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NewSpace Systems (NSS) Builds First Commercially Funded, Ground-Up Space Focused Facility in Southern Africa

Not since the 80’s, when the South African Government established the Houwteq site, has there been a South African facility constructed from the ground-up to handle spacecraft manufacture, assembly, integration and test (MAIT). This makes the NewSpace Systems (NSS) commercially funded expansion, which encompasses the construction of a new facility designed from its foundations up to address the specific satellite manufacture and test requirements, a first in South Africa.

While NSS has continued to expand incrementally over the last several years, this latest expansion project will see the production capacity of NSS more than double, and makes provision for running several client-specific production lines in parallel. Through its support of five international constellation programs, in addition to numerous national and commercial missions, NSS has responded to its customers’ requests to scale in order to meet the rising global demand for its ADCS products.

NewSpace Systems laying the foundation of its new manufacturing facility.

In addition to its growing manufacturing facility in Cape Town, South Africa, the NSS innovation team has moved out to a second location nearby, where they have the benefit of dedicated laboratory areas for the R&D projects they are working on. There is also extensive co-development and project-specific activities which are being outsourced to the NSS teams based in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Mark Honeth

NewSpace Systems Opens Oceania Subsidiary

The incorporation of NewSpace Systems Limited (NSS NZ), a New Zealand based subsidiary of NewSpace Systems (Pty) Ltd., was officially concluded last month. According to Mr. James Barrington-Brown, CEO of the parent company, “geographical expansion is the next logical step as NewSpace Systems continues to grow its customer base and product line. Discussions with the New Zealand Space Agency, alongside academic and commercial organisations in the country, convinced us that New Zealand is the perfect location for accessing the rapidly growing opportunities in the Australasian and South-East Asian region”.

NewSpace Systems’ ISO 14644-1, Class 7, Certified Cleanroom Facilities, South Africa

Heading up the Oceania branch in the position of Managing Director is Mr. Mark Honeth. Mark, who is a former design engineer for the parent company, states “I’m very glad to be part of the NewSpace Systems team once again. When I started at [the parent company] six years ago, it was a fledgling company with only a handful of employees. It has since grown to be a global industry player, as is evident with the incorporation of our subsidiary in New Zealand. This step will enhance support of the company’s existing clients in the Asia-Pacific region, and opens up new opportunities to bolster New Zealand’s already impressive standing in the international space community. I look forward to exploring the possibilities in my new role.”

Currently NewSpace is sponsoring a PhD student from the Space Institute at Auckland University, who is a key local partner, and is working with NewSpace to develop a range of exciting new products including the next generation of Reaction Wheel Assemblies and various types of deployable spacecraft structures. According to Prof. Guglielmo S Aglietti, Professor of Space Engineering and Director of the Space Institute at Auckland University, “collaboration and cooperation between industry and academia is key to a thriving high-tech ecosystem in which cutting edge research and development creates valuable commercial opportunities.  Drawing on local as well as international talent will also strengthen connections with the global space economy and build a future-ready workforce for the benefit of the whole country. It is great to see successful international companies like NewSpace Systems establishing a presence in New Zealand. Their experience and capabilities will make a valuable contribution to our national space sector”.

NewSpace Systems Supplies ADCS

Client Spotlight: Synspective

On the 15th of December the StriX-a, the first in a constellation of 30 satellites planned by our partners Tokyo-based Synspective, was launched by Rocket Labs. The eventual constellation of 100-kilogram class spacecraft will generate synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery with a resolution of one to three meters. With the successful launch of ‘The Owl’s Night Begins’, we would like to congradulate the Synspective team again on this milestone.

Read Synspective’s Press Release for more details: https://synspective.com/news-press/successfully-reached-its-target-orbit/

(image credit: Rocket Lab)

NewSpace Systems Team 2020

Our team is growing!

Despite global adversity, 2020 has seen the NSS team grow by more than 26% as we scale to meet the recurrent demands of our customers. Furthermore, we are also currently hosting 5 interns, 4 at our facilities in South Africa and 1 at our facility in the United Kingdom. Needless to say, it’s been a challenging, yet exciting year

We are extremely proud of our employee’s relentless commitment to our values of Cooperation, Agility, Honesty, Respect & Dependability. #OnwardsAndUpwards 🚀

NewSpace Systems Supporting STEM

NSS Supporting STEM

We would like to wish the Grade 12 learners of Khanyolwethu Secondary School all the best with the start of their test exams today. Although it was a challenging year for these students, not being able to attend school for more than half of the year, we are so proud of the extra mile that these learners, teachers and their principal have gone to, to complete the final matric exams. Having worked with this school since 2017, the NewSpace team is excited to be able to continue our support through the sponsorship of critical educational material. #SupportingSTEM

NewSpace Systems Suppots Kineis

NewSpace selected to support Kinéis constellation

NewSpace Systems (NSS) has been down-selected by the Hemeria team to provide several of the ADCS products for the Kinéis constellation. This constellation of nanosatellites will be dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT).

”We are excited to announce that with the successful completion of the EQSR last month, the NSS team are now working closely with the Hemeria team on the qualification phase for this program” – says NSS CEO Mr. James Barrington-Brown

For more information on Hemeria visit: https://www.hemeria-group.com/en/

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Covid-19 Response

Dear Clients, Partners and Suppliers,

In response to the ongoing CoV-19 threat, on Monday evening the South African government announcement that a lockdown would be enforced for 40 days, effective from midnight on Thursday, 26th March 2020 until Thursday, 30th of April 2020. The NewSpace Systems team would thus like to use this opportunity to update you directly on the decisions we have taken to support government directives, while continuing to meet our clients dynamic ADCS requirements.

