Elbit Systems has today announced the successful launch to space of the NANOVA nano-satellite for commercial communication applications.
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Press Release, Haifa, 18 December 2019: Elbit Systems announced today that NANOVA, the Company’s nano-satellite, was successfully launched to space. NANOVA was developed in collaboration with a US company as part of the BIRD Foundation initiative and is planned to be a part of a nanosatellite constellation for commercial purposes. NANOVA will be operated from a ground control station set up at the Company site in Haifa, Israel.
The NANOVA nano-satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the South of India, onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. NANOVA was set out to its orbit 18 minutes from launch at an altitude of 580 kilometres. NANOVA is a 3U (the size of a juice carton), 5kg CubeSat that hosts an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communication payload providing a direct satellite link for data, voice and text messaging.
Elbit Systems’ decades of experience in designing, manufacturing and deploying space electro-optic payloads, space structures and satellite communications together with its leadership in avionics, autonomous systems and Artificial Intelligence, provide the Company with a unique technological foundation for providing end-to-end nano-satellite constellation solutions. Yoram Shmuely, General Manager of Elbit Systems Aerospace Division, said: “We are proud to commence activities in the area of nano-satellite constellations. We plan to continue to invest in this emerging field, expanding our sensing capabilities and the range of potential applications.”
Designed to meet strict cost-efficiency requirements, NANOVA integrates in-house mature capabilities and commercial-off-the-shelf space-hardened components, while featuring advanced UI/UX and sophisticated analytical tools. These make NANOVA an attractive solution for reliable communication services in areas with limited or no satellite coverage. Such services are required for a range of commercial applications including search and rescue operations, emergency communications from remote areas, fleet logistical and tracking management as well as Machine to Machine monitoring and sensing for a wide variety of needs.
