12th May 2021 - 08:00 GMT | by Andrew White in London RSS
HyperSat platform in the lab. (Photo: HyperSat)
A constellation of six LEO satellites should support the intelligence-gathering requirements of joint forces conducting multi-domain operations around the world.
QinetiQ signed a design phase contract last month with HyperSat to study the development of a mini-constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites equipped with a hyperspectral payload.
The agreement supports plans by HyperSat to launch a constellation of six LEO satellites into space over the course of 2023.
In a 21 April statement, QinetiQ described how such a constellation is designed to produce ‘greater information about the material properties on Earth than any current capability in orbit’.
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Defense and security company
HyperSat selected
Virgin Orbit to launch a series of six hyperspectral satellites to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on its LauncherOne system.
Virgin Orbit will launch the first of the six satellites no earlier than 2023. No timetable was given for the launch of the remaining satellites. Hypersat and QinetiQ said they chose Virgin Orbit because of LauncherOne’s shorter call-up times, flexible scheduling, and ability to directly inject satellites into precise target orbits.
HyperSat contracted QinetiQ to build the satellites and lead a team of technology partners that includes
Redwire,
and Integration, and
Brandywine Photonics. The constellation is being designed for use by defense and security applications, and other commercial sectors, such as agriculture and insurance.