TrustPoint, an aerospace startup providing next-generation GNSS products and services, today announced the launch of its first satellite. The satellite, named “It’s About Time”, will allow TrustPoint to mature and demonstrate core technologies as they progress towards delivering GPS-independent global time and positioning services.
“This launch marks a pivotal moment for aerospace innovation,” said Patrick Shannon, CEO of TrustPoint. “TrustPoint’s new platform is the first commercially-funded, purpose-built PNT microsatellite. With this mission, we are expediting the impact of commercial technologies and innovation cycles on the world of timing and navigation, arguably one of the most far reaching and critical satellite services.”
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Maverick Space Systems, a leading launch services provider and rideshare aggregator, supported the launch of It’s About Time on SpaceX’s Transporter-7 Mission out of Vandenberg Space Force base in California late Friday evening. This first mission will focus on testing, calibration and optimization of TrustPoint’s pioneering microsat-compatible GNSS payload technology. After an initial commissioning period, TrustPoint will take control of the satellite and operate it through a series of tests and demonstrations.
“TrustPoint has shown that NewSpace strategies enable rapid execution for even the most critical space capabilities,” said Chris DeMay, TrustPoint COO. “The team delivered a spacecraft in eight months, an incredible feat achieved during a challenging economic climate, at the peak of the silicon shortage. This is a key milestone as we scale our production, constellation, and capability.”
In just a few years, TrustPoint’s constellation will deliver secure high precision time and positioning services at a fraction of the cost of comparable offerings. This capability will help fortify existing critical applications and enable the proliferation of nascent use cases in autonomous navigation, national security and smart infrastructure.
SOURCE: Businesswire