Virgin Orbit (NASDAQ: VORB) and satellite manufacturer SatRev have announced a follow-on, launch services agreement (LSA) for additional launches of SatRev’s satellites in 2023 and beyond.
This new agreement provides SatRev with the flexibility to launch 500 kg. over multiple launches to a variety of different orbital planes from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, USA, and/or from other international launch sites as they come online with mission requirements.
Four satellites built by SatRev have already been delivered to LEO by Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne system onboard missions Tubular Bells and Above the Clouds. The parties anticipate launching a new batch of SatRev’s satellites as soon as 2023.
STORK is a CubeSat for EO and technology testing and built and operated by SatRev from Poland. The STORK 3U CubeSats features SatRev’s Vision-300 imager with a ground resolution of up to 5m. SatRev will soon start deploying ScopeSat, with the revolutionary DeploScope technology that will enable SatRev to collect high resolution data from 6U CubeSats. The STORK and ScopeSat satellites will form the Real-time Earth Observation Constellation that will provide multispectral mid- and hi-resolution data with a revisit time of 30 minutes.
Virgin Orbit CEO, Dan Hart, said, “The team at SatRev continues to advance the frontiers of what is possible to accomplish with a constellation of smaller, more affordable satellites. SatRev has been a great collaborator, and we are excited by what the future holds as they expand their constellation and continue to bring top-notch space services to their international customer base. We’re delighted to build upon the strong foundations of this relationship with our latest launch contract, and we look forward to providing launch services for the SatRev team for many years to come.”
SatRev CEO, Grzegorz Zwoliński, said, “This marks a major milestone for SatRev as we officially announce our Launch Service Agreement with Virgin Orbit. This 3-year partnership further solidifies our commitment to providing reliable and cost-effective access to space for our customers. With Virgin Orbit’s proven track record in the industry, we are confident that this collaboration will drive innovation and bring new opportunities for growth. We are excited to work together and bring our shared vision for the future of satellite launch to life.””
Additionally, SatRev has signed a three year contract with Poland’s National Support Center for Agriculture (KOWR) worth $9,000,000 for the development of the Satellite System for Monitoring Agricultural Crops (S2MUR).
SatRev’s offer was selected as the most advantageous within the framework of a tender conducted by KOWR for the provision of EO imagery with a spatial resolution of up to 4 meters for S2MUR. The overall objective of the project is to support the decisions of users during the growing season and in emergency situations, such as natural disasters caused by adverse weather events.
Recipients of the S2MUR system will be agricultural producers, including individual farmers, as the system will monitor crops at plot level, including small plots with unusual shapes. Public administration at government and local government levels will also be recipients of the system.
“After several years of research and development by multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers, we are ready to enter the market. Our existing relationships with municipalities in Poland, together with the development of an ambitious project for KOWR, give us the speed, momentum and ability to deliver comprehensive solutions,” said Grzegorz Zwolinski, CEO of SatRev.
