Ashburn, VA & Milan, Italy, March 30^th 2021 – Leaf Space and LEOcloud announced today they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a go to market and services integration strategy that will enable end users to connect to satellite data suppliers and operate in a seamless hybrid cloud environment at the Space Edge.

Since Leaf Space’s inception in 2014, the company has focused on developing robust ground station services and technology with the goal of creating the most efficient and valuable ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) solutions available on the modern space market. The company has achieved great success working in partnership with over 15 customers including Astrocast, D-Orbit, and the European Space Agency (ESA) to increase performance and availability of crucial data while simultaneously lowering costs and decreasing latency.

LEOcloud’s Space Edge mission and strategy is to bring hybrid cloud edge computing services as close as possible to the satellite-sourced data, or data collected from remote regions of the world. End users can then operate their business or mission critical services or applications in a seamless hybrid cloud environment, and realize the lowest latency possible for conversion from raw to monetized or actionable data. LEOcloud’s point and click approach for the end user will enable the reservation of dynamic and scalable virtual Space Edge computing resources, cloud services, and satellite data sources.

To deliver a seamless Space Edge hybrid cloud environment, LEOcloud will deploy Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, that’s purpose-built for the age of hybrid innovation and delivers a consistent experience across all environments, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Red Hat OpenShift is optimized for developer productivity and innovation.  With Red Hat OpenShift as the foundation, users will be able to run LEOcloud services across the entirety of the hybrid cloud, including at the edge, unlocking more speed, agility and flexibility.

The integration of Leaf Space and LEOcloud services will provide a seamless hybrid cloud environment where organizations can gain a competitive or operational advantage by reducing the latency for intelligent insight, decisions, and transactions with the highest assurance of security and availability for global commercial, government, and military customers.

“Through our collaboration with Leaf Space we can address a strong growth market for satellite sourced data that is intersecting with the promise of edge computing,” said Dennis R. Gatens, CEO and president of LEOcloud. “While LEOcloud’s focus today is on the Space Edge, our vision is to ultimately push the edge into space.”

“Having access to data from space assets quickly and reliably is absolutely critical to the success of space missions,” said Jonata Puglia, co-founder and CEO of Leaf Space group. “This new integration with LEOcloud further enhances Leaf Space’s ability to support satellite and launch operators with our industry leading GSaaS solutions. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a forward-thinking company like LEOcloud, that is truly on the bleeding edge of innovation in space.”

According to NSR’s recent report “The Global Space Economy”, report author and NSR Principal Analyst Brad Grady said, “The commercial space economy is predicted to be over $1 Trillion in cumulative revenues between 2019 to 2029. Ranging from business models looking to commercialize crew and cargo missions to near-earth orbits, to emerging Earth Observation-based Data Analytics opportunities the ‘as-a-Service’ business models have arrived for within the Space and Satellite Markets.”

About Leaf Space

Leaf Space is pioneering the concept of ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) for forward-thinking satellite and launch operators around the world. Since its inception in 2014, Leaf Space has focused on developing the highest quality ground station services and technology with the goal of creating the most efficient and valuable ground segment solutions available on the modern space market. Leaf Space is based in Lomazzo, Italy with additional offices in the United States, and is funded by RedSeed Ventures, Whysol Investments, and Primo Space. For more information, please visit: leaf.space.

About LEOcloud, LLC

LEOcloud believes the intersection of cloud and space will bring great benefit to commercial and government organizations.  Our vision is to go beyond the integration of terrestrial cloud and space-based services, by bringing cloud services to the space edge and ultimately LEO in order for our customers to realize the lowest latency, highest availability and strongest security for their business or mission critical applications and services.  LEOcloud has offices in the United States and Italy.

Red Hat and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries.

MARCH 2021 – Leaf Space, a leading provider of ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) solutions, announced today that the company is expanding to the United States and will support their rapidly growing list of U.S.-based customers while also adding new ground stations to existing infrastructure. Headquartered in Lomazzo, Italy, Leaf Space enables full exploitation of space data to satellite and launch vehicle operators.

