60 items found for ""
- OSS Founder and CEO Co-chairs New National Academies of Sciences Space Weather Roundtable
Roundtable experts will strategize on how to advance space weather forecasting and research efforts, and improve preparedness for space weather events. Louisville, CO, July 13, 2022 —The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine selected Dr. Geoff Crowley, CEO and Founder of Louisville-based Orion Space Solutions, to co-chair its recently created Government-University-Commercial Space Weather Roundtable. Created to expand public understanding of space weather’s social and economic impact, the roundtable realizes a recommendation of the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow (PROSWIFT) Act, which became law in October 2020. Roundtable members will facilitate exchange of information and understanding among government participants in the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Interagency Working Group, the academic community, and the commercial space weather sector to support space weather-related decisions. The roundtable includes 17 space weather experts and stakeholders selected from government, industry, and academia. The group will focus on issues including developing resilience to severe space weather events, communication of risk from space weather events, and identifying steps to improve research to operations and operations to research pathways. “Space weather forecasting is in infancy as compared to weather forecasting – leveraging PROSWIFT direction, the U.S. Government hopes to expand public awareness of potentially disastrous effects of severe space weather on ground-based and space-based assets,” explains Crowley. “The group includes scientists, engineers and policy experts, and environmental (Earth, space, and Sun) professionals who will help identify pathways to improve the nation’s space weather understanding and actionable responses to extreme events.” In convening senior-level decision makers, scientists, and industry experts, the Space Weather Roundtable will facilitate advances in the scientific knowledge of space weather phenomena, forecasting of space weather events, and impacts of space weather on Earth. “Since inception in 2005, Orion Space Solutions has taken a similar approach, turning scientific understanding of space into actionable information that supports our customers and the public good,” Crowley says. Previous Next Jul 27, 2022 OSS Founder and CEO Co-chairs New National Academies of Sciences Space Weather Roundtable
- NOAA Funds Orion Space Solutions Study
NOAA Funds Orion Space Solutions Study to Define Future Weather Satellite Constellation Louisville, CO, June 22, 2020—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded ASTRA, LLC a six-month contract to design a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) CubeSats able to meet the agency’s future global weather data requirements. Part of NOAA’s initiative to advance the capability of its Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R satellite series, the agency seeks next-generation weather satellite systems from various orbits. For the geostationary (GEO) orbit, ASTRA will provide a study on GEO-utilization of Common LEO Architecture for Weather (G-CLAW) for imager- and sounder-based mission architecture and constellation design to provide NOAA with novel weather imagery and data. "As an industry leader in space science technology and research, ASTRA is proud to be chosen by NOAA to provide a next-generation LEO constellation architecture study that delivers a sustainable and cost-beneficial platform in support of NOAA’s mission to understand and predict changes to climate, weather, oceans, and our coastlines," says Bill Baker, ASTRA Senior Vice President of Data Solutions. With support from Science and Technology Corporation and Lockheed Martin, ASTRA will study a common 12U satellite approach, hosting a suite of infrared and microwave sounders, a GPS/GNSS sounder, and imager concepts that meet the mission requirements and standards for NOAA. "Data generated by satellite imagers/sounders in LEO and GEO orbits fuel NOAA's weather models and real-time forecasting capabilities, ensuring that the nation's decision makers have highly capable systems able to support critical decisions," says Dr. Scott Jensen, project principal investigator and ASTRA's Sr. Vice President for Technology. "ASTRA looks forward to providing NOAA with our G-CLAW study showing how a LEO constellation architecture may be used to meet LEO/GEO data needs and the agency's mission requirements for its next-generation satellite systems." Previous Next Jun 21, 2020 NOAA Funds Orion Space Solutions Study
- Orion Space Solutions to Develop State-of-the-Art Earth Observation Processing System for NOAA
OSS technology will allow users to visualize the Earth's past and present, and predict future environment Louisville, CO, October 13, 2022 —The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Orion Space Solutions a grant to build a dynamic, seamless one-stop platform to process, analyze, and visualize Earth observations using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies. The resulting system will further human understanding of environmental change on Earth, considering both current and past environments to provide important insights on rapidly changing environments. "Leveraging AI technologies and digital solutions, the platform being developed for NOAA will automate processing, analysis, and visualization of Earth observations collected by spaceborne, airborne, and ground-based sensors,” says Wanli Wu, project principal investigator at Orion. “Our system seamlessly connects space, atmosphere, land, and ocean observations from NOAA and elsewhere in a single location, allowing users to reconstruct past and present Earth