LOGAN, Utah — Blue Canyon Technologies won its largest constellation order to date, a contract with weather technology company Tomorrow.io.
Under a contract announced Aug. 9, Blue Canyon, a Raytheon subsidiary, will provide products and services for 18 Tomorrow.io cubesats. In addition to providing cubesat buses and payloads elements, Blue Canyon will support payload integration, conduct space vehicle testing and handle pre-launch mission operations services.
“Our CubeSat and components teams are looking forward to building at a larger scale, in a new facility, with improved payload interfaces and standardized designs,” John Carvo, Blue Canyon executive director of cubesats, said in a statement. “Raytheon Technologies’ continued investment has allowed us to increase inventory and acquire new testing equipment and facilities, so we can continue providing innovative products and the agility to move quickly to ensure rapid delivery to our customers.”
Tomorrow.io plans to begin gathering radar and microwave observations to feed weather models by the end of 2024.
Since the company was founded in 2016, Tomorrow.io has been focused on equipping small satellites with storm-tracking radars to improve weather forecasts. At least initially, microwave and radar instruments will fly on different satellites.
Blue Canyon has been expanding rapidly in recent years. Earlier this week, the Colorado-based small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider held a grand opening for its new cubesat factory in Boulder, Colorado. The 2,880-square-meter facility allows Blue Canyon to increase annual production from 50 to 85 cubesats, the company said in an Aug. 4 news release.