The selection of an optimal ground station site is critical for a successful space mission or service. This article discusses some of the factors that need to be balanced in this decision, and was developed in collaboration with Leaf Space, a participant in the satsearch membership program.

Without stable, consistent, and cost-effective access to in-space assets for data exchange and control, a satellite operator cannot develop a reliable service.

The geographic location of the ground segment (whether of an individual station or a network of antennas in different parts of the world) is a critical aspect of its performance.

In this article we take a look at what factors make a good site for a ground station, based on the knowledge and experience of Tommaso Randolfi, Sites Manager at satsearch member company and ground station network operator Leaf Space.

Cover image: antennas at the Gilmore Creek ground station located at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facility near Fairbanks, Alaska. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Clare Skelly (“Near Earth Network Ground Antenna” by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is licensed under CC BY 2.0).

Basic ground station site requirements

For very simple operational requirements a ground segment could function effectively with just enough space to install, operate and maintain a 3-5 meter antenna. The entire site could be as small as 15-30 square meters and it could be situated on a rooftop, provided there isn’t too much interference, which can occur in any location or facility for a variety of reasons.

In contrast, existing teleport sites are very large and grow in stages driven by market needs. Many older sites were not developed with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications in mind. LEO coverage requires good horizon availability so that data transfer can be maximized and it is possible to track satellites effectively.

Many previously built sites have never needed this capability and are situated in hilly or mountainous regions that limit their ability to scan the horizon, and so offer satisfactory coverage for LEO satellites.

There are several sites currently in development that are primarily for LEO customers, specifically in Europe, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and a few other locations. Interest from local teleport operators with suitable sites is also increasing as the market develops.

Whether for LEO or other applications, any good ground station site requires certain key features in order to provide an effective datalink to space.

• Power supply – this must be robust, reliable and cost-effective. This is rarely a significant barrier to a new location in most parts of the world however.
• Internet connection – a stable internet connection is vitally important, and this is not always straightforward to achieve for sites based in remote areas.
• Safety – security in terms of weather or climate disruption, natural disasters, and civil unrest are key considerations in some parts of the world.
• Access – the station must be possible to access (both remotely and in-person) when required.
• Pollution and interference – a lack of radio noise pollution is highly desirable and the lack of harmful interference is mandatory.
• Local expertise – access to local expertise is very desirable, from both a service quality and regulatory compliance standpoint.
• Ability to be flexible – in order to adapt to changing end user requirements, technology capabilities, and other factors that could affect future operations.
• Longevity – the site must remain effective at least for the mission timelines, but ideally for much further into the future where the aim is to develop a professional service.
• RF allocation and compatibility – the site should be located in a country or region where frequency allocations reflect the end users’ operational parameters.

Some of these factors are straightforward to assess, but for others there is more subjectivity and detail involved that can affect the decision of a ground segment location. These are discussed in more detail below.

The importance of local knowledge

Trusted contacts in key target locations are very important for the success of any ground station operation.

We have previously discussed with Leaf Space the processes involved in acquiring a license for ground station operations, a set of activities in which local contacts and knowledge were clearly highlighted.

A ground station license is required in every country that the mission will operate in, and these may need to be acquired in a relatively short period of time.

Regulatory requirements differ from country to country – some closely match the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) frameworks while others have slightly different policies. Those with local expertise can help understand the idiosyncrasies.

Leaf Space has found that this is a crucial area for the NewSpace market, where innovative technologies and new market entrants are attempting to develop missions and service concepts that don’t always follow traditional processes.

In some segments of the NewSpace market there is a lack of well-defined standards that can simplify the licensing process. Such areas include;

• The number of satellites necessary for an effective constellation,
• The frequencies that must be used for a specific service, and
• The evolution of satellite technologies.

For example, satellites that have traditionally used the X-band or S-band frequencies may change to higher power frequencies as new solutions become available.

The ground segment needs to keep pace with such upgrades and be versatile enough to meet varying requirements for existing technologies.

