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Astronautics
it, expects the service to be operational in the
first quarter of 2018.
Other ideas currently being considered by ESA as
commercial partnership pilot projects:
• Bartolomeo: Airbus DS proposes to operate
an unpressurised platform on the ISS to
host external payloads. The platform would
be installed outside ESA’s Columbus space
laboratory offering an unconstrained view of
Earth and space, and provide stable pointing to
the instruments. Bartolomeo would attract new
commercial users, as companies could piggy-
back off existing resources to reduce cost.
• TELDASAT: A system prototype, designed to
demonstrate global satellite-based ‘machine-
to-machine’ data services from the ISS.
TELDASAT would enable monitoring of future
space-based infrastructure, such as large-scale
electricity grids in remote areas, by connecting
millions of sensors around the globe. The
project would prepare the ISS to act as the
future host of a 12-satellite constellation to
open-up a novel Internet of Things market
with several million sensors. The SAT4M2M
consortium is responsible for the design,
development and breadboard of the payload.
• Dream Chaser: is a free-flight space vehicle
for multiple missions including scientific
research, technology development and
operational demos such as in-orbit assembly
Some of the partnership ideas will focus on
establishing potential Earth application spin-outs,
enabled by developing products and services that
will serve both future space exploration missions and
the global economy.
On the launch pad
ICE Cubes is the first commercial partnership
with ESA. It will provide rapid, simplified and
low-cost access to the ISS. The cubes are
small replaceable boxes in which customers
could place their experiments under space
conditions. SpaceApps, the company behind
There is a
huge need
to stimulate
market
demand
in space
exploration
Open and closed
configurations of the ICE
Cubes facility.
Lunar Communications
Pathfinder system.
SSTL
