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NanoAvionics is a Lithuanian small-satellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator currently based in five locations across the USA, UK, and Lithuania. The company's efforts are focused on enabling critical satellite functions and optimizing hardware, launch, and satellite operation costs through end-to-end small satellite solutions. These solutions range from single missions to constellations.
The NanoAvionics core engineering team has implemented over eighty-five successful satellite missions and commercial projects during the past several years. The company's system architecture is rooted in modularity, providing economic viability to the wide range small satellite constellation-based missions.
NanoAvionics is currently developing the only satellite manufacturing facility in Illinois to become its main hub in the US. The company has plans to use this location to coordinate all business development activities in the LATAM region, highlighted by their existing "D-2/AtlaCom-1" rideshare mission, with Mexican consortium partners Space JLTZ, the municipality of Atlacomulco, and others.The mass scale facility will be capable of producing hundreds of identical smallsats in six to ten months
NanoAvionics revealed additional plans to open a full scale MAIT (manufacturing, assembly, integration & test) facility for serial manufacturing of small satellites and establish a mission operations center. NanoAvionics stated an intention to hire around 100 people by the end of 2022, with about half of those for the Columbia, Illinois hub. The company tested the first satellites at the facilities for its US customers missions by May 2021.
NanoAvionics signed a contract with OQ Technology in early May 2021 to build, integrate, and operate a nanosatellite for OQ's 5G IoT mission, named Tiger-2. The 6U satellite is the second mission for NanoAvionics with OQ Technology, and the latest addition to OQ Technology’s growing low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation of nanosatellites. The constellation provides basic commercial IoT and M2M services via 5G connectivity to customers with a focus on Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.
Tiger-2 is a continuation of collaboration between NanoAvionics and OQ Technology, following MACSAT, the world’s first agile nanosatellite mission dedicated to 5G IoT in LEO. NanoAvionics will integrate two payloads into the modular spacecraft as part of the mission, including a low frequency IoT and M2M service load and a high frequency 5G radio link load.
NanoAvionics provides nanosatellite (1U to 16U) and microsatellite (up to 115kg) buses. These satellite buses are constellation-optimized and can be applied to a wide variety of tasks, including remote sensing, complex communications missions, fundamental research, and emergency communications.
MP42 enables high payload data downlink speed—up to 1 Gbps downlink on the X-Band—while intersatellite link ensures uninterrupted real-time communications (LEO-LEO and LEO-GEO options available). Critical systems such as the Flight Computer, Payload Controller, Electric Power System, and all others are 20krad radiation-tolerant and have an expected lifetime of 5 years in LEO.
MP42 buses can include a propulsion system that enables the satellite to perform high-impulse maneuvers, such as orbital deployment, orbit maintenance, precision flight in formations, orbit synchronization, and atmospheric drag compensation.
The 3U nanosatellite has an empty bus mass of 1530 grams, a max payload mass of 3000 grams, and a payload volume up to 2U.
The 6U nanosatellite has an empty bus mass of 5500 grams, a max payload mass of 7500 grams, and a payload volume up to 5U. The nanosatellite contains a high-performance propulsion system, EPSS C1K.Additional technical specifications can be found here.