SabreSat Orbital Drone
A New Breed of Satellite
Whether your mission requires persistent, high-resolution imagery or resilient communications, Redwire’s highly flexible SabreSat VLEO platform delivers.
Built in the United States and designed for performance, endurance, and cost-effectiveness, SabreSat can be produced in volume to meet the needs of large constellations.
OVERVIEW
SabreSat Product Information
| Size (Stowed/Unstowed) | Modular |
| Payload Size | 100 cm x 80 cm x 40 cm |
| Payload Mass | ~200 kg |
| Total Spacecraft Weight | ~400 kg |
| Power Available | Orbit & Configuration dependent, up to 5,000 W OAP (EOL) |
| Propulsion | Electric or air-breathing (optional) |
| Orbital Altitude | > 150 km |
| Mission Lifetime | Up to 7 years |
| Mission Applications | ISR, Communications, Navigation, Earth Science |
REDWIRE + VLEO
Redwire's Digital Engineering Delivers Confidence for an Untapped Orbit
Digital engineering support included ahead of spacecraft production
Explore a variety of mission use-cases through live simulation of your constellation
Manage and optimize for atmospheric drag
Advanced link budget simulation to ground stations and space relays
Optional Air-Breathing Engine
DARPA’s Otter Mission
Redwire is leveraging its SabreSat VLEO spacecraft design for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Otter program.
The mission will demonstrate cutting-edge “air breathing” electric propulsion technologies that harvest low-density air while in flight to use as fuel to extend satellite operations and enable true maneuverability without regret.
Phantom
Phantom is built in Belgium and designed to enable a wide variety of intelligence, Earth science and communications missions in VLEO. Phantom is designed to operate for up to five years on orbit, enabling sustainable and cost-effective missions.
The European Space Agency is leveraging Redwire’s Phantom platform for their Skimsat program, which aims to boost sustainability and mission performance while reducing mass and overall mission cost through the use of VLEO.
Skimsat
For the European Space Agency
“Skimsat stands to completely change the Earth observation market by challenging the traditional use of high altitudes that avoid air drag and by creating a new business model for high resolution imaging by using short lifetime and lead time and thus offering the market the benefit of more cost-effective satellites,” said Andrew Stanniland, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in the U.K.
Together with Thales Alenia Space, Redwire is studying the use of VLEO for the European Space Agency’s Skimsat program.
Skimsat is a VLEO satellite that aims to significantly reduce the cost of Earth observation while increasing performance by operating at substantially lower altitudes.