The CDR ensured the satellites could proceed towards assembly, validation, integration and testing, and confirms they meet stated performance cost, schedule, and risk requirements.
The satellites are being built by nanosatellite specialist GomSpace A/S, a subsidiary of GomSpace AB, a Europe-based, Nasdaq-listed global aerospace construction partner.
The Kleos Scouting Mission (KSM) satellites will be launched by RocketLab on an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand in Q2 2019. The satellites will be integrated into Rocket Lab’s in-house designed and built Maxwell dispensers and deployed from the Electron kick stage to low-Earth orbit.
==
==
Andy Bowyer, CEO of Kleos Space, welcomed the announcement, saying, "We are impressed by the expertise of GomSpace. Completing the CDR marks an important milestone towards the upcoming launch of our first satellite constellation on schedule."
The KSM satellites will operate at low orbit, enabling the company’s commercialisation of its ‘data as a service’ (DaaS) product this year. KSM is the first Kleos Space satellite cluster and will perform technology demonstrations that will be the keystone for a later global high capacity constellation.
"It is the significant next step for Kleos to reach revenue stage with these initial satellites this year, enabling governments and organisations to detect activity such as drug and people smuggling, illegal fishing and piracy, and identify those needing search and rescue at sea," Bowyer added.
The Kleos satellites will globally gather geolocated radio transmission data that will be provided to users as intelligence as a service to guard borders, protect assets and save lives.
PROMOTED CONTENT
The intelligence product will be sold for search and rescue, maritime security and regulatory intelligence purposes to users for whom quality geospatial intelligence and situational awareness is essential. The scouting mission will deliver a daily service with a full constellation delivering near-real-time global observation.
"This is a very exciting milestone to achieve in this project. The GomSpace-Kleos team has done a superb job to come this far and we are now fully engaged into the next phase to deliver an on-time successful mission into space," Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace said.
Kleos Space aims to guard borders, protect assets and save lives by delivering global activity-based intelligence and geolocation as a service.
GomSpace is a manufacturer and supplier of nanosatellite solutions for customers in the academic, government and commercial markets.
Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect here.