With these needs in mind, when it comes to the optimal selection of a ground station site it is local contacts that could help ensure a location can be developed that is fit for purpose.

In addition to local professionals who can help simplify regulatory and licensing compliance, access to experienced teleport operators and maintenance personnel is also very important for successful operations.

Ongoing site management and monitoring

An experienced teleport operator will understand how the ground segment as a service model works and has the capability to get a site up and running quickly and cost-effectively.

This is most easily done by deploying or re-deploying antennas at existing facilities, though compatibility and upgrade paths are a challenge.

It is important that a trusted solution is also in place for monitoring the sites in a network while in use.

Effective hardware and software monitoring brings benefits to both the local teleport operator and ground station manager – reducing the maintenance burden on both parties and reducing service disruption.

The development of interconnected and automated systems that can communicate with scheduling systems is enabling teleport operators and ground station network managers to offer a very efficient and high level of service to their clients.

In addition, trusted partnerships with experienced operators give ground station managers and end users the right level of support in the event of a problem.

Such partnerships take time to develop, but there is no substitute for local expertise. This is true for one site or for a distributed network of facilities.

Optimizing a geographic network

As can be seen, there are many factors that need to be considered when choosing the ideal site – and no one location may be able to satisfy all requirements, particularly where high pass rates or data capacities are required.

Instead, satellite operators often need to consider how best to develop or access a network of ground stations that will enable them to meet their service’s requirements.

This approach however brings with it certain challenges in terms of the geographic distribution and number of ground stations needed.

A network differs from a standalone station in two ways; firstly it requires coordination between individual ground stations or antenna sites, and secondly it must be flexible enough to serve different clients in different ways, unless the entire network is dedicated to a single service.

Coordination is largely an operational challenge that depends on the network owner’s expertise, experience, and personnel.

Flexibility, on the other hand, is dictated by satellite operator and end user needs. Their goals and objectives should be taken into account at all stages of a ground station network’s development or when creating service agreements.

Leaf Space actively works with operators to consider how orbits and the market will evolve in the future, and how this can enable companies to better deploy resources.

As an example, there are companies developing satellite data transfer aggregation in some fields that can act as a ‘space hub’ for one or more orbits. If successful, the ground segment developed to support such services will be able to optimize coverage and security for the hub, as opposed to for the entire constellation or collection of in-orbit satellites that communicate with it.

Alongside such strategic considerations, the mission or service launch timelines also determine the geographical distribution and number of ground stations needed.

If speed is important it is likely that operators will need to leverage existing sites that are immediately available, but that are not necessarily in the optimal locations. In this situation it is possible that a larger number of sites will be needed to get the same coverage.

If timescales are longer, or there is some flexibility in them, further site research into the optimal geographic distribution can enable a reduction in the number of stations required.

One of the primary geographic considerations is the choice of polar or non-polar orbital operations.

In general, a polar station gives greater visibility – particularly for Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). However this has made them highly popular with satellite operators and is causing greater need for coordination and aggregation.

A ground station site network operator should be able to advise you whether this will become an issue for your particular mission, service, or frequencies. As they should for other factors that may impact the site in the future.

Preparing for the future when planning ground station sites

Optimal ground station sites will be in locations that can work effectively for a long time. It is important to understand how a site could develop over the years before committing significant resources to it.

For example, nearby towns and cities could expand, new roads or railways might disrupt the location, or weather patterns could threaten access.

Alongside such possible physical interference comes the threat of electromagnetic interference.

New technologies such as satellite internet, Internet of Things (IoT), or 5G networks could have an impact. Coastal sites may be affected by existing maritime monitoring systems, and there may also be some effects due to terrestrial radio and television signals.

Most service providers are not just looking for sites where they can park a ground station for a couple of years after launch; they need locations that will remain free from interference, provide adequate coverage, and maintain operations for a service that could evolve into something much greater over time.

As orbits and coverage requirements change the ground segment will need to adapt accordingly.

