Spaceflight’s Sherpa-NG OTV program also a finalist for the publication’s 2021 Satellite Technology of the Year award

Spaceflight Inc., the leading global launch services provider, today announced that it was named one of Via Satellite’s 10 Hottest Companies in Satellite for 2022. The company’s Sherpa-NG orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) program is also a finalist for Via Satellite’s 2021 Satellite Technology of the Year (STOTY) award. In 2021, Spaceflight launched three Sherpa OTVs, including its first Sherpa-FX and the industry’s first electric propulsion OTV, Sherpa-LTE1. Individuals can vote for STOTY nominees until noon ET on March 22: https://www.satellitetoday.com/vote.

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Spaceflight Inc. Named One of Via Satellite’s 10 Hottest Companies for 2022 (Graphic: Business Wire)

“We are honored to be recognized for a year in which we achieved industry firsts, proved new technologies, and created revolutionary mission plans amid persistent uncertainty and shifting expectations,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. “Our team remained committed to our customers and their missions, continuing to provide reliability and flexibility through our innovative products and services, including Sherpa-NG. In 2021 we delivered unparalleled innovations to the marketplace, and I am excited about the pioneering groundwork we’ve laid for next year, especially for our Sherpa missions beyond LEO.”

Via Satellite’s editors selected Spaceflight as one of the 10 Hottest Companies based on expected activity in 2022 and traits such as generating industry excitement, expanding market share, making ground-breaking deals, and innovating transformation technology. The selection of Sherpa-NG as one of six finalists for Via Satellite’s STOTY award distinguishes Spaceflight and its Sherpa technology as innovators disrupting the market, meeting significant market demand.

“The Satellite Technology of the Year award, less than five years old, goes from strength to strength. We had a record number of companies taking part in the process and the competition has been ferocious. There are so many great technology stories in our industry, that asking us to pick just one is getting harder each year. Our industry has a wonderful strength in depth from seasoned tech companies, to those starting out and trying to shake up the established order,” said Mark Holmes, editorial director at Via Satellite.

Spaceflight accomplished many noteworthy milestones in 2021, its 10^th year in business, including:

• Executed 11 launches, the most the company has performed in a single year and twice as many as it achieved in 2020
• Launched 81 spacecraft, totaling 1,997 kilograms, from nine countries and averaged 40 days between launches
• With 100% deployment success, launched three Sherpa OTVs across two missions in six months, debuting two models of the Sherpa-NG program – the free-flying Sherpa-FX and Sherpa-LTE, the industry’s first electric propulsion OTV
• Sherpa OTVs deployed 50 payloads for more than 15 different customers, representing more than 60% of all the spacecraft Spaceflight deployed in 2021
• Announced plans to launch its lunar-bound, bipropellant OTV, Sherpa-ES, on the GEO Pathfinder mission

2022 promises to be another remarkable year for Spaceflight, with approximately 20 planned missions across its diverse portfolio of launch vehicle partners. In January 2022, NASA named Spaceflight to provide launch services for the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) missions. The company also plans to debut the next two variations of its Sherpa-NG OTV family – Sherpa-AC, which augments base Sherpa-FX model with key capabilities including a flight computer, attitude knowledge & control, and an electrical power system, and Sherpa-ES which will launch aboard the much-anticipated quarter lunar slingshot mission, GEO Pathfinder.

About Spaceflight

As the premier global launch services provider, Spaceflight is revolutionizing the business of space transportation through its comprehensive suite of launch services and Sherpa® orbital transfer vehicles. The company provides unprecedented launch flexibility to ensure customers' smallsats get to orbit exactly when and where they want through a combination of long-standing relationships with a diverse portfolio of launch partners, innovative satellite integration capabilities, including flight and ground support hardware, licensing and logistics management, and extensive mission management expertise. Based in Seattle, Spaceflight has successfully launched hundreds of satellites and is a part of the Mitsui & Co., Ltd. portfolio, operating as an independent, U.S.-based company. For more information, visit http://www.spaceflight.com.

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