Spacedev is to design and develop micro satellite hardware for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) under a $6.5 million contract.
For phase three of the MDA's distributed sensing experiment programme, Spacedev will provide hardware with internet protocol communications, commercial industry standard interfaces, the Linux operating system and object-orientated Corba software modules. "We successfully passed a critical design review with the MDA prior to the award of phase three and this review was the last milestone on the path to building the system," says Spacedev chief executive Mark Sirangelo. "[Our] flat-sat test unit has progressed rapidly, successfully demonstrating key hardware and software functionality."
The company has already developed its own MMB-100 commercial microsat, which it is also offering to the MDA for the programme.
The military agency may award Spacedev further funding in its fiscal year 2007.
The current phase three award is part of the MDA's five-year, four-phase $43 million project to develop networked micro satellites to support national missile defence.
The phase three Spacedev is involved in has a total contractual value for all the vendors of $29 million. The fourth phase of the programme will consist of a satellite launch and demonstration, along with the provision of support during the life of the experiment. The first and second phases, already completed, involved a detailed mission analysis and preliminary micro satellite design.
Source: Flight International