environments. It can also act as frontend infrastructure supporting operational numerical weather prediction models.” Wu and his OSS colleagues have deep AI, modeling and data expertise. With partners Booz Allen Hamilton providing digital twin technology capabilities, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research providing Earth system modeling and data knowledge, the team will transform NOAA’s wealth of data collected from various sensors and platforms into valuable knowledge. Digital twin technology acts as a real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process, for example digitally replicating how an ecosystem looks before and after wildfire. It seamlessly “connects the dots” across data sources, bringing Earth observation data to a single place for processing, analysis, and visualization. In doing this, the platform provides unprecedented visibility and insight into the data and, in the example, a view on current or future ecosystem impacts. “Booz Allen is excited to demonstrate our track record of building intelligent, AI-powered digital twins from design to implementation, bringing scalable, open-source technology solutions that will deliver immediate impact for NOAA’s mission to monitor our changing global environment,” says Munjeet Singh, Booz Allen senior vice president and leader of the firm’s Bright Labs incubator. “The team brings a depth of AI, data science, and digital twin expertise to bear, developing new ways to support NOAA in better understanding and addressing pressing environmental challenges,” says Rachel Hauser, Orion Space Solutions’ Senior Director of Business Development. Previous Next Oct 13, 2022 Orion Space Solutions to Develop State-of-the-Art Earth Observation Processing System for NOAA
- Orion Space Solutions Team Selected to Lead U.S. Space Force Tetra-5 Mission
Team of mostly small aerospace companies wins USSF mission development contract Louisville, CO, August 16, 2022 —U.S. Space Force (USSF) has awarded Orion Space Solutions a contract to develop three spacecraft in support of USSF’s mission to advance and launch new technologies in space. Working with partners Hera Systems, Inc. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., and SCOUT Space Inc., Orion Space Solutions (OSS) brings together a diversified, highly capable team to build and deploy new satellites to geostationary orbit (GEO). Satellites in GEO orbits fly at a height where the satellite’s orbital period equals the Earth’s rotational speed. This allows a satellite to “sit” in space, viewing a single location on the Earth over time. “The OSS team looks forward to supporting USSF,” says Chad Fish, the project’s principal investigator and COO of Orion Space Solutions. “The team, comprised largely of small, non-traditional aerospace businesses, demonstrates the depth of skill, as well as agility and innovation that small business delivers to U.S. government programs and more broadly within the aerospace industry.” The OSS team offers deep experience in building mission-specific systems, including spacecraft and payload design, assembly, integration, and testing capabilities, as well as mission operations and ground support. The OSS Team’s small satellites – for this mission, about the size of two carry-on bags – offers the USSF a “New Space” agile, lower-cost access to space mission solution. End to end, USSF anticipates a 5-year development and mission for the program in support of its Tetra-5 Space Vision program. Previous Next Aug 16, 2022 Orion Space Solutions Team Selected to Lead U.S. Space Force Tetra-5 Mission
- Orion Space Solutions Program Supports a More Resilient U.S. Power Grid
The Orion Space Solutions-led and National Science Foundation-funded Convergence Hub for the Exploration of Space Science (CHESS) project brings together critical cross-disciplinary knowledge and tools to address this challenge and enhance the grid’s resilience to space weather events. Louisville, CO, July 7, 2020—Given the U.S. power grid’s complexity and interconnection, ensuring 24/7/365 electrical power generation to the nation demands diverse expertise. Not widely known by the public, space weather poses a great threat to electrical grid health. The Orion Space Solutions-led and National Science Foundation-funded Convergence Hub for the Exploration of Space Science (CHESS ) project brings together critical cross-disciplinary knowledge and tools to address this challenge and enhance the grid’s resilience to space weather events. “The CHESS program will change how we monitor, protect, and make decisions about the power grid we rely on in our daily lives,” says Bill Baker, ASTRA Senior Vice President of Data Solutions. CHESS provides expertise, tools, and information from the space weather, geoscience, power utility, and data science communities to support decisions related to space-weather threats to the nation’s power grid. CHESS connects these communities, providing information to support utility managers’ decision making, and allowing space weather researchers to better explore space weather events triggering of power outages. In partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, and UCLA, and a broad community of stakeholders, ASTRA has designed and developed the CHESS platform and will start to implement technology and knowledge sharing with various power utilities across North America. “CHESS is like Google Maps with predictive intelligence for the power grid, putting the power of awareness and prediction into the hands of those who need to keep the lights on for society,” says Dr. Ryan McGranaghan, Principle Data Scientist at ASTRA and CHESS principal investigator. “ASTRA is proud to be chosen by NSF to develop an intelligent data solution that could enhance forecasting of disruptive to the Earth’s power grid, with potential for catastrophic impact on human life,” McGranaghan says. Previous Next Jul 6, 2020 Orion Space Solutions Program Supports a More Resilient U.S. Power Grid
