Satnews Daily
February 18th, 2019

Arianespace and Open Cosmos Sign Launch Contract


Arianespace and Open Cosmos, a company providing turnkey space missions, have signed a contract for the launch of an innovative CubeSat deployment solution.

Launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana using a Soyuz rocket, the CubeSat deployment platform is a key to the commercial offering from Open Cosmos. The first mission comprises an array of CubeSats with a total capacity of 12 units (12U) and will weigh about 30 kg. at liftoff — the CubeSats will be injected into Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO) at an altitude over 500 km.

Open Cosmos delivers effective satellite-based solutions with the goal of enabling companies to use space technologies for tackling global challenge. The company specializes in the development and implementation of missions for small, low-cost satellites (up to 50 kg.), with short lead times (typically less than a year). One of the primary advantages of Open Cosmos is that the firm gives customers access to a wide range of launchers and orbits.

The first Open Cosmos payload will be an auxiliary passenger on the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG 1) satellite mission, along with the CHEOPS satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) as well as the ANGELS and EyeSat’s French CNES space agency missions. The launch is scheduled for the last quarter of 2019.

Executive Comments

Following the contract signature, Rafael Jordá Siquier, CEO of Open Cosmos, said customers always ask the firm how they can get their payloads into orbit quickly and surely. This partnership with Arianespace to launch a 12U (units) deployment platform will get them into their targeted orbit less than ten months after signing the contract. This mission will use one of the world’s most reliable and highest performance launchers, with a proven track record — and that’s exactly the kind of agility that the space industry needs right now.

Stéphane Israël, CEOr of Arianespace, added that this contract clearly reflects the firm’s unwavering commitment to new players such as Open Cosmos, which drive the dynamic small satellite market. It also reflects the company's ability to offer available, flexible and competitive solutions for all market segments, thanks to the Arianespace family of launch vehicles.