Xenesis, ATLAS Space Operations and Laser Light Communications have joined forces in a Service-Level Solution — Empower Space Alliance.
Empower Space will provide a turnkey direct optical data distribution service from spacecraft to customer locations, worldwide. Empower Space intends to serve LEO, MEO, GEO, Cislunar, and Deep Space capability with standardized interoperability, robust data capacity and unprecedented access to customer locations worldwide. Space data platforms will now have a choice between relying on legacy radio frequency transmission and distribution, or high capacity & low cost all optical “direct delivery” of their data to its ultimate distribution…on a single network.
The NewSpace sector is expanding rapidly into creative, more cost-effective business models. These models are focused primarily on delivering space-based services, such as imagery, communications, content, civil science, and government data in a “New Way” = smaller, cheaper and more capable satellite platforms. For example, small satellites are leading the way in planning which is driving the demand for more cost-effective designs to deliver space-based services, such as data to the Earth from Space in a more cost-effective — NewSpace” — way.
Earth Observation (EO) owner/operators are looking for greater efficiencies and enhanced margins by reducing CAPEX/OPEX per imagery sold. In addition, GEO owner/operators have begun to consider new business models based on their legacy satellite designs, to accommodate new services and markets. Even US Government policy is encouraging the military and civil science agencies, such as NASA and NOAA to take seriously, the NewSpace business sector.
This is true, particularly in Space to Earth data distribution, where government agencies should be more of a customer for such services, rather than an owner/operator of space-based networks, not potentially competing with these NewSpace ventures. These are the type of customers Empower Space seeks to serve.
Empower Space brings together an All Optical Space to Earth data distribution network which will Empower space data platforms to connect to their ultimate destinations more cost-effectively, and efficiently. Empower Space intends to bring the 3 critical operating elements of Space to Earth data transport under a single service partnership:
- Network Access: Designed for 24/7 access for Near Earth, Cislunar, or Deep Space platforms
- Service Delivery: Connectivity, Unlimited, High throughput (<1-100Gbps), On-Demand, Self-Provisioned Service
- Network Management: Monitors and ensures distributed data delivery, “end-to-end”, to over 100 Points of Presence – Earth-Wide
Empower Space — through its Founder/Partners — intends to offer a licensable 10 to 100Gbps optical unit — depending on the customer requirement — for integration into planned space platforms in the Near Earth, Cislunar, and Deep Space markets. The Xenesis licensed optical unit will Empower owner/operators to distribute their space-originated products – communications, imagery, content, navigation — to more than 100 Points of Presence on the Earth at significantly lower cost for SWaP & data distribution services. Earth-wide distribution of the customer’s data will be by means of Laser Light’s global, hybrid all optical MEO satellite constellation, or directly to Laser Light’s 100 dispersed optical ground nodes, interconnected with its Software-Defined global terrestrial fiber.
Empower Space customer data, will be managed and monitored, “end-to-end”, by ATLAS Space from the customer satellite platform to the data’s ultimate destination, entirely on the Empower Space Alliance network. Consequently, the advantage Empower Space brings to its customers are the potential benefits of optical data transmission and the prospect of improved margins derived by SWaP savings, unrestricted availability, enhanced security, and reduced distribution costs.