Page 24 - EngineerIT November 2022

SPACE SCIENCES

Equipped with two DragonEye
electro-optical imagers, EOS SAT-1 will
provide a 44km swathe of panchromatic
and multi-spectral imagery across 11
spectral bands at close to 1 m resolution
– making it one of the most powerful
satellites in low earth orbit.
“This is a key moment for Dragonfly
Aerospace,” said Bryan Dean, CEO and
co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace. “We
are proud to be delivering EOSSAT-1 with
a number of firsts – the first imaging
satellite designed and built by Dragonfly,
the first to be manufactured in South
Africa since 2009, the first satellite of the
EOS SAT constellation and the first agri- Max Polyakov Bryan Dean
focused constellation in space.’
“This has been an important project development and environmental test labs and office areas. The satellite assembly
for our whole team and has allowed us cleanrooms are ISO 8 controlled while the imager assembly clean rooms are ISO 7
to demonstrate our capabilities, not just controlled and ISO 6 flow cabinets are used for imager focal plane assemblies.
in producing high-performance electro- The company is planning a production line with up to 16 satellites being built in
optical imagers, but in designing and parallel, and up to 48 satellites produced per year. The facility is designed to build
manufacturing a full imaging satellite satellites from 100kg to 300kg and imagers from 1U CubeSat imagers to large aperture
system. It’s an amazing feeling to see sub-metre imagers. It is intended to serve commercial and civil space customers.
EOS SAT-1 leave our premises The company’s highly experienced team have been at the forefront of South
and take the next step in Africa’s uniquely successful aerospace industry since the launch of the
its journey to delivering This has been country’s first earth-observation satellite in 1999, through to the most
crucial data that will an important project recent satellite launch in 2018 and imager launch in 2022. Team
have important for our whole team and has members have worked on every South African microsatellite mission.
environmental allowed us to demonstrate our In 2021 Dragonfly was acquired by Dr Max Polyakov, who started
benefits for capabilities, not just in producing his first company in 2001, one of the first outsourcing firms in
our planet. We Ukraine with clients in the US and Europe. Then, years later he
look forward to high-performance electro-optical became the first Ukrainian entrepreneur to have a company listed
supporting EOSDA imagers, but in designing and on the London Stock Exchange when the IPO for Cupid plc was
with its mission to manufacturing a full imaging announced. In 2011, Deloitte named Cupid the fastest growing tech
launch the next six satellite system company in Scotland. Just before Polyakov left the project, Cupid was
satellites by 2025.” named the best performer on the London Stock Exchange for 2012.
Dragonfly Aerospace In 2015, Polyakov founded EOS Data Analytics Inc., which now offers
is the leading provider of Earth- ground-breaking services in spatial data analytics, GIS software, and satellite
observation optical payloads and satellite imagery. Continuing his lifelong philanthropic goals, Dr. Polyakov founded the Noosphere
platforms. It was founded in 2019 by Association using social initiatives to facilitate innovation and knowledge sharing, as
a group of experienced aerospace well as to promote STEM on a global scale. In 2017, Dr. Polyakov acquired the assets of
engineers led by CEO Bryan Dean and is Firefly Space Systems and relaunched the company as Firefly Aerospace. His goal with
based in Stellenbosch. Firefly Aerospace is to provide economical and convenient access to space, from LEO
Dragonfly Aerospace has invested to the surface of the Moon, in order to dramatically boost the world-wide space-based
in a 3000m² design and manufacturing economy. In 2019 he added projects such as SETS engines, EOS SAT optical satellites and
facility with 1000m² of cleanroom EOS SAR radars to his space portfolio. A year later NASA commissioned Firefly Aerospace
areas for microsatellite constellation to develop the space utility vehicle (SUV) – an electrically powered space craft capable of
production. The facility is situated in taking payloads to lunar orbit. The spacecraft was to become a link connecting the Firefly
the technology hub of the Western Alpha rocket with the Blue Ghost lunar landing module, thus ensuring the complete
Cape, called Techno Park, overlooking supply chain of payload delivery from the Earth to the Moon.
the vineyards and mountains of Firefly Aerospace Inc. conducted its first-ever orbital test of a small-lift launch vehicle
Stellenbosch. – Alpha. The test achieved a successful first stage ignition, lift-off from the pad, and
The facility consists of satellite progression to supersonic speed. During the flight, the launch vehicle experienced an
and imager assembly cleanrooms, anomaly resulting in a safe termination of flight using the flight termination system (FTS). n

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