SSMS Rideshare Slot
SAB Launch Services
A slot on the SSMS dispenser, which carries any combination from 1 kg CubeSats to 400 kg minisatellites.
Technical specifications
- Accommodation
- SSMS modular dispenser
- Passenger range
- 1 kg CubeSats to approx. 400 kg minisatellites
- Compatible vehicles
- Vega, Vega-C
- Typical orbits
- SSO and low Earth orbit
- Dispenser manufacturer
- SAB Aerospace, for ESA
- Integration
- SAB facility in Brno, then Kourou
About
The Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) is the modular dispenser that turns a Vega or Vega-C flight into a rideshare mission. Its modular design accepts practically any combination of passengers, from 1 kg CubeSats up to minisatellites of about 400 kg, arranged around a central column and on separate decks.
SAB Launch Services sells slots on SSMS missions and takes the passenger through the whole process: mechanical and electrical interface definition, provision of the deployment hardware, integration of the spacecraft into the dispenser, shipment to the launch site, launch campaign support and post-flight services. The dispenser itself was designed and manufactured for ESA by SAB Aerospace, the group the company belongs to.
A rideshare slot is the usual route to orbit for a CubeSat or microsatellite operator who does not need a dedicated flight.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.