Press Release
Rochester, NY, March 20, 2024
Rapid and reliable spacecraft design and manufacturing represents the most pressing need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases, more companies launching payloads to space continue to emerge. An influx of payload companies, combined with reduced launch costs, has resulted in an increased need for commercial spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses. These buses hold payloads, configured on a need-by-need basis, which are then flown on space launch vehicles for various missions ranging from communication infrastructure, to earth observation, to advanced scientific research.
Earlier this year, spacecraft innovator and satellite bus manufacturer, APEX Space Systems, an LA-based defense and space manufacturing company, announced that a 200-kg ESPA-class vehicle would be ready to ship for launch on SpaceXs Transporter-10 in early March of 2024. This announcement marks the fastest an ESPA-class vehicle has ever progressed from design phase to completion, with design-to-delivery being completed in under 11 months. The completed Apex bus is set to carry tech for a handful of customers, one of which being Scout Space.
Scout Space, a leading in-space observation service provider focused on space security and comprehensive Space Domain Awareness (SDA), had a need for a system that was able to run AI/ML algorithms on video imagery to estimate pose and position of nearby objects in orbit for situational awareness. To design, test, deliver, and integrate a payload of this nature, Scout called upon Eoptic, a dynamic imaging and optics systems integrator that specializes in delivering complex electro-optical hardware/software solutions to provide valuable insights across industries. Eoptic specializes in rapid prototyping, design, and integration of end-to-end solutions. Eoptic worked closely with Scout to design, test, and build a payload suitable for their needs, as well as support integration with the Apex bus set to launch.
Scout approached Eoptic to design the optomechanical layout for a camera and compute module going into Low Earth orbit (LEO). With extremely specific camera requirements, the design needed to be able to survive a severe vibration environment during launch, initially believed to be as high as 26grms, and sufficiently manage the thermal loads of the camera and onboard processor. To accommodate Scout’s needs, Eoptic developed a flexible layout that could either be used with a custom-designed vibration mount and thermal strap or be hard mounted to the payload itself. To ensure compatibility, intensive thermal, shock, and vibration testing was completed on a test unit. Once validated, an engineering test unit and a flight unit were delivered to Apex for integration onto the Aries bus. This entire process took only three months from start to finish.
Eoptic’s flexible approach was one of many reasons why Scout recognized them as the system integrator best suited for the job. The Eoptic approach allowed for multiple system configurations to be tested and qualified, while final specifications of the payload conditions were still being worked out. Indeed, the launch vibration environment specification was changed from 26grms to a much more typical 14grms due to further analysis performed on the resonant frequencies of the Aries bus before launch. Eoptic’s well thought out design considered this possibility, and the custom vibration plate and thermal strap were removed from the final system to mount the Scout payload directly onto the spacecraft’s payload deck without any modifications to the payload or the payload deck to accommodate those changes.
This approach is key when working in the dynamic integration environment of spacecraft vehicles, as requirements are ever changing. System integrators need to be able to shift accordingly when specifications change without affecting their ability to meet extremely strict deadlines. It was Eoptic’s agility, as well as the closeknit collaboration between Eoptic and Scout, that ensured the Scout payload would be included in the Apex launch on the Transporter-10, even as the aggressive timeline led other payload providers to pull out of the mission.
We are pleased to announce that as of March 4th, 2024, Scout’s SV-50 (Mono) space domain awareness system successfully launched as a payload onboard the Apex Aries spacecraft bus on the SpaceX Falson Transporter-10 mission. During the mission, the Scout SV-50 will gather visual data in Low Earth orbit, in support of future SDA and remote proximity operation missions. For more information on the launch, visit https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-tenth-transporter-rideshare-mission/.
Eoptic is a leading innovator in multispectral and digital imaging systems, serving diverse applications across various industries. Located in the heart of Rochester, NY’s optics community, Eoptic’s team of specialists have in house expertise from optical and imaging system design to full scale production and support. Eoptic tailors a solution to your specific measurement and analysis needs, from concept, through manufacturing.
Elise Hemink, Director of Marketing
marketing@eoptic.com
Tel: (585) 441-0728
Eoptic, Inc., 350 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604
www.eoptic.com
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