(Image: SpaceX)
(Sydney, NSW - 17th of January, 2022) Australian company, Spiral Blue has announced that it has successfully launched their Space Edge Zero (SEZ) computers into space on board SpaceX’s Transporter-3 rideshare mission. The launch, a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 15:25 UTC on January 13th and entered into a 525km altitude sun-synchronous orbit.
The edge computer is hosted onboard Polish satellite manufacturer, SatRevolution’s SW1FT satellite, and has been deployed by Italian company, D-Orbit, on their orbital transfer vehicle, ION Satellite Carrier. SpaceX’s Transporter-3 mission is the company’s third dedicated rideshare mission delivering 105 small satellites into space.
This successful launch will allow Spiral Blue to continue testing its first generation SEZ prototype, which was first launched onboard SatRevolution's STORK-4 and STORK-5 optical satellites on the 1st of July 2021.
“This second orbital launch is no less exciting than our first,” said Spiral Blue CEO Taofiq Huq. “We intend to continue launching throughout 2022 and early 2023 as we bring our hardware and software to operational status, also known as TRL 7. This continuous space qualification program enables us to rapidly iterate on and improve our technology over time.”
This is not the first collaboration between the two companies, Spiral Blue and SatRevolution. In July 2021, SatRevolution hosted Spiral Blue’s prototype SEZ computers on their STORK satellites and were sent into orbit on board Virgin Orbit’s rideshare mission, “Tubular Bells, Part One”. Testing and commissioning of these satellites and the SEZ payloads is ongoing, with some preliminary lessons having already been learned for upcoming missions.
In 2022, Spiral Blue will be launching with satellite operator and manufacturer, Satellogic, as part of their Hosted Payloads Program. The launch, scheduled for no earlier than June, will see an upgraded version of the SEZ computer fly into orbit called Space Edge-1 (SE-1). SE-1 will also be flying onboard the Waratah Seed mission as a result of Spiral Blue winning the joint first prize in the Waratah Seed competition.
Spiral Blue was recently a recipient of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grant, a grant which supports the Australian space industry to build capacity to deliver products and services into domestic and/or international space industry supply chains that could support Moon to Mars activities. This grant is supporting the development of Spiral Blue’s Space Edge Services platform.
About Spiral Blue
Spiral Blue is a Sydney SME focused on building the next generation of Earth observation services with artificial intelligence and Space Edge Computing. Spiral Blue technology has applications in defence, city planning, utilities, and other industries. Founded in 2018, the company launched its first Space Edge Zero prototype into orbit in July 2021.