Japanese Radar Constellation iQPS Selects Virgin Orbit for 2023 Orbital Launch
May 06 2022 - 7:29AM
Business Wire
Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB), a leading satellite launch
provider, announced today the signing of a launch services
agreement with Japanese earth observation constellation operator
Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (“iQPS”). The satellite
is expected to join Virgin Orbit’s manifest for early 2023.
Selected for LauncherOne’s proven ability to provide direct
access to diverse orbits, Virgin Orbit expects to launch the
QPS-SAR-5 satellite into a tailored mid-inclination orbit to allow
iQPS to expand the coverage of its constellation and revisit rate.
By directly injecting the QPS-SAR-5 into the desired orbit on
iQPS’s schedule, LauncherOne’s flexibility should allow for iQPS to
rapidly commission the QPS-SAR-5 and begin collecting information
from areas of key interest to its customers.
The iQPS QPS-SAR-5 to be launched by Virgin Orbit is expected to
play a critical role in enabling near real-time earth observation
by iQPS’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (“SAR”) constellation. iQPS
enables the development of small, high-performance SAR satellites
by employing a unique deployable antenna that is large, yet easy to
stow and weighs only 10 kg. It is also capable of penetrating
clouds and collecting high-resolution images even in adverse
weather conditions, enabling frequent and important earth
observation missions. iQPS is planning to establish a constellation
of 36 satellites which enable the observation of particular
locations almost everywhere in the world in around 10 minutes or
every 10 minutes to a fixed area for observation. Additionally,
iQPS has succeeded in acquiring 70 cm resolution images with
QPS-SAR-2, and subsequent satellites including QPS-SAR-5 are
expected to achieve even higher resolution.
Virgin Orbit demonstrated its ability to reach unique orbital
inclinations during its January 2022 mission “Above the Clouds,” in
which the company’s air-launcher system “LauncherOne” and its
carrier aircraft “Cosmic Girl” deployed seven customer satellites
to 500 km circular orbit at 45 degrees inclination after taking off
from Mojave Air and Spaceport in Mojave, California – a first for
the launch industry.
“Virgin Orbit is grateful for the opportunity to work with such
an innovator as iQPS. The iQPS team is on the cutting edge of space
technology and their products are critically needed to provide new
capabilities for: disaster prevention, infrastructure management,
agriculture, marine/fishery, and the realization of autonomous
driving,” remarked Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “Coupled with
LauncherOne, trailblazing operators like iQPS can tailor their
launch needs around their mission, and not the other way around,
serving their customers from the outset.”
iQPS Inc. CEO Shunsuke Onishi said: “Following our launch
announcements regarding QPS-SAR-3 and 4, we looked forward to
presenting our plans for QPS-SAR-5. We all are very pleased and
honored to be working with Virgin Orbit. In Japan, Oita Prefecture
and Virgin Orbit have announced a partnership in April 2020 to
launch satellites after 2022 from the Oita Airport Spaceport, and
plans are currently underway. The founders of iQPS, who started the
company with the goal of establishing a space industry in Kyushu,
have a strong passion to 'launch satellites manufactured in Kyushu
from Kyushu'. We hope that this launch agreement between Virgin
Orbit and iQPS will be a positive step toward the early realization
of the Oita Spaceport.”
About Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) operates one of the most flexible
and responsive space launch systems ever built. Founded by Sir
Richard Branson in 2017, the company began commercial service in
2021, and has already delivered commercial, civil, national
security, and international satellites into orbit. Virgin Orbit’s
LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach,
California, and are air-launched from a modified 747-400 carrier
aircraft that allows Virgin Orbit to operate from locations all
over the world in order to best serve each customer’s needs. Learn
more at www.virginorbit.com and visit us on LinkedIn, on Twitter
@virginorbit, and on Instagram @virgin.orbit.
About iQPS
iQPS is a space start-up founded in 2005 by two Emeritus
Professors of Kyushu University and a rocket developer to establish
the space industry in the Kyushu region in Japan. Based on more
than 20 years of technology in the development of small satellites
at Kyushu University, now iQPS brings together young engineers and
industrialists with a team of pioneering professors emeritus. In
addition, iQPS's business is strongly supported by more than 20
partner companies, mostly in northern Kyushu. The goal of iQPS
small SAR satellite QPS-SAR project is to deliver a near real-time
data provision service. Currently, two QPS-SAR satellites have been
launched and are in operation. In May 2021, the second QPS-SAR
"Izanami" succeeded in acquiring images with a resolution of 70 cm,
the highest resolution ever achieved by a commercial small SAR
satellite in Japan. For further information please check:
www.i-qps.net
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
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within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These
forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words
“believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,”
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that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a
result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could
cause actual future events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not
limited to the Company’s ability to access sources of capital; its
ability to grow market share in the developing space economy;
market acceptance of its current and planned products and services
and ability to achieve sufficient production volumes, as well as
the factors, risks and uncertainties included in Virgin Orbit’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2022, as well as in
its subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the
Investor Information section of Virgin Orbit’s website at
www.virginorbit.com. These filings identify and address other
important risks and uncertainties that could cause Virgin Orbit’s
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in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005101/en/
Alison Patch Senior Director of Communications, Virgin
Orbit
Alison.patch@virginorbit.com +1-949-616-2504
Virgin Orbit (NASDAQ:VORB)
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