Tucson’s Phantom Space signs deal to send tiny data-collecting satellites into space
Phantom Space Corp., the Tucson-based rocket and space applications company, will be providing three dedicated launch missions for satellite manufacturer Quub Inc. under a new agreement.
Under the deal, Pennsylvania-based Quub will be able to put more than 80 satellites into low earth orbit for each launch. Phantom Space will provide all needed preparation services — such as handling regulatory, technical, insurance and schedule requirements — for each launch. In addition, Phantom Space said it will help Quub design launch profiles.
Phantom Space Chief Operating Officer Mark Lester said his company’s slate of launch services offers Quub the advantages of reducing operational and technical risks, shortening timelines between satellite production and on-orbit revenue generation, provides control over access to space.
“Providing dedicated full-service launch services to businesses like Quub is a great example why Phantom was founded,” Lester said in a statement. “Supplying affordable on-demand launch to companies that previously relied upon ride-share is a value proposition that will accelerate the space economy.”
Phantom Space was founded in 2020 and has already signed mission contracts with NASA. The company has said it plans to launch orbital flight by the end of 2023, and late last year, it announced that development of its Daytona rocket achieved a major milestone with a successful 60-second hot-fire test.
Quub emerged from stealth mode this year with the announcement of a couple of contracts from the Air Force. It describes itself as a data company rather than a space company and said it provides analysis of the data it collects.
Its payload of lightweight “micro-satellites” whose sizes are measured in centimeters will track natural resources to monitor the vital signs of the earth’s climate much like a smartwatch tracks its wearer’s stats. Plans call for putting a constellation of 400 earth observation satellites into orbit in as little as 36 months.
Quub also said its satellites can gather national security information that is valuable for defense and intelligence applications.
The company called the deal with Phantom Space “a game changer” that will allow it to pick its own launch dates and orbits without having to wait for a ride-share.
“Now we can more quickly and efficiently achieve our goal to provide space-based data to mitigate the effects of climate change on our planet. Phantom’s team has broad and extensive experience in both launch and satellite services, which allows Quub to focus on providing data to its customers,” Quub CEO Joe Latrell said in a statement.
The location of each launch hasn’t been specified, but they will take place at Phantom sites at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska and/or Arnhem Space Centre.
Phantom Space was co-founded by Jim Cantrell — who was previously the first vice president of business development at SpaceX and who also worked at the French Space Agency and at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.