E-Space is a

satellite communications A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. ...

company. Created by

Greg Wyler Gregory Thane Wyler is an American tech entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor. He was the founder and executive chairman of OneWeb satellite constellation, OneWeb and the founder of O3b Networks. Business ventures Wyler spent four years develop ...

, E-Space satellites are designed to form a "constellation" of small satellites designed to resist fragmenting if struck in orbit. The company has said that its satellites have also been designed to clean up small pieces of orbital debris, as well as to provide communications services to governments and businesses. It launched its first three demonstration satellites in May 2022.

History

E-Space was publicly launched in 2022 by satellite and space entrepreneur

, who previously founded

OneWeb OneWeb Communications Ltd., doing business as Eutelsat OneWeb, is a subsidiary of the French group Eutelsat providing broadband satellite Internet services in low Earth orbit (LEO). The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in P ...

and

O3b Networks O3b Networks Ltd. was a network communications service provider building and operating a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation primarily intended to provide voice and data communications to mobile operators and Internet service prov ...

. Based both in France and the United States, the company was created to form a network of inexpensive, small satellites to provide services to governments and businesses. At launch, it raised $50 million from Prime Movers Lab and other investors. In February 2022, Wyler told the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' that E-Space would launch up to 100,000 satellites in orbit within a decade, and that their satellites were the "first to be designed to clean space." He said that E-Space technology enables their satellites to collect orbital debris. He also said E-Space satellites are designed to be resilient to a chain reaction of orbital collisions known as a Kessler event. E-Space's first three demonstration satellites were launched via

Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corporation is a Public company, publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and List of launch service providers, launch service provider. Its Rocket Lab Electron, Electron orbital rocket launches Small satellite, small satellites, and ha ...

launch vehicles in May 2022. As of August 2022, the company had filed for 300,000 satellites through the country of

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. In November of that same year E-Space also became one of the first companies in the world to be listed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's official satellite registry, thus providing legal permission for E-Space to provide land communications traffic in that country. In December 2022, E-Space announced its first acquisition with the purchase of CommAgility, a unit of the publicly traded company Wireless Telecom Group that specializes in cellular and satellite signal management.

Technologies

E-Space satellites are smaller than most other commercial satellites, and are designed to "crumple" if struck in space. The satellites are also designed to collect space debris, and to automatically deorbit at the end of their lifespans to prevent leaving additional debris.

References

{{reflist Communications satellites