Beyond Gravity and Rocket Lab Partner on Turn-Key Solution
Will Provide Pre-Integrated Avionics and Flight Software to the Constellation Market
A partnership has been announced between Beyond Gravity and Rocket Lab. The companies will combine Beyond Gravity’s constellation On Board Computer (cOBC) and Rocket Lab’s full-stack MAX Constellation flight software and InterMission software suites, resulting in off-the-shelf satellite platform products ready for payload interfacing.
"This partnership ensures our satellite platform products are off-the-shelf and optimized for peak performance and reliability."
Brad Clevenger, Rocket Lab
The solution will provide pre-integrated avionics and flight software to the constellation market. Beyond Gravity is a supplier to both established customers and New Space customers. “With more than 300 units of our constellation On Board Computer sold, we have set a standard for satellite computing for constellations. The partnership with Rocket Lab enables their leading flight software to run on our computer, providing customers with an integrated, flight-ready avionics and ground operations package,” said Oliver Grassmann, EVP Satellites at Beyond Gravity, headquartered in Switzerland.
“Rocket Lab’s collaboration with Beyond Gravity enables us to deliver a cutting-edge technology solution that streamlines payload interfacing," said Brad Clevenger, vice president, Rocket Lab Space Systems. "This partnership ensures our satellite platform products are off-the-shelf and optimized for peak performance and reliability, empowering customers to achieve their mission objectives with confidence.”
Beyond Gravity’s constellation On Board Computer (cOBC) is the central command and data handling unit designed for small to large satellites and available for very small to very large quantities. The cOBC is a complete subsystem that provides many functions like on-board processing, precise GNSS satellite positioning, ground communication and both platform and payload interfaces. The cOBC can be used for different orbits, like low-earth orbit, medium-earth orbit, geostationary earth orbit or lunar orbit.
The constellation On Board Computer provides flexibility through a slice-based design, including an integrated navigation receiver and antenna, which allows customers to tailor flight computer functionality to suit their mission architecture and objectives. Based entirely on off-the-shelf components, the cOBC offers significantly lower costs, shorter lead times, and higher performance.
The two next-generation Rocket Lab software suites, InterMission and MAX Constellation, are built on successful missions to the Moon and beyond to deliver advanced autonomy, security, and scalability for complex space missions and constellation operations. With InterMission and MAX Constellation, Rocket Lab expands its end-to-end space systems capabilities, delivering robust tools for modern mission demands.
InterMission is Rocket Lab’s new ground data and space operations platform built for demanding missions and scalable to full constellations. Designed to maximize performance and autonomy, InterMission empowers users to monitor their spacecraft in real-time. InterMission integrates encryption, user authentication, and role-based access control to safeguard mission-critical data. MAX Constellation is an evolution of Rocket Lab’s MAX Flight Software, the industry-leader in on-board flight software, that has been proven in every Earth orbit and to the surface of the Moon. MAX Constellation delivers enhanced performance, automation, and cybersecurity for satellite constellations.
With the integration of platform flight hardware and software done in advance, future customers of the cOBC (constellation On Board Computer) using the MAX Constellation and InterMission software suites offering will benefit from significantly reduced development and test efforts, enabling their programs to focus instead on payload integration, accelerating time to launch.