Kleos Space, a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, confirmed that the Polar Vigilance Mission (KSF1) cluster of satellites has entered the Critical Design and Procurement phase after successfully undergoing Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The PDR milestone ensures the KSF1 cluster of four satellites now proceed towards a final design. The preliminary design presented demonstrates that all system requirements can be met with acceptable risk and within cost.
The KSF1 satellites will be launched under contract with Spaceflight Inc who have manifested the cluster of Kleos satellites on the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch scheduled for mid-2021 launching into a 500 km Sun Synchronous Orbit.
Miles Ashcroft, chief technical officer of Kleos Space said: “The approach taken by ISISpace has been excellent. It is very pleasing to witness the interpersonal relationships develop alongside the satellite definition, and this is allowing the project to achieve such good progress against a challenging schedule. Kleos has learned lessons already from the KSM1 cluster and even though the initial specification work for KSF1 comes hot on the heels of our recent integration and launch campaign ISISpace have been supportive trying to integrate those findings quickly as we progress towards upgrading the design.”
KSF1 will provide its own global data that covers areas North and South of the Scouting Mission (KSM1) which successfully launched on the 7th November (from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Chennai, India into a 37 degree inclined orbit) The KSF1 satellites data will also increase overall coverage density in the equatorial region.