Nichols Martin
Blue Canyon Technologies has concluded the preliminary design review of a microsatellite for a program with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force.
The company said Wednesday it is working to design a microsat for DARPA’s Blackjack, a program that aims to integrate industry-based technology into low Earth orbit satellite constellations.
BCT used its FleXbus spacecraft architecture on the microsat to maximize payload capacity. The microsat is an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter, or ESPA, which means that it includes an adapter ring in the event of launches as a secondary payload on single-use launch vehicles.
Bill Schum, Blackjack program manager at BCT, said the review took 10 months of engineering work with partner entities.
The company will submit its proposal for the Blackjack program’s second phase after DARPA releases a finalized set of requirements.
