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True Anomaly Opens Satellite Manufacturing Facility for Surveillance Missions
Denver-based startup True Anomaly has recently launched a manufacturing facility in Centennial, Colorado, with the aim to produce small satellites designed for surveillance and reconnaissance in space. The 35,000 square-foot facility, called GravityWorks, will be used to manufacture the company’s spacecraft called Jackal, which is targeted towards the U.S. military and intelligence market.
The Jackal satellite, equipped with three cameras, is capable of performing various operations including rendezvous and proximity maneuvers, as well as servicing missions. The company plans to launch the first two Jackals to low Earth orbit in early 2024 onboard the SpaceX Transporter-10 rideshare.
True Anomaly has obtained licenses from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its Jackal vehicles to perform in-space surveillance. The NOAA license authorizes the company to conduct non-Earth imaging, while the FCC license allows for ground tests of Jackal transmitters and spacecraft-to-spacecraft rendezvous demonstrations with the two Jackal vehicles.
The non-Earth imaging license covers a range of sensor phenomenologies, including radar, shortwave infrared, longwave infrared, and visible wide and narrow field of view imagery. CEO Evan Rogers stated that this variety of sensors will enable the Jackal satellite to collect data even in challenging lighting conditions such as when the spacecraft is in Earth’s shadow.
The opening of the GravityWorks facility marks a significant milestone for True Anomaly. The company plans to utilize the new facility to produce a fully-tested, mission-ready satellite every five days, not only focusing on the Jackal vehicles but also other systems.
True Anomaly’s mission is to define the next generation of space security, and with the establishment of their manufacturing facility, they are one step closer to achieving that goal.
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