Craig Technologies Aerospace Solutions, LLC has been awarded a contract to provide payload integration and operations support to NASA and other federal agencies.  In addition to government agencies, the company will provide satellite launch support to commercial customers both nationally and globally.

Craig Technologies Aerospace Solutions (Craig) will provide turnkey services to manage and perform the work for the successful integration and on-orbit operations of payloads using the Space Stations Integrated Kinetic Launcher for Orbital Payload Systems (SSIKLOPS or “Cyclops”) or other research platforms.

The Cyclops is a mechanism used to robotically deploy satellites from the International Space Station (ISS) and is designed to provide a method to transfer internally stowed satellites to the external environment. The Cyclops is designed to provide a common payload interface and to accommodate payloads up to 150kg. Cyclops fills the payload deployment gap between small CubeSat launchers and major payloads enabling a whole new range of payload possibilities.

Craig’s capabilities include operation, engineering, and manufacturing to provide full lifecycle payload support.  This Mission Operations and Integration offering complements the capabilities established while developing a successful ISS flight test platform focused on additive manufactured payloads, in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

With evolving regulatory framework expected to propel market demand, the global nanosatellites and microsatellites market is expected to reach between $5-$7B by 2025 according to multiple reports by market research organizations.  The term “microsatellite” or “microsat” is usually applied to the name of a satellite with a wet mass between 10 and 150kg (22 and 330lb). Nano and microsatellites are the fastest growing segments of the satellite industry. Their ‘ease to build’ and lower operating and manufacturing costs are making them immensely popular in civilian and military applications.

“Craig Technologies is excited to participate in growing the commercial LEO market through utilization of ISS resources which allows us to provide a lower-cost alternative to the launching of microsatellites” said Carol Craig, founder and CEO.