 We are currently liaising directly with clients to ensure that orders ready for shipment go out before mid-day Thursday, 26th March, while ongoing programmes are anticipated to experience minimal delays. However, we continue to carefully monitor the situation and are working closely with clients to keep them updated on any possible changes to their respective schedules. All staff, spanning Engineering, Product Support, Procurement, Sales and Admin, will be working remotely and remain at your disposal via email.

As relating to suppliers, in accordance with government directives, the NewSpace facility will be closed for the period of 27th March 2020 to 30th April 2020 and is expected to resume operations on the 4th of May 2020. As such, during this period of 27 March to 3 May, NewSpace will not be able to receive any onsite deliveries. However, our team will be in contact with the relevant suppliers directly to liaise shipment dates accordingly.

 As always, the NewSpace team remains committed to ensuring the mission success of our partners and would like to thank you in advance for your continued support and understanding!

Wishing you and your loved ones’ good health!

0126 MQ ret

NewSpace Secures Investment

MEDIA RELEASE

Kempton Park, February 2020

Schauenburg Ventures SA (Pty) Ltd, the South African arm of German based Schauenburg Ventures, has bought into NewSpace Systems (Pty) Ltd as of 29 January 2020.

Schauenburg Ventures SA (Pty) Ltd was established to enrich the product portfolio of the Schauenburg International – Africa Group as well as Schauenburg Ventures, focusing primarily on corporate ventures regarding highly innovative technologies available internationally and in South Africa. The recent significant share acquisition of NewSpace Systems (NSS) fits strategically with Stratosat Datacom (Pty) Ltd within the SCHAUENBURG International Group which provides turnkey satellite and wireless converged communication network solutions into Africa. Stratosat was one of the main contractors for the Meerkat project in the Karoo with the Department of Trade and Industry.

NSS is a world leader in the area of Microsatellite Attitude Control Solutions. With a focus on innovation and optimization, NSS delivers on high performance, remarkable reliability and cost efficiency, which has made it extremely successful in the international operational satellite constellation market. To date, NSS has supported more than 50 international customers, including 11 of the National Space Agencies.

“The investment from SCHAUENBURG will enable the accelerated growth of NewSpace Systems by supporting additional product development and the establishment of new facilities, which is needed to accommodate our rapidly growing customer base”, stated
James Barrington-Brown, CEO of NewSpace Systems.

“Vaalbara has been invested in and working with the NewSpace team for several years, and we are excited by the new partnership with the SCHAUENBURG International team. We view this as a pivotal moment in the growth, technological leadership and success of NewSpace globally. With new investment and support from SCHAUENBURG, NSS can tackle not only bigger challenges, but also find new ways to add more value to the satellite sector.” – Frederik de Ridder, Principle at Vaalbara and Interim Chair of the NSS Board of Directors.

“The acquisition of NewSpace, offers an interesting opportunity and strategic complement for our group. The investment gives us further access to this interesting technology segment with high potential for future business in the area of the new generation of satellite technology.” – Florian Schauenburg, CEO of SCHAUENBURG International Group

About SCHAUENBURG International
SCHAUENBURG International is a family-managed investor operating on an international level with a focus on acquiring majority shares in well-established and profitable industrial enterprises. Investments are made on a long-term basis with a buy and build strategy, paying regard to sustainability and trustful cooperation with the existing management teams. The SCHAUENBURG International Group focuses on companies that are leading in technological niche markets and that strengthen and/or reasonably supplement existing business domains.
More Information about Schauenburg International can be found at www.schauenburg.com

About NewSpace Systems
NewSpace Systems (NSS) is an advanced manufacturer of reliable, space-proven satellite sub-systems and components with offices in both South Africa and The United Kingdom. Particularly strong in the area of Attitude Control Solutions, and services such as high precision contract manufacturing, NSS’s focus on high performance and cost efficiency has made it extremely successful in the operational satellite constellation market. To date, NSS has supplied its products and services to more than 50 customers across 5 continents. Committed to delivering on the high-quality products and services that our customers expect, NSS has established state-of-the-art facilities in South Africa. These include ISO 14644-1 certified (class 7) cleanrooms and technicians, who are European Space Agency accredited. Representing a unique capability on the African continent, the NSS team utilises its more than 30 years of experience in the space industry to assist customers with their unique mission requirements.
More information about NewSpace Systems can be found at www.newspacesystems.com 

About Vaalbara
Vaalbara is a long-term and globally focused privately held investment company, with independent holdings in South Africa and the Netherlands.
More information about Vaalbara can be found at www.vaalbara.net

IAA Africa 2020 Postponed

Committed to the health and safety of our participants, speakers, exhibitors and conference employees, the IAA Africa Organising Committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the 1st IAA African Symposium on Small Satellites, which was scheduled to take place from the 11-14th of May in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

While this will come as a disappointment to many, this decision was made as a precautionary measure to ensure the wellbeing of all participants given the ongoing threat of CoV-19. The 1st IAA African Symposium on Small Satellites will now take place from the 10th-13th of May 2021. All registered participants, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors will be contacted directly by the IAA Africa conference organisers to discuss refunds and next steps regarding abstract submissions.

We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience that this postponement may cause, and should you have any further concerns, please feel free to contact our conference organiser on: 

Project Manager: Zelda Coetzee Email: zelda@zeldacoetzee.com 

In the interim, we wish you good health and look forward to hosting you in 2021.

Keep an eye on the IAA Africa website for updates: www.iaa-africa2020.co.za