There are also startup companies all over the world that are currently developing new technologies or service concepts that need to work with existing infrastructure and regulations.

The pace of change is putting greater demands on ground station operators, from both an operational and compliance perspective.

This is particularly important where experimental satellites and networks are concerned. The norms, standards, and technology requirements aren’t always well-defined in such applications (where they exist at all) and the ground segment needs to be flexible enough to accommodate evolution in the market.

Pricing and business models

The market for many space-based services is still quite young so it is very important to find ground segment partners who can understand the offer to end users from a technical and commercial point of view.

There are several existing sites that have been created for specific purposes such as maritime monitoring, geostationary satellite communications, astronomy, cellphone connectivity, and so on.

Such facilities will meet many of the needs of newer satellite operators (in terms of reliability, connectivity, power supply, licensing experience etc.) but the technical operations and resources available are sometimes too specific and will not be compatible with new market needs.

This has a knock-on effect of complicating or slowing down commercial arrangements, possibly even forcing satellite companies to accept sub-optimal licensing and service agreements.

Teleport operators serving legacy clients in geostationary or other sectors may also have unrealistic expectations of prices for NewSpace customers.

On the other hand, some newer customers with limited experience of launching a space-based commercial service may have no reference for a sensible cost and could overpay on the ground segment.

The solution to such challenges is flexibility. Companies with the ability and willingness to pursue versatile pricing arrangements can find solutions that benefit both parties.

For example, in some circumstances a teleport interested in the commercial opportunities of the dynamic LEO market can reduce hosting prices for their clients through the use of revenue-share agreements.

Another important commercial consideration is the management of risk. A more distributed network can reduce risk and mitigate failure; rescheduling passages and reorganizing connectivity among stations spread around the world reduces the number of areas where errors could occur.

Existing ground station networks also provide customers with cost-savings due to economies of scale. It can cost hundreds of thousands of euros for a good tracking system for LEO. Investment at that level for a single satellite completing a few passes a day can be a misuse of resources.

In conclusion

The development of an effective ground segment is a challenge that scales with the complexity of your mission or service, and selecting the right ground station site is a key part of this.

For a very simple mission requiring sporadic passes at low data rates, a small piece of land with a decent internet connection could be sufficient on which to site the hardware needed.

But to ensure a professional service, or where complex missions require more extensive coverage, a ground station network is a great choice to both maximize resources and minimize risk and costs.

You can find out more about Leaf Space’s own distributed ground station network and ground segment-as-a-service at their satsearch supplier hub.

JANUARY 2021 – Leaf Space, the Italian ground segment as-a-service company focused on microsatellites, announced it has completed its Series A financing round of €5 million, bringing its total funding to €10 million. A contribution of €2 million came from Primo Space, the investment fund of Primomiglio SGR focused on investments in highly innovative companies in the space industry. The other €3 million of investment were between Whysol Investments, acting as lead investor, and RedSeed Ventures, an early-stage investor of the company that had already joined the equity round last spring.

Leaf Space will use the funding to further develop its ground segment services for microsatellite operators in the NewSpace economy and globally scale up its business. During the first trimester of 2021, the company plans to grow its operational ground stations from eight to 11 by deploying and activating stations in Sri Lanka, Canada and Australia. At the end of 2021, the company expects to have a total of 15 operational ground stations for its multi-customer Leaf Line service. In addition, the company will provide several other ground stations to its swiss client Astrocast, using the dedicated Leaf Key ground segment service.

Jonata Puglia, CEO and co-founder of Leaf Space said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Leaf Space. In a short space of time, Leaf Space has become an industry name and a key player in the NewSpace economy. It has shown to be capable of providing excellent ground segment services to satellite operators, from launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) all the way to decommissioning, but also in supporting launch vehicle operators. Having concluded this successful investment round shows the relative resilience of the sector, despite the ongoing pandemic, and allows the company to continue with its strong and swift development plan.

“Of course, we expect to see future challenges in the space industry as well as extraordinary projects with our customers, collaborators and partners, and we are proud to have Primo Space and our other investors on-board, who believe in our ambitious plans.”

