Slingshot Aerospace Announces World’s First Collision Avoidance Collaboration & Communications Platform for Space; OneWeb, Spire Global Inc. & Orbit Fab to Pilot Technology

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AUSTIN, Texas & EL SEGUNDO, California .– (BUSINESS WIRE) –Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., a company that develops world-class simulation and analysis solutions, today announced the launch of Slingshot Beacon, the industry’s first space collision avoidance collaboration and communication platform, piloted by OneWeb, Spire Global Inc., Orbit Fab and others . The players participating in this pilot program make up 53% of the satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Slingshot Beacon is used as a centralized communication and coordination platform to resolve conjunctions in orbit, inform others of planned maneuvers, and more.

Slingshot Beacon connects operators from different organizations on a single platform, which has never been possible before. It makes existing position data available to customers and packs them in a digestible way with all the information necessary to resolve a conjunction. The tool will improve transparency, safety and sustainability in space for all owners and operators, and help ensure that high-risk links are appropriately mitigated.

“OneWeb is committed to responsible business practices, and new tools like Slingshot Beacon can help improve space security by creating additional channels of communication,” said John Guiney, vice president, Fleet Management Systems, OneWeb. “We look forward to working together to further advance the opportunities for collaboration and collaboration to protect space.”

The industry is slated for 115,000 satellites to enter space by 2030, meaning more potential collision avoidance decisions need to be made. Slingshot Beacon was designed as an end-to-end communication and collaboration platform to mitigate these potential risks and enable safer satellite operations if the domain is always congested. The clearer presentation of critical data will enable owners and operators to make better decisions faster and give governments and the public more confidence in safe space operations as the number of objects in space grows.

“Slingshot Beacon enables collaboration between all actors in space operations, providing users with even more information when and how they want, and supports everything from near real-time situational awareness to on-demand, cross-company, secure communication and file sharing,” said Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and CEO of Slingshot Aerospace. “Slingshot Aerospace is reshaping the future of space security and sustainability with high quality, global collaboration. We are grateful to our customers and the space community for their continued trust in our team and products.”

Slingshot Beacon was inspired by the Guard Channel, a special radio frequency that is monitored 24/7 for Mayday alarms or other calls for help. The technology is orbit-agnostic and can help organizations monitor their assets such as spacecraft and satellites in and through all orbits, from LEO to the moon. In addition, Slingshot Beacon enables users to protect their assets in space by providing an actively curated directory of operator contact information; Reports of environmental anomalies; Community warnings for planned maneuvers; and conjunctive data messages (CDMs) and ephemeris sharing (or exact object position sharing).

“As a member of the space community, Spire recognizes the role we have in contributing to a safe space environment while protecting our assets and ensuring mission success for our customers and partners,” said Keith Johnson, VP & GM for Government Solutions , Spire Global Inc. “By providing space data to Slingshot Beacon and participating in Slingshot Beacon, we will continue our commitment to a safe space environment and be part of an innovative technology – the first of its kind – that enables us to work with other companies and agencies to communicate collaboration and improve global space awareness. ”

The tool pulls in public data as well as private customer data and provides users with a secure and robust plug-and-play catalog of validated data. It will bring in automated risk monitoring and an objective, unbiased, curated ensemble of space data and robust analysis that provides unmatched awareness of the space sector. To provide data and relevant analysis on customer demand, Slingshot Aerospace has partnered with Numerica Corporation, a leader in air, missile and space defense technology. Numerica’s ability to provide precise tracking data and analysis is based on its state-of-the-art global telescope network and data processing suite that LEO-to-GEO space surveillance operations rely on during the day and night.

Orbit Fab, the Gas Station-in-Space ™ company, is creating a bustling space economy by refueling in orbit. “We’re shaping the future of sustainability and mission flexibility for spacecraft, making docking and fuel transfer so reliable it gets boring,” said James Bultitude, chief engineer at Orbit Fab. “Public awareness is critical to ensuring that the difference between a safe, consensual rendezvous and a collision event is known and understood. Slingshot Beacon will streamline that communication, which is essential for successful maneuvers in the growing satellite maintenance segment. ”

Slingshot Aerospace acquired Stellatus Solutions LLC, a company that built a platform that would help operators manage and protect their satellites by optimizing communications and traffic coordination between operators. Through the transaction, Slingshot Aerospace acquired research and intellectual property, which accelerated the adoption of the Slingshot Beacon. The company also hired co-founders Holly Highfill and Kishen Raghunath of Stellatus Solutions LLC to serve as Director, Customer Engagement and Strategy and Director, Finance and Strategy of Slingshot Aerospace, respectively.

Stellatus grew out of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Hacking for Defense program in which Audrey Schaffer, former director, space strategy and planning, Secretary of Defense’s office, challenged a team to create a communication channel for operators to use to raise awareness of the space situation particular emphasis on alerting the community of space safety concerns. After the program ended, the team continued the project and formed Stellatus, which was acquired by Slingshot Aerospace a few months later in June 2021.

Slingshot Beacon is a modern, interactive web portal and mobile application that enables commercial agencies to interact from company to company. Slingshot Aerospace has now begun beta testing the communication capabilities of Slingshot Beacon with named users.

• Internal and external collaboration

• File sharing, voice conference bridge

• Live and historical data processing

• Powerful workflows with automation tools for risk assessment

• Notifications and warnings (maneuvers, conjunctions and other warnings)

• Third party plugins / marketplace integration support for operations management tools

• Upload / download customer ephemeris / telemetry data collection

In less than 4 years, Slingshot Aerospace has seen rapid growth by generating millions in revenue from early customer contracts and using government dollars to build its intellectual property. To learn more about Slingshot Beacon, please visit slingshotaerospace.com/slingshot-beacon.

About Slingshot Aerospace

Slingshot Aerospace, Inc. develops world-class simulation and analysis solutions for space. The company brings the space domain into the digital environment and merges data from various sources to provide a complete, dynamic orbital image. In this way, Slingshot Aerospace customers can make decisions at the relevant speed and gain clarity in complex environments. Founded in 2017 and based in Austin, TX and Los Angeles, California, Slingshot Aerospace seeks to help government and commercial customers accelerate sustainability in space to create a safer, more connected world. Visit slingshotaerospace.com and follow Slingshot Aerospace on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

You can find the Slingshot Aerospace Media Kit including photos HERE.

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