What the Company Does

At its core, OrbAstro develops satellite platforms (also referred to as buses) that serve as the foundational spacecraft into which customers integrate their payloads. Rather than requiring each customer to design and build a bespoke spacecraft from scratch, OrbAstro supplies proven, modular platforms that handle the essential functions of a satellite, including power generation and management, attitude determination and control, onboard data handling, thermal regulation, and communications.

This platform-based model allows customers to focus their resources on their specific mission instrument or experiment rather than on the complexities and costs associated with core spacecraft engineering. The company supports missions across the range of small satellite classes, from CubeSats built on standardised unit dimensions through to larger microsatellites capable of carrying more substantial and power-hungry payloads.

Beyond hardware provision, OrbAstro offers a broader set of mission services designed to take a customer from an initial idea all the way to an operational satellite in orbit. This includes assistance with mission design, payload integration, testing, launch procurement and management, and post-launch operations and telemetry monitoring.

Products and Platforms

CubeSat Platforms

OrbAstro provides CubeSat-class platforms designed around standardised form factors. CubeSats are built from modular units, each measuring approximately ten centimetres on each side (referred to as a "U"), and can be combined into larger configurations such as 3U, 6U, and beyond. These platforms are well suited to technology demonstration, educational missions, and applications where a compact and cost-effective spacecraft is appropriate.

Microsatellite Platforms

For missions requiring greater capability, OrbAstro offers larger microsatellite platforms. These buses provide increased power budgets, greater payload volume and mass allowances, and enhanced performance in areas such as pointing accuracy and data throughput. Microsatellite platforms are appropriate for more demanding applications including higher-resolution Earth observation, more complex scientific instruments, and commercial constellations.

Modular Subsystems

The company's platforms are built from modular subsystems, allowing configurations to be tailored to specific mission needs. Typical subsystems addressed by OrbAstro platforms include:

• Electrical power systems, including solar arrays, batteries, and power distribution and management units.
• Attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), enabling precise pointing and stabilisation of the spacecraft.
• Onboard computers and data handling systems for command execution and payload data processing.
• Communications subsystems for uplink of commands and downlink of telemetry and payload data.
• Propulsion options for orbit manoeuvring, station-keeping, or deorbiting, depending on the mission requirements.
• Structural and thermal management components.

Services

End-to-End Mission Provision

One of OrbAstro's defining offerings is its turnkey, end-to-end mission service. This model is designed for customers who want a single provider to handle all aspects of getting a payload into orbit and operating it. Under this arrangement, OrbAstro can take responsibility for supplying the platform, integrating the customer payload, arranging launch, and conducting in-orbit operations, thereby reducing the technical and programmatic burden on the customer.

Payload Hosting and Integration

For customers who have developed their own instruments or experiments, OrbAstro provides payload hosting and integration services. The company's engineering teams work to ensure that a customer's payload is mechanically, electrically, and functionally compatible with the chosen platform, and that it is properly tested prior to launch.

Launch Coordination

OrbAstro assists customers with launch procurement, helping to identify and secure suitable launch opportunities and manage the interfaces and documentation required to fly on a given launch vehicle. This includes coordinating with launch providers and handling the logistics associated with delivering the spacecraft to the launch site.

In-Orbit Operations

Following launch, OrbAstro can provide ongoing operations support, including commanding the spacecraft, monitoring its health and status, managing the payload, and downlinking data. This allows customers to receive the outputs of their mission without needing to build and staff their own mission control infrastructure.

Mission Consultancy and Engineering

The company also offers engineering and consultancy services, drawing on its expertise in spacecraft design and systems engineering to support customers at earlier stages of their mission planning. This can include feasibility studies, mission design, and technical advice on payload accommodation and mission architecture.

Applications and Markets

OrbAstro's platforms and services address a broad spectrum of use cases within the small satellite market. These include:

• Earth observation, encompassing imaging and remote sensing applications for environmental monitoring, agriculture, mapping, and related fields.
• In-orbit demonstration and technology validation, allowing developers of new space hardware to prove their technologies in the space environment.
• Scientific research, supporting instruments and experiments across disciplines that require access to the space environment or observation vantage points from orbit.
• Communications, including support for connectivity and data relay applications.
• Educational and institutional missions, providing accessible routes to space for universities and research organisations.

Position in the UK Space Sector

As a UK-based company, OrbAstro contributes to the nation's expanding space industry, which has been the subject of significant government and commercial investment. The United Kingdom has articulated ambitions to grow its share of the global space economy, develop domestic launch capabilities, and strengthen its manufacturing and operational capacity within the smallsat domain. Companies such as OrbAstro that provide platform manufacturing and full-mission services form an important part of this supply chain, enabling both domestic and international customers to realise space missions.

Summary

OrbAstro (Orbital Astronautics Ltd) is a United Kingdom small satellite company focused on providing satellite platforms and complete mission services. Its business model rests on offering modular, configurable spacecraft buses across CubeSat and microsatellite classes, coupled with services that cover payload integration, launch coordination, and in-orbit operations. By enabling customers to concentrate on their payloads while OrbAstro handles the spacecraft and mission logistics, the company seeks to simplify and accelerate access to orbit for a diverse range of commercial, scientific, and institutional users.