Other developments in 2021 will include implementing services to further improve and simplify the operational use for customers and covering almost all of the protocols and communications schemes currently in use in the microsatellite market. This in turn will increase Leaf Space’s performance and capabilities to support future more complex mission.

Giorgio Minola, general partner at Primo Space said: “We believe that the ground segment is one of the most interesting sectors in the space economy and Leaf Space has already demonstrated its abilities to successfully operate in this arena. The funding provided to the company is aimed at enabling a significant global scale up of its service capabilities.”

The initial funding secured last spring allowed Leaf Space to kick-start the expansion of its infrastructure and service portfolio in 2020 with new ground stations in New Zealand, the Azores, North America and Bulgaria, in addition to extending the hardware and infrastructure already present in Spain and Italy. This expansion already enabled new missions and applications in the microsatellite sector.

Alberto Bitetto, founder and Chairman of Whysol Investments said: “In addition to completing the Series A funding, we increase our commitment and participation by entering Leaf Space’s board of the company. Our aim is to support the co-founders and management in accelerating the roll-out of the new infrastructure, the service evolution and the development of the client base, focusing on successfully competing  in the international New Space race.”

“Leaf Space will use the new resources to continue its expansion and consolidate its position in one of the most strategic and growing markets worldwide,” commented Elisa Schembari, Chairman of Leaf Space and managing partner at Redseed Ventures.

The ground segment services of Leaf Space currently support over 15 customers such as Astrocast, Pixxel, Virgin Orbit, D-Orbit and many others around the world. They use Leaf Space’s services to expand and consolidate their business, together with other important institutional customers such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Telespazio-Leonardo and the Indian Space Agency (ISRO). The continuous collaboration with high profile customers such as the ones mentioned, having high performance requirements, enable Leaf Space to improve and maintain the service at peak levels while maintaining maximum efficiency.

“The continuous development and improvement of Leaf Space’s services and technologies is of primary importance, facilitating and strengthening the already solid commercial base of the company,” said Puglia. “Most recently, the company has entered the telemedicine sector, with a pilot service to monitor Covid-19 patients at home based on satellite communication.”

Leaf Space’s ongoing network expansion aims to minimise latency of satellite data reception, managing to provide telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C). It also plans to provide downlink services to satellites in sun synchronous and equatorial orbit (SSO) at least once per orbit.

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Leaf Space S.r.l. is an Italian technology SME providing innovative Ground Segment services for microsatellites. The company was born from the vision of a group of aerospace engineers at the Politecnico di Milano: to build a “listening” network for microsatellites that could provide innovative and efficient services to satellite operators in the collection of data on the ground. The strategy of outsourcing the ground segment allows satellite operators to significantly reduce development and management costs by using the Leaf Line and Leaf Key services provided by Leaf Space.

The company has already been active in the market for several years, having activated communication services with various private and institutional space operators in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. More information about Leaf Space can be found at www.leaf.space

Primomiglio SGR S.p.A. is a technology venture capital investment firm, specialized in early stage investments. Primomiglio currently manages the Barcamper Ventures fund, the Barcamper Ventures Lazio fund in partnership with the Regione Lazio in the digital industry and the Primo Space fund which invests in the new space economy. www.primomigliosgr.it

Whysol Investments is an independent Investment Company specialized in the Energy Transition and Digital Transformation sectors. Founded in 2008 by Alberto Bitetto, with Giovanni Gios and Alberto Marcon, Whysol is specialized in club deals, with personal investment by partners. A model that enables direct investment in subsidiaries, operating with a hands-on approach and significant first-person involvement in asset and operational management.