- U.S. Space Force SMC awards Orion Space Solutions EO/IR mission to support US warfighter
The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has selected ASTRA, LLC to develop and demonstrate an Electro-Optical / Infrared (EO/IR) LEO-based cloud characterization solution that supports U.S. warfighter operations. Louisville, CO, July 28, 2020–The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has selected ASTRA, LLC to develop and demonstrate an Electro-Optical / Infrared (EO/IR) LEO-based cloud characterization solution that supports U.S. warfighter operations. Striving to bridge gaps and improve functionality of Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) systems, USSF SMC sought a commercial prototype EO/IR Weather System (EWS) mission capable of characterizing global clouds in near real-time to support Department of Defense operations. "An industry leader in space science technology and research, ASTRA is proud to be chosen by the U.S. Space Force to provide our Rapid Revisit Optical Cloud Imager (RROCI) system to deliver near-real time cloud characterization data in support of the warfighter," says Bill Baker, ASTRA Sr. Vice President of Data Solutions. SMC selected ASTRA, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, Science and Technology Corporation, Pumpkin Inc., and Atmospheric & Environmental Research (AER), for the first phase of the EWS mission to design, develop, and demonstrate its 8-channel RROCI prototype. ASTRA’s imager will utilize commercial off-the-shelf systems to produce cloud characterization, mitigate weather risk, provide theater weather, and comparison of payload outputs to existing satellite data from a 12U satellite that meets USSF mission requirements. “USSF SMC seeks an agile, cost-effective technology to provide timely, mission-critical information to the warfighter – ASTRA’s proposed prototype will achieve this,” explains Dr. Scott Jensen, the project’s principal investigator and ASTRA Sr. Vice President for Technology. “Our solution assures easy implementation and rapid refresh of new technology into the architecture as required, and will meet both government and commercial SBEM requirements.” ASTRA’s proposed solution will provide a cost-effective and agile demonstration mission, reducing risk and demonstrating readily available commercial technology that meets USSF’s required operational mission capabilities. Previous Next Jul 28, 2020 U.S. Space Force SMC awards Orion Space Solutions EO/IR mission to support US warfighter
- Team
DARLA AMMIDOWN Chief of Staff WILL ARMIJO VP, Space Systems DAN KNIGHT VP, Sensors and Data Integration CRYSTAL FRAZIER VP, Engineering, Calibration and Testing CHAD FISH President and GM GERALD THOMPSON SVP, Strategy JUNK WILSON SVP, Military Relations JOHN NOTO, Ph.D. Chief Scientist Our Leadership Our expert leadership team represents top talent from across government, academia and contracting who are passionate about the limitless power of science. They harness that power to develop novel space-based solutions to solve our customers’ most complex space-related national security and intelligence challenges.
- OSS PRISM
OSS PRISM Effort Creates Early Warnings for Catastrophes & Improves Preparedness for Space Weather In March 1989, three separate seemingly unrelated events occurred resulting in a widespread electrical blackout for Northeastern Canada and the US. A tripped circuit transformer blew up in the Hydro-Québec power grid left 6 million people without electricity. A week earlier, an unusually harsh snowstorm had strained the region; the day before, a solar flare and accompanying release of plasma and magnetic field sent a mountain of energy propelling toward Earth at a million miles an hour. The complex interactions of these interconnected systems – environmental science, space weather and solar activity – pushed the electric power grid to a tipping point that could not be understood when only looking at these systems individually--not as a whole. within any single one of those systems. The P redictive R isk I nvestigation S ystem for M ultilayer Dynamic Interconnection Analysis (PRISM ) aims to harness data in order to identify risk factors across domains for catastrophic events such as the 1989 blackout – which impacted transportation, food, water, health and finance and racked up costs exceeding $2 billion. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the program and Ryan M. McGranaghan , Principal Data Scientist and Aerospace Engineering Scientist at ASTRA, LLC co-leads the project. ASTRA’s team of experts in fields of space weather and data science, combined with professionals in statistics, computer science, finance, energy, agriculture, ecology, hydrology, and climate, the PRISM effort will integrate data across different areas to improve risk prediction. “We want to quantify the risks that the worst-case scenarios present, and ultimately use that understanding to improve the resilience of our human-natural systems,” said McGranaghan, who is a principal investigator on the two-year, $2.42 million grant, which emerged from the NSF’s Harnessing the Data Revolution Big Idea activity. “Our approach is to identify systemic risks – those that tie together different domains and have the biggest spillover potential – and data-driven tools to better control them,”McGranaghan said. If systems had been in place to recognize the heightened risks caused by the snowstorm and the solar flare, the 1989 power outage may have been averted or at least minimized. Similarly, understanding the ways it affected systems such as health care and transportation could help policymakers plan a more effective response. The transdisciplinary