. The spacecraft will support eight different payloads from companies including Lacuna Space and SatixFy, both based in the UK. Thanks to the Pioneer Partnership Program about 15 satellites are already operational in orbit and another 12 satellites are expected to be launched in the next two years. ESA is also working with four other companies under this program to support innovation in the European space industry: the small UK-based satellite supplier Aac Clyde Space; the satellite manufacturer Airbus in France; the data company Open Cosmos in the UK; and Sitael, the largest private space company in Italy. “ESA is proud to enable small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe to become suppliers of space missions and enter the space industry through programs such as Pioneer,” commented Elodie Viau, ESA’s Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications.