Smallsat bus manufacturer and mission integrator Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) is set to send four of its satellites into orbit with SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-10 mission. These satellites will enhance two existing constellations, one being the world's premier and most extensive 5G Narrowband-IoT constellation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The satellites will be launched on behalf of Luxembourg’s OQ Technology, Spanish earth observation company Satlantis, and South Korea’s ground station operator, Contec.
Two 6U nanosatellites, named Tiger-7 and Tiger-8, manufactured for OQ Technology, will augment the world's first and largest 5G Narrowband-IoT constellation, bringing the total to ten satellites. They will be the fifth and sixth satellites that NanoAvionics has built for OQ Technology. These satellites can connect directly to off-the-shelf Internet of Things (IoT) devices and provide tracking and monitoring data.
An additional 16U HORACIO satellite will carry Satlantis’s iSIM-90 imager into space for the third time. The high-resolution data it collects will provide valuable insights for various earth observation applications. This includes infrastructure monitoring, methane gas emissions quantification, food security, plus coastal and border awareness.
Designed for companies and institutions that require data for maritime environments, city management, and agriculture, the CONTECSAT-1 satellite will augment Contec’s capabilities. This 16U nanosatellite is equipped with an integrated multispectral imager with 1.5m resolution, courtesy of a NanoAvionics partner. Consequently, Contec will be able to provide customised satellite imagery to their clients.
NanoAvionics' CEO, Vytautas Kvedaravičius, remarked on the development: "Our continued record of successfully building and launching nano- and microsatellites for individual missions as well as constellations is testimony to our position as the one of the prime smallsat manufacturers and mission operators in the US and Europe. The ongoing satellite production for existing customers is also an endorsement and validation of the high-quality and cost-effectiveness of our products and services.”
Kvedaravičius reiterated that NanoAvionics has launched more nanosatellites in the past five years than any other external manufacturer globally, and noted that there is "a surging demand for our microsatellite buses". This expansion aligns with the firm's ongoing commitment to provide robust, innovative, and reliable space solutions that reshape the space economy and accelerate the pace of space-based connectivity and remote sensing.