approach is essential, something McGranaghan likes to describe as anti disciplinary, meaning the space between fields, because today’s world is composed of highly interconnected and interdependent systems, and no single expert is equipped to identify the signs of risk or the full impact of catastrophes. The key is to use data science to help integrate information to find patterns. “Our technologically-dependent society operates in a new environment, one with increasing complexity and scale, and requires convergence between disciplines to understand when critical systems are stressed and strained and to prepare effective and timely responses,” said McGranaghan. The researchers plan to assemble large datasets across sectors such as agriculture, climate and energy to create an interactive data library. Once they’ve developed this library, they’ll use cutting-edge data analysis to identify what they’ve called critical risk indicators – quantifiable information associated with risk exposure, particularly for potential catastrophes. They’ll also employ machine learning to look for anomalies in the data that might lead to new insights. The researchers will then focus their efforts on identifying risk interconnections, and systemically important risk indicators across the different domains, in order to both predict potential hazards and to lessen the possible system-wide losses once they’ve occurred. Members of the team shared that they plan to examine known risk indicators and apply data science to identify new ones. As part of the project, the researchers will work with stakeholders in the relevant fields, in hopes that policymakers would incorporate their findings. Their goal is to help create early warnings for catastrophes and improve preparedness for devastating events worldwide. Previous Next Jun 3, 2020 OSS PRISM
- Arcfield Acquires Orion Space Solutions
Combination will deliver space superiority and resiliency solutions to U.S. government agencies CHANTILLY, Va., Nov. 29, 2023 — Arcfield, a leading government technology and mission support provider, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Orion Space Solutions (Orion), a Colorado-based developer of end-to-end space mission capabilities and solutions. The acquisition of Orion enhances Arcfield’s space exploration and hypersonic detection and tracking capabilities for agencies in the Department of Defense (DOD) and Intelligence Community (IC) by bringing expertise in sensor and payload design, SmallSat and CubeSat spacecraft integration and manufacturing, and space mission operations and data analysis to the company. Orion is a leader in atmospheric science, space exploration and research, and technology development. The company’s key capabilities include the design, integration, and assembly of SmallSats and CubeSats, as well as the development of sensors, computational models and data products for the space and ground network domains. Orion’s highly talented workforce, consisting primarily of engineers and scientists, develops novel technologies in support of our nation’s space security and environmental monitoring objectives. “Arcfield has a long history of delivering innovative solutions across the space domain, and we believe the acquisition of Orion enhances Arcfield’s ability to provide next-generation space technologies in support of DOD and IC missions,” said Kevin Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer, Arcfield. “We look forward to welcoming the Orion team into the Arcfield family and further developing our collective solutions.” “For nearly two decades, Orion has been developing space-based solutions for national security and intelligence mission challenges, built on a foundation of science,” said Geoff Crowley, Ph.D., chief executive officer, Orion. “As a leader in systems engineering and integration and space and mission launch assurance, Arcfield is highly complementary to Orion, and the combination will help us expand our core capabilities and develop new, cutting-edge space-based technologies for our customers.” Dr. Crowley has joined the Arcfield executive leadership team as chief scientist and will be responsible for leading the company’s space research and development efforts. Chad Fish has been named president and general manager of Orion, which will operate as the fourth business sector of Arcfield. Latham & Watkins LLP and Covington & Burling LLP served as counsel to Arcfield. Orion was advised by The Forbes M&A Group and represented by The Vaughn Law Offices, P.L.L.C. and Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar P.C. About Arcfield Arcfield was purpose-built to protect the nation and its allies through innovations in systems engineering and integration, space and mission launch assurance, cybersecurity, and conventional and hypersonic missile support. Headquartered in Chantilly, VA with 16 global offices, Arcfield employs more than 1,400 engineers, analysts, IT specialists, and other professionals with more than 60 years of collective proven experience supporting missions in cyber and space defense, hypersonic and nuclear deterrence, and warfighter readiness. Visit arcfield.com for more details. About Orion Space Solutions Founded in 2005, Orion was born from a vision to apply fundamental space physics knowledge to solve real-world problems encountered in the space environment. Today, skilled in data science, artificial intelligence, space systems, and mission operations, Orion is a "New Space" mission solutions industry leader serving U.S. government agencies, universities, and research and scientific institutions. Orion turns science into data, and data into knowledge. Visit orionspace.com for more details. # # # Press Contact: Katerina Figurski Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer 571.401.2155 katerina.figurski@arcfield.com Previous Next Nov 29, 2023 Arcfield Acquires Orion Space Solutions
