Spaceflight to provide rideshare launch services to GTO

Satellite rideshare service and mission management provider Spaceflight is set to provide its services to the geosynchronous orbit (GTO), a common destination for communications satellites.

The company’s first GTO mission will involve the launch of an unnamed lunar lander from SpaceIL, as well as several undisclosed payloads from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the US.

The mission will be launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket procured by Space Systems/Loral (SSL).

It will mark the first combined launch of these two companies and Spaceflight’s first mission beyond lower earth orbit (LEO).

Following the launch, Falcon 9 will separate the first rideshare satellites and then continue to fly on to geostationary orbit (GEO) to separate the remaining rideshare satellites.

Spaceflight president Curt Blake said: “We’re focused on getting our customers’ spacecraft into orbit in the most expeditious, cost-effective manner possible.

“The rideshare model is beneficial to everyone; the primary spacecraft as well as all the secondaries pay less than if they contracted to launch individually.

“In addition, working with a reliable partner like SSL to fulfil our first GTO mission increases our ability to service this growing destination.”

Spaceflight is expected to provide rideshare missions to GTO every 12-18 months, or in accordance with customer demands.

SSL programme management senior vice president David Bernstein said: “Spaceflight has taken an innovative approach to aggregating launches and bringing a more cost-effective launch model to the industry as a result.

“Working as a team with Spaceflight and SpaceX, we are enabling a unique mission that ultimately accomplishes a translunar injection, prior to dropping off other payloads on our way to geostationary orbit for the primary communications satellite.”

SSL is primarily involved in the manufacturing of geostationary communications satellites.