DHL Global Forwarding with Galactic Logistics Mission

DHL Global Forwarding transports an ION satellite platform from Milan to Cape Canaveral, Florida. In doing so, the logistics provider and the New Space Company D-Orbit tackle earthly challenges together and unlock galactic opportunities.

(Bonn) DHL Global Forwarding, the air and sea freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, typically transports goods that remain in the Earth’s atmosphere. However, DHL has now teamed up with D-Orbit, a specialized company that covers the entire lifecycle of a space mission for the first time – including logistics services. Together with the innovation team of DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation (CSI), the freight specialist has contributed tailored logistics to ensure that the ION Satellite Carrier can embark on its journey into space. The carrier platform developed and constructed by D-Orbit is scheduled to be launched into space in January 2021 from Cape Canaveral, the famous spaceport in Florida.

Excitement for Collaboration

Tim Scharwath, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight: “We are very excited about this collaboration for two reasons: First, D-Orbit shares our vision of reliable, safe, and sustainable logistics that connects people and improves lives. The company follows a clear guiding principle in developing its solutions: An intelligent, safe, and efficient orbital transport should enable an expansion of economic and human activities into space, which must be sustainable above all. Second, this project has only been made possible through interdisciplinary collaboration within the company. It provides a prime example of how we develop groundbreaking industry-specific solutions in close cooperation with our innovation experts at DHL CSI and implement innovation in practice.”

Space Logistics as an Emerging Niche

“With the emergence of satellite constellations and habitable stations, space logistics is becoming an emerging niche in the industry. While the fundamentals of logistics are the same on Earth and in space, significantly stricter regulations and extreme environmental conditions make the safe transport, storage, and delivery of materials and products beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and back a challenge,” says Mario Zini, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Italy. “We are proud to support our partner D-Orbit in this important mission. Space logistics will certainly gain significant importance in the coming years, which is why we have addressed the topic in our current DHL Logistics Trend Radar for the first time. Huge opportunities are emerging for service providers active in this sector. We firmly believe that we can develop groundbreaking and sustainable solutions, especially for the transport and storage of the future.”

Earthly Challenges and Galactic Opportunities

The ION Satellite Carrier is a carrier platform for small satellites that can bring them into Earth orbit and place them at precise orbital positions. This accelerates deployment and enables faster commissioning and more efficient use throughout the entire lifespan of the satellites. The satellite carrier, weighing approximately 200 kilograms, was loaded onto a special metal platform and transported on December 13 from Milan-Malpensa Airport to Miami, with a stopover in Luxembourg. After an eleven-hour flight, DHL delivered the ION Satellite Carrier on the last mile by truck to Cape Canaveral. Along with the carrier platform, extensive and important test equipment was also transported to check the satellites for safety and integrity before launch. After comprehensive analyses and strict controls, the ION Satellite Carrier will then launch into space in January 2021. For this unusual task, DHL Global Forwarding collaborated with its in-house innovation center. This allows companies along the entire supply chain to benefit from innovations that provide solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s logistical challenges. The innovation specialists at DHL bring together customers, research and educational institutions, industry partners, and logistics experts from their respective fields for targeted collaborations.

Requirements and Opportunities for the Weightless Supply Chain

Massive technological advances and successes from the last decade have revived the vision of a habitable and colonizable space. Furthermore, the space sector significantly contributes to life on Earth, for example, by monitoring the climate and collecting important weather data from space. In light of exciting developments in the private and public sectors, new questions arise that need to be answered for successful and sustainable space logistics: How will supply chains be planned and managed? How will space debris be avoided and removed in the future? Are there more sustainable ways to transport items into space given the increasing launches and emissions? How can products be packaged to withstand the massive forces of a rocket launch and remain undamaged even under high radiation and extreme temperatures? Despite changing locations, distances, and gravitational forces, the logistics industry must always fulfill the same task: to transport goods safely, on time, and with maximum efficiency from A to B.

Satellite Logistics is a New Facet

Satellite logistics is the latest facet of the logistics industry, with tens of thousands of LEO and MEO satellites (low and medium Earth orbit satellites) expected to be launched in the coming years. Comprehensive constellations of hundreds to thousands of connected orbiters are planned to provide various services such as global internet access or data collection. At the same time, many operators are striving to make projects profitable by reducing launch, operational, and decommissioning costs. The Italian company D-Orbit meets these requirements with solutions that are not dissimilar to the “earthly” offerings of logistics service providers. It delivers satellites to their destination in orbit and conducts thorough damage assessments. D-Orbit expects to reduce the costs of placing satellite constellations for satellite operators by 40 percent and extend the lifespan of satellites by up to five years. Additionally, D-Orbit decommissions satellites that have reached the end of their lifespan. The company aims to combat growing debris accumulations in space, which could also include the potential establishment of satellite depots in space in the future.

Refueling Vehicles in Orbit

“DHL Global Forwarding is a global leader in logistics, and D-Orbit is an emerging pioneer in space logistics and transport,” explains Jonathan Firth, Chief Operating Officer of D-Orbit. “With the success of the current ION Satellite Carrier mission, D-Orbit has established itself as a leading company in orbital transport, capable of deploying satellites at precise orbital positions. The next step on our journey is in-orbit service: we move satellites from one orbit to another, perform repairs and refuel vehicles in orbit, and remove satellites after their mission is complete. This way, we optimize resources and keep space clean.”

Photo: © D-Orbit SpA.
www.dpdhl.com     www.dorbit.space