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Ibadan, 9 January 2024. – NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. has announced the launch window of the first four of its SSA satellites with Rocket Lab from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. As a result, the “Four Of A Kind” mission will launch no earlier than the 18th of January between 06:15-07:00 UTC. The launch results from collaborations between NorthStar and its partners Spire Global, Rocket Lab and Exolaunch.
NorthStar’s commercial, space-based SSA service aims to provide “always on” continuous monitoring of resident space objects (RSOs) in near-Earth LEO, MEO, and GEO. NorthStar’s services will potentially include maneuver detection, conjunction warning, and anomaly detection at a higher level of speed and precision than previously available from conventional systems. Furthermore, the company’s tentative flight of 12 satellites by 2026 will increase coverage to greater than 60% of the near-Earth orbital sky at any given time and up to 100% when in collaboration with other sensors.
Speaking on the tentative launch, Stewart Bain, CEO and Founder of NorthStar, said, “NorthStar has patiently invested in the realization of an unprecedented turnkey SSA service aiming to outperform the challenges of space congestion and security in space that are mounting exponentially every day.”
Likewise, Spire Global’s CEO, Peter Platzer, added about the launch, “The upcoming launch of NorthStar’s space situational awareness constellation symbolizes both a technological achievement and a reflection of how collaboration can have a significant impact on the sustainability of space. Through our Space as a Service model, we are proud to enable companies like NorthStar to bring to market solutions that address our biggest challenges on Earth.”
NorthStar views the launch of its first dedicated SSA satellites as part of a movement towards an era of space safety, sustainability, and security, radically changing our interaction with space.
