WASHINGTON \u2014 A Rocket Lab Electron launched the first satellites for a new constellation being developed by Open Cosmos that will use spectrum previously assigned to Rivada Space Networks.<\/p>\n
The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab\u2019s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:52 a.m. Eastern Jan. 22. It deployed two satellites into a circular polar orbit at an altitude of about 1,050 kilometers one hour and nine minutes after liftoff.<\/p>\n
The satellites are the first in a constellation being developed by Open Cosmos, a U.K.-based satellite manufacturer and operator. The company released few details about the design of the spacecraft or the overall constellation, other than that it will be used for telecommunications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis launch is a major milestone for Open Cosmos and a critical step in our mission to provide secure, sovereign connectivity for Europe and the world,\u201d Rafel Jord\u00e0 Siquier, founder and chief executive of Open Cosmos, said in a company statement after the launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese first satellites lay the groundwork for a resilient network designed to support governments, institutions and commercial partners with dependable space infrastructure when it matters most,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Open Cosmos is headquartered in the United Kingdom, the company has operations in several European countries, including Greece, Portugal and Spain. It said the satellites will be licensed and operated in Spain.<\/p>\n
The two satellites launched on Electron will be used for technology and operations demonstrations and serve as a proof of concept for the broader constellation. The company, which raised $50 million in 2023 to expand its Earth observation satellite business<\/a>, has not disclosed plans for future launches of the telecommunications constellation.<\/p>\n The satellites will operate in Ka-band frequencies using spectrum filings from Liechtenstein. That country\u2019s government announced Jan. 14 that it awarded those filings, previously assigned to Rivada Space Networks, to Open Cosmos.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision underscores Liechtenstein\u2019s commitment to making use of the frequencies allocated to us. We are pleased that, through this filing with Open Cosmos, we are putting them to good and effective use,\u201d said Hubert B\u00fcchel, Liechtenstein\u2019s minister for home affairs, economy and sport, in a statement.<\/p>\n The filings, deemed \u201chigh priority\u201d in terms of coordination with other networks, had previously been assigned to Rivada, which planned a 600-satellite constellation called Outernet to provide secure communications using laser inter-satellite links.<\/p>\n However, in the fall of 2024, Liechtenstein\u2019s Office for Communications rescinded Rivada\u2019s license<\/a> over what the company described as \u201ca difference of opinion about the timing of the deposit of a performance bond.\u201d<\/p>\n