LauncherOne: Virgin Galactic aiming for the unmanned launch business, with Surrey Satellite Technologies

Johnathan Amos
Spaceman Blog
BBC NEWS

You are going to hear a lot in the next few weeks about Virgin Galactic, not least because on 7 December the company will unveil SpaceShipTwo in the Mojave Desert, California.

I want to concentrate on another Galactic project which is now gathering pace - the LauncherOne satellite system.

Back in January, I reported on early discussions between the Branson outfit and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford.

SSTL is a world leader in the production of low-cost small satellites, and it was keen to explore the possibility of working with Virgin Galactic on a way to get these spacecraft into orbit much more cheaply than is currently possible.

The concept would be somewhat similar to the US Pegasus system, which uses a former airliner to lift a booster to 40,000ft, before releasing it to make its own way into space.

Virgin Galactic's aim is to provide an air-launched system which is faster, cheaper, and more flexible.

It would use SpaceShipTwo's mothership, "Eve", as the launch platform.

Read the Post, HERE.

European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO)

ESMO Preliminary Design orbiting the Moon [University of Southampton/Lunar Pioneer]

ESA News - ESA's Education Office has awarded a contract to Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) of the UK to manage development and testing of the first European student mission to the Moon.

Launch of the ESMO is scheduled between 2013 and 2014.

SSTL has been selected as prime contractor for the ESMO, the final signature of the contract took place on November 4.

The mission involves delivering a spacecraft to lunar orbit, followed by 6 months of operations that include mapping the lunar surface and further study of our nearest neighbor.

Unlike a typical space project, each spacecraft subsystem, payload and ground segment element is being designed, built and operated by groups of university students among ESA member states or cooperating nations.

As with the previous satellites sponsored by the ESA Education Office, the objective of ESMO is to prepare the next generation of European engineers and scientists by providing valuable hands-on experience with a real and demanding space project.

Read the news release HERE.

ESMO workshop attendees, October 2009 [ESA/Phil Davies]