Microsatellite for deep-space sensing planned by Blue Canyon Technologies and AFRL
NewsDecember 01, 2021
BOULDER, Colo. Blue Canyon Technologies has signed a contract worth $14.6 million with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build a small satellite bus for explorations beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit that can explore deep space, reaching past where most U.S. military satellites operate.
Under the terms of the agreement, Blue Canyon Technologies -- a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies -- will build a small satellite bus that will operate in cislunar space (the area around the Earth extending out to just beyond the moon’s orbit) while being able to host a broad range of payloads.
The bus is one piece of AFRL’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Micro-Satellite Bus (AgileSAT) Program. Work on the project is expected to be completed by early 2023.
