LeoStella, a joint venture co-owned by European satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space and a geospatial data analysis company called BlackSky, has unveiled details of its largest spacecraft LS-300 for small satellites.
The largest spacecraft, the LS-300 satellite bus has double the mass of its LS200 predecessor and the length of the bus is 10 meters across. The company is planning to deliver its first two 500-kilogram-class satellites using the LS-300 for its customer.
LS300 is designed with solar array improvements for delivering one kilowatt of power, 25 times more than LS200 to perform more demanding missions. This makes it well-suitable for companies pursuing contracts with Space Development Agency (SDA).
At present, LeoStella has 19 satellite buses in low Earth orbit, in which 16 of them are being built for BlackSky and three for Loft Orbital. Other companies like Terrain Orbital and NanoAvionics have also been gradually increasing the capabilities of their platforms to meet the demand for more capable satellites.
