Pony Express 1, an example of rapid prototyping, was developed, built and integrated in nine months, and was funded completely by Lockheed Martin Research and Development funding. This orbital proving ground is validating payload hardware and software, and is packed with new technology that fits into a satellite the size of a shoebox. Some of the key technologies being flight-tested include:

-- HiveStar software validates advanced adaptive mesh communications between satellites, shared processing capabilities and can take advantage of sensors aboard other smart satellites to customize missions in new ways previously difficult to achieve in space.

-- A software-defined radio that allows for high-bandwidth hosting of multiple RF applications, store-and-forward RF collection, data compression, digital signal processing and waveform transmission.

-- 3D-printed wideband antenna housing developed by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Research Technology Center.

Pony Express 1 is a dual-use payload that enables mesh networks in space through HiveStar and a second function that tests space to ground remote sensing. Future research missions this year, like Pony Express 2, will further advance cloud networking concepts among satellites, as well as validating Lockheed Martin's SmartSat software-defined satellite architecture which enables streamlined hosting of flexible mission apps. This mission consists of two 12U cubesats with faster, more capable ultra-scale processors that unlock in-orbit data analytics and artificial intelligence. Equipped with miniaturized cross-link and precision timing, Pony Express 2 is a trailblazer for autonomous teaming in space and true cloud networking.

Source:  Lockheed Martin
Associated URL: news.lockheedmartin.com
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The key subsystems for Orion to be provided by Collins Aerospace include:

* Environmental control and life support systems that maintain a healthy and comfortable environment for the crew both in the spacecraft cabin and while isolated in launch and re-entry suits

* Active thermal control systems, which provide liquid circulation throughout the spacecraft picking up waste heat from the crew and vehicle electronics * Power management and distribution hardware, providing power connectivity from external power sources and conditioned power to the crew and service modules * Waste management systems to promote crewmember comfort and vehicle cleanliness

Work for the systems being provided for Orion will be performed at Collins Aerospace facilities in: Windsor Locks, Connecticut; Houston, Texas; Rockford, Illinois; and San Dimas, California.

Source:  CollinsAerospace.com
Associated URL: www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html.

The approval follows integration of Ariane 5’s dual payload, which was completed inside the Spaceport’s launch vehicle Final Assembly Building.

Liftoff of the year-opening mission - designated Flight VA251 in Arianespace’s numbering system - is set for January 16 during a launch window that opens at 6:05 p.m. local time in French Guiana. The two passengers are to be deployed into geostationary transfer orbit during a mission lasting approximately 38 minutes.

The authorization clears Ariane 5 for its roll-out tomorrow from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone, where it will be readied for Thursday’s liftoff.

Another dual-passenger deployment for Ariane 5

Encapsulated in the protective fairing, EUTELSAT KONNECT is mated atop Ariane 5’s SYLDA dual-payload dispenser system and positioned as the launch vehicle’s upper passenger. To be deployed first during the flight sequence, it is a new-generation high-throughput satellite that will deliver services across Europe and Africa.

Produced by Thales Alenia Space, EUTELSAT KONNECT is the first to use the company’s Spacebus NEO platform developed under the Neosat Partnership Project conducted by the European and French space agencies (ESA and CNES). The spacecraft will weigh approximately 3,620 kg. at liftoff.

Located below EUTELSAT KONNECT in the launcher payload configuration is the lower passenger, GSAT-30, installed atop the heavy-lift vehicle’s core stage.

Produced by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) using an I-3K platform, GSAT-30 is to provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services. It has a calculated liftoff mass of 3,357 kg. and is to ensure continuity of service for India’s INSAT 4A, positioned at 83 deg. East longitude.

The overall lift performance for Ariane 5 on Flight VA251 is estimated at 7,888 kg. - which includes the mass of its two satellite passengers and the payload integration hardware.

Source:  Arianespace
Associated URL: arianespace.com