IoT provider, Hiber Buys CubeSat Propulsion

Green bi-propellant propulsion developer Dawn Aerospace and IoT provider Hiber have announced a contract for the Hiber-3 and Hiber-4 satellites. Both satellites are scheduled for launch in early 2020.

Dubbed the ‘HiberDrive’, Hiber have contracted a brand-new Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS), miniaturized to 1U.

The deal was backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Netherlands Space Office via the ARTES programme.

Hiber launched their first two satellites, Hiber-1 and Hiber-2 at the end of 2018, which are currently in the demonstration and validation phase. The company plans to grow the constellation to serve growing demand of the Hiberband, with all future satellites boasting the HiberDrive.

“Being a responsible operator, constellation longevity with minimal impact on the space environment is extremely important for us,” said Erik Wienk, Hiber COO. “The new HiberDrive means we can easily avoid space debris, increase CubeSat lifetime by raising orbit and perform complex orbital manoeuvres with low power usage, whilst keeping our constellation online and guaranteeing high customer service levels.”

Dawn’s chemical propulsion gives around 1000x higher thrust than electric alternatives, meaning complex manoeuvres can be performed with short notice, powerfully and within a single orbit.

Space debris is becoming a serious issue. With more than 250,000 pieces under 2cm currently untracked in low Earth orbit, risk of the Kessler syndrome is very real. Dawn’s high performance propulsion means Hiber have ability to avoid such debris as well as control end-of-life de-orbiting.

“The total size of the integrated AOCS has been brought down to 1U. It is revolutionary to the CubeSat market”, said Maarten Engelen, Hiber CTO. “There are alternatives out there, but nothing that suit a 3U CubeSat like this”.

By choosing 3U form factor satellites, Hiber’s launch costs have halved. These savings allow Hiber to create a larger, faster, cheaper IoT network - passing benefits and savings back to customers.

"As many SmallSat constellations target services related to telecommunications, IoT, asset or frequency monitoring, ESA Telecommunications welcomes the development of HiberDrive”, said Frank Zeppenfeldt, Technical Project Manager at ESA. “This AOCS takes into account emerging regulations related to SmallSat deployments and responsible use of orbital resources."

The High performance propulsion and miniaturized components has been key to getting the Hiber constellation online much faster and with much more capability than any other small satellite constellation. Hiber have lauded Dawn’s ability to create a tailored propulsion system in a short time frame as well as provide support to integrate the system into the Hiber satellite bus.

Hiber was recently named Dutch National Icon, 2019.