When it comes to booking a launch for your smallsat, the team assigned to your campaign plays an important role in helping your mission succeed. However, all teams are not created equal, something you may have already learned first-hand if you’ve launched a spacecraft before. We’re taking a closer look at how Spaceflight’s launch support teams — one of our biggest differentiators, apply their unmatched experience to ensure your mission’s success. 

The Spaceflight Team

When it comes to having a team of experts support our customers, Spaceflight has built an all-star team. Time and time again, this team proves to be a critical advantage in getting your spacecraft successfully launched.

Our rideshare launch business encompasses many disciplines, and we’ve built a knowledgeable and streamlined team to support all facets. Our team has the perfect combination of depth and breadth of expertise with staff experience at NASA, Air Force’s Research Laboratory, Space Command, Operationally Responsive Space Office, Space Test Program, and Office of the Secretary of Defense Space Policy, DARPA, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Orbital ATK, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Space Systems Loral, Microsoft, Blue Origin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Spaceflight Laboratory and others. 

Our cumulative experience positions us well to successfully manage and launch your spacecraft. There isn’t much we haven’t seen. We are also proud of diversity and innovation in our workforce who are always challenging the status quo, looking for new solutions, and rolling up their sleeves to get the job done.

We offer rideshare launch options on nearly every rocket in the world, making us a launch vehicle and hardware agnostic company. We select the mission, adapters, and separation system that ensures successful delivery on orbit. Regardless if you’re launching on a Falcon 9, PSLV, Vega, Electron or other LV, we know the requirements and limitations of each and have years working with their teams. We utilize a program management approach that ensures our customers receive the technical, business, schedule, and risk management support required. A program management plan is in place that defines the structure and processes used at Spaceflight and captured in our Mission Planning Guide.

Here are a few examples of how our teams’ experience and expertise is put to work in support of customer launches.

Launch Vehicle and Mission Management: 

• Every launch has a Launch Director with 20+ years of experience, Including staff who’ve served in the Military and Space Operations Reserves, and have led DoD, NASA, and Commercial launches.
• Every launch vehicle has a dedicated Primary and Deputy Launch Vehicle expert.
• Every mission has a dedicated Mission Director.
• Every customer has a dedicated Mission Manager who is a reach back to our team members.

Mission Design and Engineering:

• Every mission has an Engineering Director with 15+ years of experience that includes the development of Commercial and DoD launch vehicles and specialized components.
• Every mission is designed by experienced Lead Designer/Engineer
• Our team offers an excellence in engineering and design of avionics, custom adapters, separation systems, and system analysis.
• We use highly effective, automated engineering tools to allow for real-time adjustments and what-if exercises to maximize the available capacity and “do no harm” requirements.
• Spaceflight has a state-of-the-art integration facility in the greater Seattle WA metropolitan area, sporting a clean room, customer integration area, and support equipment, which can support full-scale integration efforts.

Business Operations and Customer Engagement:

• We have extensive experience and long-term relationships with Commercial, International, DoD, and Civil space community.
• We’ve successfully executed all types of launch agreements tailored for various customer needs which allow for flexibility (giving customers the ability to switch launches and adapt to macro and micro changes if there are delays).
• We execute streamlined Firm-Fixed Price contracts because of very detailed insight to mission execution costs. We have executed more than 30 missions and launched 300+ spacecraft from 1U to 900kgs.
• We offer GSA and discount pricing for end-to-end services, which ensure no hidden costs.
• We have experts in FAA, FCC, and NTIA licensing and spacecraft transportation to help customers navigate these critical factors.

If you’d like to learn more about how the Spaceflight team supports customer missions, be sure to contact us at sales@spaceflight.com. We’d love to tell you more.