Space for our Future

Space data as a service
  • SPACE DATA AS A SERVICE

xSPANCION

AAC Clyde Space is working on a 3-year project named xSPANCION, as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) ARTES Pioneer programme, to develop an innovative satellite constellation service, including the manufacturing of 10 spacecraft as part of our initial deployment.

In collaboration with our partners, we are developing an innovative Space Data as a Service (SDaaS) offering through the xSPANCION (Xtended Satellite Production ANd ConstellatIon OperatioNs) Pioneer project. The project, which kicked off in 2020, is structured as a public private partnership between ESA and the UK Space Agency and AAC Clyde Space with their partners .

xSPANCION is transformational. It lays the groundwork for AAC Clyde Space to provide space data and services quickly, at low cost, to organisations who are eager to harness the power of satellites to tackle problems on-earth, from climate change to maritime communications, without investing in space-based architecture or expertise themselves.

xSPANCION will address the global demand for simplified access to space to stimulate industry growth by catalysing a new generation of applications previously not possible.

The demand for space data is booming across the globe and through the xSPANCION Pioneer programme we shall enable greater access to this data, opening the doors to industry, governments, and academia.

Through xSPANCION we will develop an innovative satellite constellation service set to revolutionise the AAC Clyde Space SDaaS offering.

The need to utilise and access space infrastructure in a timely and cost-effective manner for a variety of space data users, without the need or desire to understand it, is increasing. Using a constellation of satellites, we can provide access to data through our SDaaS offering to users across the world, creating global or near-global coverage and connectivity. Connected to globally distributed ground stations, and even via inter-satellite links, these satellites can enable communications in unserved and underserved communities, enhance global monitoring and observation to greatly improve the timeliness of data. xSPANCION gives us the potential to revolutionise how we understand a wide array of environmental phenomena and generate new value within a variety of industries.

AAC Clyde Space are capitalising on the synergy created from working with leading industry specialists, Bright Ascension Ltd, the University of Strathclyde, D-Orbit UK, the Satellite Applications Catapult and Alden Legal UK, to create a truly unique service which will benefit our customers and end users.

 

 

We are collaborating with partners to:

  • Develop a step-change in the process for mission design and satellite production, incorporating end-to-end traceability and automation delivering high-volume capacity
  • Develop new technologies for future constellations, including responsive propulsion, enhanced power generation and intersatellite communication architectures.
  • Coordinate management of our licensing and launch at scale.
  • Utilise our on-orbit assets, our ground stations in the USA, Sweden and the UK, to collect and package data to our customers’ requirements through our constellation’s operations platform.
  • Enhance our SDaaS solution further for the safe and secure transmission of data, our focus is not only on collecting or processing satellite data but also safeguarding data from corruption, compromise, or loss.
  • Develop our customer interfaces, which will provide access through secure, cloud-based data portals and offer advanced data analytics capabilities to our clients.

These ambitious developments will be controlled by our innovative model-based system:

Outside the project, AAC Clyde Space intend to enter into customer service agreements for data delivery from this initial constellation.

AAC Clyde Space and our partners, have successfully completed the first phase of the xSPANCION project with a successful Preliminary Design Review, conducted jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA). Together with our partners, we will accelerate the project by kicking off the Spacecraft Manufacturing Preparation Phase.

The Manufacturing Preparation Phase is expected to be finalized by the end of 2022. It includes detailed design of constellation-ready spacecraft, development of digital production processes, constellation operations capability together with licensing, regulation, and more efficient launch coordination to deliver a step-change in capability to deliver constellations.

For further information visit artes.esa.int/projects/xspancion

xSPANCION will revolutionize our Space Data as a Service offering. It will allow us to significantly reduce the cost of every message collected, every image captured, supporting those business cases that to date have not been able to justify the capital expenditure to have hundreds of sensors in orbit. Fundamentally, our customers will no longer have to worry about how to access space, they can focus on how to enhance their core business. The xSPANCION project will catalyze a new generation of applications not previously possible.
Luis Gomes, CEO