- Orion Space Solutions supports CAPSTONE Program for NASA Moon Missions
Orion’s Chip Scale Atomic Clock provides critical positioning and tracking data for the CAPSTONE Moon Mission Louisville, CO, July 18, 2022 —NASA launched its Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) on June 28, as a part of the Artemis program, to study a specific orbit for the future Gateway lunar station. Led by Advanced Space, this mission is test driving orbital analysis that will enable NASA’s future exploration efforts. Orion Space Solutions (OSS) provides a critical satellite component that will support mission success. Space systems need reliable timing information when flying beyond well-understood orbits, into regions where GPS and other communication signals lose contact with Earth-based systems or control centers. Lacking the information provided by these standard communications, mission operators lose positioning and navigation knowledge and capabilities. The longer a system goes without updated information, the more likely it can drift away from its intended trajectory, resulting in higher potential for mission error or risk. To address this problem, OSS engineers developed the Chip Scale Atomic Clock, or CSAC, as an important part of the CAPSTONE experiment. CSAC is a precision clock able to provide critical positioning and timing data while the small satellite is in the near-rectilinear halo orbit, which is the planned orbit for the Gateway station to the moon on its future lunar mission. The low size, weight, and power of the CSAC system means it is easily integrated into CubeSats and other small satellites. Several OSS space-based programs use CSAC, giving the equipment flight-proven status. “OSS engineers and scientists develop space solutions that work,” says Mr. Erik Stromberg, OSS Senior Director of Special Programs. “With humans returning to the moon, CSAC’s ability to maintain positioning and timing data for any potential dropouts in signal are essential contributions to keeping astronauts and satellites safe for programs, such as CAPSTONE.” “CSAC will provide reliable timing information to maintain a highly accurate positioning indicator for when systems have a loss of communication or positioning for the CAPSTONE mission. While the halo orbit will not put the spacecraft behind the moon, allowing for stable communication back to Earth, no spacecraft has ever operated in the designated orbit for this mission before,” explains Mr. Gerald Thompson, Senior VP of Strategy. CAPSTONE is set to arrive at the moon in November, when it will begin its 6-month long primary mission. Previous Next Jul 17, 2022 Orion Space Solutions supports CAPSTONE Program for NASA Moon Missions
- WILL ARMIJO
Previous Next WILL ARMIJO VP, Space Systems Will is the vice president of space systems in the Space Systems division at Orion Space Solutions. During his ongoing tenure at Orion, Will served as director and eventually vice president of the Program Management Office (PMO) before leading the space systems portfolio of missions. Prior to working at Orion, he served a variety of roles at Sierra Nevada Corporation, including production manager for the company’s space systems group and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance business areas. Will contributed to missions for Department of Defense and civilian customers, ranging from integrated satellites and spacecraft subsystems for low Earth orbit, geostationary Earth orbit, and planetary missions to aircraft sensor suites. Will was deployed as a civilian contractor to Edwards Air Force Base as part of a two-year test and demonstration of the Dream Chaser space plane, which resulted in a successful approach and landing test. As part of this team, Will served as the lead logistics officer for the on-site team using facilities at Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center. As the vice president of space systems, Will manages the space vehicle portfolio of programs at Orion. He is directly responsible for the portfolio’s overall health and execution against schedule and cost. In addition to portfolio management, Will is responsible for multiple departments and personnel at Orion, including the PMO, systems engineers, software engineers and Mission Operations Center engineers. Will holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
- CHAD FISH
Previous Next CHAD FISH President and GM Chad Fish was named president and general manager of Arcfield’s Orion Space Solutions (Orion) sector following its acquisition by Arcfield in November 2023. As president and general manager, Chad leads an expert team of scientists and engineers who develop novel technologies in support of our nation’s space security and environmental monitoring objectives, specifically focused on the design, integration, and assembly of SmallSats and CubeSats, as well as the development of sensors, computational models and data products for the space and ground network domains. Chad joined Orion in 2017 and served as its chief operating officer for six years. In this role he led program and business operations and strategy across the company before it’s successful sale in 2023. Prior to joining Orion, Chad served as chief technical officer and then chief operating officer at OmniEarth Analytics. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of roles including branch manager, principal investigator, program manager, and systems engineer within Space Dynamics Laboratory’s civil and military space divisions, as well as held the role of director of space instrumentation in the Center for Space Engineering at Utah State University (USU). Chad holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from USU and has been a research professor at the university since 2014.