RedSeed Ventures is an investment firm specialized in technology startups and SMEs, founded and managed by Elisa Schembari and Roberto Zanco. Among RedSeed’s shareholders are Roberto Italia, who since 2017 has been Chairman of Avio S.p.A., a leading Italian company in the launcher and space propulsion sector, and Space Holding, an investment firm that has listed Avio S.p.A. on the Milan Stock Exchange via a SPAC. RedSeed Ventures boasts a portfolio of seven innovative startups/SMEs. All the companies in its portfolio operate in highly technological sectors and are Italian, but serve global markets (in addition to the aerospace sector, RedSeed has invested in medical devices, industrial innovation, and the digital economy).

This is the latest upgrade to the Leaf Line ground station network, and Leaf Space will be continuing the expansion and upgrade of its infrastructure with COTS elements in order to increase even further its levels of performance, meeting always more demanding requirements in the New Space market.

Want to know more about Leaf Key? Head over to our dedicated web page!

Leaf Space, an innovative Italian SME in the world of the New Space economy, has signed an important contract with the European Space Agency and in consortium with H&S for the provision of remote service of medical data monitoring, useful for the care and diagnosis in the homes of patients with COVID-19.

The CARES project is led by Leaf Space, which is providing the integration of the remote monitoring health platform with the satellite telecommunication infrastructure to guarantee the service everywhere, including areas not adequately reached by terrestrial radio coverage, while project partner H&S will offer the tele-diagnostic platform, HealthPlatform, for the COVID-19 patients. The beta test of this technological application is to be conducted with medical personnel and structures on Italian territory.

More in detail, the telemedicine platform allows the almost real-time monitoring of medical data of patients at home, enabling remote diagnosis directly from any equipped hospital infrastructure. A physical platform dedicated entirely to the patient will allow her to receive the attention necessary for the course of the disease directly from her home, the place now recognized as essential for quarantine and/or for the course of recovery, using HealthPlatform’s Mobile HealthGate. These platforms communicate with the central database of Leaf Space’s partner, H&S, which analyzes the data and makes it available to doctors dedicated to the remote monitoring of patients.

These activities require a satellite backed telecommunication structure to reach every corner of the territory. Here the space telecommunication knowledge of Leaf Space comes into play, enabling the capture and distribution of the signals between the telemedicine systems and patients themselves. This system can reach patients located in every corner of the planet, including points that traditional terrestrial systems cannot reach or only reach with poor quality (e.g. due to increased demand on infrastructure’s capacity during lockdown conditions).
For this system to help to control and manage quarantined patients, capturing and distributing the signals transmitted by the telemedicine systems to the satellite and back to earth at the hospital must be a reliable and fast process. Patients potentially located anywhere can now rely on 24/7 monitoring compliant with current GDPR.

With this ambitious project, the applications of the New Space Economy are increasingly approaching solutions that have a direct benefit for the private citizen and actively contribute to the improvement of the Italian health system, placing it at the forefront of telemedicine solutions adopted to combat pandemics such as that of the current Coronavirus or to treat other pathologies at home.

About H&S

H&S was founded in 1989 in Piacenza (Italy) and since January 2020 is part of the e-health multinational CompuGroup Medical. H&S creates software and services for home healthcare, monitoring and collecting patient vital parameters, with advanced, certified, Telemedicine and Smart Compliance solutions. It has national and international customers. www.hes.it

About ESA

The European Space Agency is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organization with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programs and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
ESA Space Solutions aims at reaching commercial exploitation of space assets, data and capabilities addressing incubation, proving technical feasibility and business development. This includes the development of operational services for a wide range of users through the combination of different systems, and support in creating viable companies as well as to existing companies.

The brand new ground station has been installed at the site given the growing capacity request for passes over this area, in parallel with the activation of our customer Astrocast’s mission using the dedicated Leaf Key service at this location. In particular, this deployment features our newly developed and built ground station type, which focuses on a more compact and streamlined system capable of communicating in VHF and UHF. This kind of ground station also has the capability of supporting a parabolic dish for S-band communications in parallel with VHF and UHF.

With this new release, we further improve our Leaf Line capacity and nonetheless propose a innovative and competitive ground station model in the New Space market.

Feel free to contact us to receive more details on this system and on our unique Leaf Line service!

Please feel free to view it here!