Northwest Aerospace News PNAA 2021 ADVANCE | Page 12

An image of the fairing ( top of the rocket ) from the SSO-A
In the case of Spaceflight , it has access to small and large rockets and can right-size the rocket to meet customer needs for both vehicle size , destination and date of deployment needed .
Spaceflight ’ s portfolio of launch vehicles includes U . S . -based SpaceX Falcon 9 , Russian Soyuz , Arianespace Vega , Virgin Orbit LauncherOne , Rocket Lab Electron , NSIL ’ s PSLV and SSLV , and others .
For space applications , rideshare is essentially the chance to be booked on a rocket alongside a variety of other smallsats going to the same destination . Jeff Roberts , senior director of mission management , leads a team of six mission managers at Spaceflight who support customers through the entire launch process , from contract signing to deployment of the satellite on orbit . He said , “ We review the customer ’ s testing , licensing , integration plans for compatibility with their specific launch , and we provide the separation systems , fit checks , and installation of separate systems at the launch site .”
Roberts elaborated on his role and that of his company , “ Spaceflight makes and tests deployment sequencers , electrical harnessing , and mechanical structures to adapt a spacecraft to a launch vehicle . Spaceflight designs each customer ’ s placement on the rocket , shipping to the launch site , insurance for integration , and export regulatory work .”
Tongue and cheek , he added , “ The weight of the paperwork is equal to the weight of the spacecraft by the launch date .” He said that licensing with the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) and securing radio frequencies through the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ), along with working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) provides the challenge of , “ lots of boxes to tick to get a spacecraft into orbit . There are many non-technical aspects to prepare a customer for launch .” He cited that it is all important and necessary because space is getting , “ increasingly congested . We have many more customers than even five years ago .”
The rideshare option aboard a rocket is a great solution , except for situations where the payload needs to “ go the last mile ,” said Bonin . Enter the next-generation Sherpa line of orbital transfer vehicles ( OTVs ).
12 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS