Slingshot Aerospace

🚨 Slingshot Orbital Alert 🚨 (Post 2/2) The Slingshot Global Sensor Network is currently tracking 40+ objects related to the breakup of an ATLAS 5 CENTAUR Rocket Body (NORAD ID: 43227) at ~05:21 UTC this morning (September 6th, 2024). Following a detailed conjunction assessment – and given the highly elliptical orbit (34,953 km apogee; 7,634 km perigee; 9.4° inclination) – Slingshot has determined that the current debris cloud does not likely pose an immediate threat to any active spacecraft at present. Currently, the closest predicted approach between debris from the ATLAS 5 CENTAUR parent object and known debris is estimated at ~220 km. While our analysis suggests that, based on the available data, there is no immediate risk to active satellites, this event illustrates the critical role Slingshot’s technology plays in identifying and assessing risks to satellite operations. The image below highlights the persistent tracking provided by Slingshot’s globally distributed sensor network – showcasing two images taken just 16 minutes apart, before and after the breakup. Image 1 (left) – Taken at 05:16 UTC from Chile, shows the rocket body still intact. Image 2 (right) – Taken at 05:32 UTC from another sensor site in Chile, shows the debris cloud around the rocket body. Reach out to sales@slingshot.space for first-to-know space domain awareness insights that impact your mission.

Exciting news! Our CEO, Tim Solms, will be speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! Join Tim and other industry leaders as they dive into the world of dual-use technology and the opportunities for startups in the government and defense sectors. 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥: "Breaking into Dual-Use: Strategies for Startups in Defense Tech" 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬: Navigating government procurement Building public-private sector relationships Fostering innovation-driven talent Competing with established primes 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧/𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: October 28 | 8:35 AM PT Space Stage Learn more and register for the event today! https://lnkd.in/g5iZhq5J

🚨Slingshot Orbital Alert 🚨 The Slingshot Global Sensor Network is actively tracking the debris cloud related to the October 19, 2024 breakup of Intelsat’s 33e (NORAD ID: 41748) GEO satellite at 60 degrees E. The satellite was eight years into its 15-year mission, having launched in August of 2016. The sudden failure of Intelsat 33e is eerily similar to the fate of its predecessor, Intelsat 29e (NORAD ID: 41308), which suffered a total failure in April 2019, just over three years after it was launched into orbit in January 2016. At the time of failure, Intelsat 29e still had 12 years of planned service based on its 15-year mission. While the cause of the most recent failure is unknown, a 2019 investigation conducted by Boeing, the manufacturer of both 29e and 33e, concluded that 29e’s failure was due to either an electrostatic discharge resulting from a wiring harness flaw or a micrometeoroid strike. After the 29e anomaly investigation in 2019, SpaceNews reported a Boeing representative stating, “We believe that other similar spacecraft on orbit are at low risk of experiencing the same sequence of events. Nevertheless, as a precaution, we are incorporating information gained from the investigation to other spacecraft, as appropriate.” According to Slingshot Seradata, both Intelsat 33e and 29e were built on the same Boeing bus platform – the BSS-702MP (Boeing 702B). The BSS-702MP platform is the same bus platform used by seven other GEO satellites currently in orbit. The Indonesian-owned Nusantara Lima satellite is also built on the BSS-702MP platform and is expected to be launched later this year. Active & Upcoming Satellites Built on the BSS-702MP Platform: NUSANTARA LIMA – Launching 2024 JCSAT-18/KACIFIC-1 – Active, Launched 2019 AMOS-17 – Active, Launched 2019 HORIZONS 3e – Active, Launched 2018 Intelsat 37e – Active, Launched 2017 Intelsat 35e – Active, Launched 2017 Intelsat 21 – Active, Launched 2012 Intelsat 22 – Active, Launched 2012 It is important to note that these failures are out of the ordinary for Intelsat. In the company’s 50+ years of service, they’ve successfully launched over 150 satellites and are currently operating 42 active spacecraft in GEO. Contact sales@slingshot.space for 24/7/365 space domain awareness from the Slingshot Global Sensor Network & access to the world's leading launch and satellite database, Slingshot Seradata.

Erik Visnyak, CISSP-ISSAP and I will be at the AFCEA Space Industry Days in LA this week representing Slingshot Aerospace. We would be happy to meet with you and demonstrate Slingshot's satellite tracking and artificial intelligence capabilities to protect and defend space. Please reach out to either of us here on LinkedIn or in person about how we may work together to bring capability to the warfighter.

Our team is headed to MilSat Symposium next week! Todd Brost, Director of Business Development, Department of Defense, will be speaking on the use of AI to detect threats in space. He’ll share how Slingshot is actively utilizing our newly launched AI tool, Agatha, to monitor large constellations and automate the identification of anomalous satellites within them. Panel: Readying Satellite Defense Infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Utilization and Potential Threats Wednesday, October 23 | 3:30 PM PT Mountain View, CA Interested in learning more from Todd while at MilSat Symposium? Schedule a meeting at info@slingshot.space

The 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is next week in Milan…will we see you there? Be sure to mark your calendar to hear from our Slingshooters! Melissa Quinn, General Manager, International Business Unit 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐋: The Intertwined Relationship of Space Sustainability and Security: How they are both needed to make space safe and predictable for all October 18 | 13:45 Red Hall, Level 1, North Wing David Todd, Lead Space Analyst 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: Factors Affecting In-Orbit Anomalies Causing Insurance Losses October 13 | 13:10 Screen 82, IP AREA, Hall B David Todd, Lead Space Analyst 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: Analysis of the causes and consequences of launch failures over the past 20 years October 17 | 10:15 Yellow Hall 1 And stop by the our pod in the UK Space Agency stand (in the South-North Wing on Level 0) to meet with our team members to learn more about our industry-leading solutions for: 🌎 Space Domain Awareness 🚦 Space Traffic Coordination 🛰️ Satellite Operations 🛡️ Space Security & Defense 🌐 Training & Education 📊 Space Market Analysis Drop us a note at info@slingshot.space to schedule a meeting.

Earlier this week, Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot's Vice President of Strategy & Policy and a senior associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), published an op-ed titled: "Looking to the next four years: strengthening America’s space leadership."  Co-authored with Clayton Swope, Deputy Director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow at CSIS, this insightful piece outlines crucial steps for maintaining U.S. space leadership: 🛰️ Protecting U.S. space interests from growing threats 🌐 Shaping space governance frameworks aligned with U.S. values 🌙 Maintaining leadership in space exploration and discovery Read the full op-ed on SpaceNews: https://lnkd.in/gfnzhFVr

Slingshot’s Agatha AI has identified an outlier satellite in a group of Chinese reconnaissance satellites by analyzing photometric fingerprints developed using brightness pattern measurement data from the Slingshot Global Sensor Network. Learn more about the specific satellite identified and how Slingshot’s Agatha AI flagged it amongst thousands of other satellites currently in orbit: https://lnkd.in/gnMrGD6P

Slingshot has been selected to participate in the Office of Space Commerce’s (OSC) Improved Satellite Owner/Operator Ephemeris Pathfinder. As part of this pathfinder, Slingshot will provide LEO and GEO ephemeris generation services to support the development of the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) – which the OSC just announced will launch to beta users in the coming weeks. This continued partnership highlights the clear mission alignment between Slingshot and the OSC and underscores the opportunity for ongoing partnership between U.S. commercial space situational awareness providers and the U.S. government. The pathfinder will examine the effectiveness of generating improved ‘orbit estimates’ or ephemerides (satellite position, trajectory, and uncertainty information) for satellites using data provided by satellite owner-operators – which would accelerate the path to leveraging owner/operator-provided data in TraCSS conjunction assessment screening. Slingshot is excited to continue partnering with the Office of Space Commerce to develop critical services for TraCSS that will improve spaceflight safety for future space operations. Read more below: https://lnkd.in/e6HnBFvq

Aloha from the AMOS Conference! 🌴 We are very excited to share that our team’s poster, titled “ML-Based Photometric Fingerprinting at Scale for LEO Satellite Monitoring,” won this year’s Golden Ticket award! The Golden Ticket is given out to the best poster of the year and guarantees the recipient an oral presentation slot at AMOS 2025! Congratulations to our Slingshooters who contributed: Timothy Olson, Clarice Reid, Cam Key, Brian Williams, David Witman, Jeff Shaddix, Dylan C. Kesler, and Belinda Marchand. Be sure to check back next week when we share links to all of our 2024 AMOS papers!