UK Space Agency And JAXA Confirm Bilateral Collaboration
Will Develop InRange Satellite-Based Launch Telemetry System For Japanese H3 Launch Vehicle
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have agreed to start bilateral collaboration to develop an in-orbit telemetry relay service, called “InRange”, which will be demonstrated on the H3 launch vehicle.
“The InRange service will be transformative for launch capabilities around the world, helping to make launch more sustainable by reducing both fuel needs and pressure on ground-based systems." Dr. Paul Bate, UK Space Agency.
The bilateral collaboration for InRange builds upon the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between both space agencies in 2021. Under this framework, InRange is jointly funded through UKSA’s International Bilateral Fund for the development of a new in-orbit telemetry relay service for space launch vehicles using Inmarsat-Viasat ’s global L-band network in geosynchronous orbit by Viasat and through JAXA for the transmitter and antenna development for the H3 launch vehicle by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI).
The UKSA contract announced today for Viasat is valued at £1.7 million (≈$2.08 million).
The Viasat InRange service will reduce the dependency of launch providers on traditional ground-based infrastructure by providing a global in-orbit telemetry solution, using Viasat’s geostationary ELERA L-band satellite network.
By using the InRange service for the H3 Launch vehicle, launch trajectories can be optimized by removing reliance of line-of-sight coverage with ground stations during critical stages of the launch. In some cases, this will also reduce the fuel required to deliver spacecraft into orbit which will increase the mass available for the launch customer’s payload.
Viasat and MHI will work in collaboration to validate the InRange service and demonstrate the capability on an H3 launch. Japanese company NEC Space Technologies, Ltd. will also take part in this project, focusing on the L-band transmitter design which will be integrated into the H3 launch vehicle by MHI. JAXA will collaborate with the parties and play a technical role in integrating InRange into the ground infrastructure.
“The InRange service will be transformative for launch capabilities around the world, helping to make launch more sustainable by reducing both fuel needs and pressure on ground-based systems, so that spacecraft can take off on their journeys more efficiently," said Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency.
“The UK Space Agency’s commitment to this project with ViaSat, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and our counterparts at JAXA, through our International Bilateral Fund, puts into practice our firm belief that space is a team sport and that working together with organizations around the world is what enables us to break the barriers of space technology.”
“The InRange service will increase the flexibility of the H3’s flight trajectories, and that will enable the H3 to meet the diverse needs of the launch customers than before," said Masashi Okada, Project Manager, H3 Project Team, Space Transportation Technology Directorate of JAXA. "We will step up our efforts so as to successfully deliver the second test flight and will continue to promote the development of the H3 by realizing this project.”
In a related development, Skyrora, Viasat, and CGI have been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the Commercial Space Transportation Services program to demonstrate InRange, which will enable Skyrora to achieve continuous transmission of telemetry data during flight, from launch to payload deployment.
The collaboration will focus on Skyrora’s suborbital Skylark L launch vehicle, demonstrating InRange connectivity over Viasat’s global ELERA L-band satellite communication networks. The initial stage of the project will include Viasat conducting ground testing of the InRange solution with Skyrora’s launch vehicle system. CGI will undertake a market study and analysis of ground stations to determine the commercial potential of the solution within the wider launch service provider market.