Gama & NanoAvionics Work On Solar Sailing Of Satellites

Gama has reached out to mission integrator NanoAvionics to secure the latter’s 6U nanosatellite bus, payload integration, satellite testing, launch service and satellite operations in conjunction with Gama’s solar sails.

The first joint venture is expected to occur in the latter part of this year when NanoAvionics’ “Alpha” is expected to launch Gama-propelled satellites into low earth orbit (LEO) for demonstration of the sail propulsion system.

Gama has produced a lineup of solar sails it hopes will get the attention of commercial companies and research entities with small satellites seeking cost-effective less complex propulsion systems to explore deep space. A key driver for the use of nano- or micro- satellites propelled by solar sails is that they can travel great distances without the need for payload-restricted fuel, and more importantly, launchable from smaller cheaper rockets!

NanoAvionics’ is hoping to build on its experience working with NASA in April 2020, when it built a 12U nano-satellite bus to conduct an in-orbit demonstration of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3). In that project, the mission was to replace conventional rocket propellants by developing and testing solar sails using the sun to propel the nano-satellite. Furthermore, according to Mr. Vytenis Buzas, Co-Founder and CEO or NanoAvionics, “the modularity of NanoAvionics versatile buses and components are a major advantage for a successful integration. Based on these prior experiences, we are able to transfer a lot of know-how not only to the Gama’s Alpha satellite but to every future satellite mission.”

FMI: https://nanoavionics.com, https://gamaspace.com