NanoAvionics

Last updated
NanoAvionics Corp
IndustryAerospace Engineering, Nanosatellite Buses
Founded1 January 2014  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Vytenis J. Buzas (CEO) [1]
Owner Kongsberg Gruppen (77%)
Website nanoavionics.com

NanoAvionics Corp is a small satellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator founded as a spin-off from Vilnius University, Lithuania in 2014.

Contents

Overview

The company specializes in production of small satellite buses and development of commercial and scientific satellite missions: mission design, hardware assembly, integration and verification, testing campaigns, standardized products (highly integrated communication, on-board computer, attitude determination and control systems, solar panels, structural elements), modular chemical propulsion systems. [2] It markets four multipurpose satellite buses: M16P, M12P, M6P and M3P made to confirm to 16U, 12U, 6U and 3U Cubesat standards correspondingly. Also, it offers modular microsatellite bus MP42 (up to 115 kg).

In 2018, AST & Science acquired a controlling interest in NanoAvionics, and its CEO Abel Avellan became chairman of the board. [3]

In 2022, Kongsberg Gruppen acquired 77 per cent of the company. AST & Science divested all its shares, while the management of NanoAvionics retained 23 percent. [4]

Implemented missions

The NanoAvionics core engineering team has also implemented over 150 successful commercial missions [25] [26] and sold their products and services to over 50 countries. [27]

Research and development

NanoAvionics Corp has been awarded a grant from EU's Horizon 2020 and ESA (among others) for developing a global IoT constellation-as-a-service aimed at IoT/M2M communication providers. [28]

NanoAvionics Corp has also been awarded a grant from EC under research and innovation program "Horizon2020" for the project "Enabling Propulsion System for Small Satellites (EPSS) Market". [29] The purpose of this project is to carry out a feasibility study for proposed propulsion system market potential and develop a business model for product development. Suggested new propulsion system is important for small satellite market suggesting green chemical propulsion system which makes use of an environmentally friendly propellant, and is a low cost integral plug and play design offering great economic advantages to the growing small satellite market, which presently suffers from the unavailability of a low cost, high performance propulsion solution. [29] It is expected that the new technology will improve the precision and prolong the orbit lifetime of a satellite up to 5x: from 3–4 months up till 15–18. [30]

NanoAvionics Corp, together with the National Centre for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Lithuania, also carried out a project on innovative catalytic materials for miniaturized monopropellant thruster systems. [31]

References

  1. Annamarie Nyirady (August 6, 2019). "NanoAvionics Hires Former AAC/Clyde Space North America CEO, Opens US Office". www.satellitetoday.com. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  2. "StartupLithuania.lt" . Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  3. "Megaconstellation startup raises $110 million to connect smartphones via satellite". SpaceNews. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  4. "KONGSBERG enters into an agreement to acquire smallsat manufacturer NanoAvionics". 5 July 2022.
  5. "LituanicaSAT-2 | NanoAvionics". n-avionics.com. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  6. 1 2 "LituanicaSAT 2 (QB50 LT01)". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  7. "India Will Launch 2 NanoAvionics Satellites". www.satellitetoday.com. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  8. Krebs, Gunter D. "LacunaSat 3". Gunter's Space Page.
  9. "Lacuna Space launches latest LS2f satellite with NanoAvionics & Space-X". Lacuna Space. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  10. 1 2 Kulu, Erik. "R2 (R-2, M6P 2, OMS, TRAIL-1, LacunaSat)". nanosats.eu.
  11. "NanoAvionics satellite for Aurora Insight to fly on SpaceX Transporter 1". Geospatial World. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  12. "NanoAvionics adds two nanosatellites to SpaceX Transporter-2 mission" (Press release). NanoAvionics. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  13. Lentz, Danny (29 June 2021). "SpaceX successfully launches Transporter 2 mission with 88 satellites". NASASpaceFlight . Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  14. Lentz, Danny (12 June 2023). "SpaceX Transporter-8 launches 72 payloads marking 200th booster landing" . Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  15. Berger, Brian (15 March 2023). "NanoAvionics to build three more NB-IoT satellites for OQ Technology". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  16. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (13 January 2022). "SpaceX launches third dedicated smallsat rideshare mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  17. "Exolaunch Flawlessly Deploys 21 Satellites on Transporter-7 Rideshare Mission". ExoLaunch. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 "Transporter-11". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  19. "NanoAvionics to launch its 5th satellite rideshare mission with new MP42 bus aboard SpaceX Transporter-4". NanoAvionics (Press release). 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  20. 1 2 "SpaceX Transporter-6 successfully launched Europe's first solar sail mission". NanoAvionics (Press release). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  21. "GEISAT Precursor launch". Satlantis (Press release). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  22. Krebs, Gunter. "MACSAT (Finch 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  23. "Flight VV23: success to the benefit of Thaland, Taiwan and cubesats". Arianespace (Press release). 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  24. Kongsberg NanoAvionics [@NanoAvionics] (7 May 2024). "4 more of our customer satellites are on their way to the launch site for integration before the upcoming SpaceX Transporter-11 mission" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  25. "NanoAvionics announces 2 satellite launch for 3 customers". spaceitbridge.com. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  26. "NanoAvionics hires US, Europe executives, opens US facility". spaceitbridge.com. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  27. "NanoAvionics secures investment from AST&Science and expands to the US". sorainen.com. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  28. "GIoT". NanoAvionics. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  29. 1 2 "European Commission : CORDIS : Projects & Results Service : Enabling Chemical Propulsion System for the Growing Small Satellite Market". cordis.europa.eu. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  30. "Can you launch a satellite with €193 000? Lithuanian startups can! | ArcticStartup". ArcticStartup. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  31. "ICAT | NanoAvionics". n-avionics.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-08-09.