Production underway on Kinéis, the new nanosatellite constellation with the next generation of Argos instruments

Production is underway on the new constellation of 25 nanosatellites called Kinéis, with the next generation Argos instruments onboard. The new generation of the Argos system is based on greater bandwidth, improved data timeliness thanks to a shorter revisit time (5-15 minutes between satellite passes depending on latitude) and two-way capabilities in 2022. It is fully backwards compatible with existing Argos PTTs.

Kinéis, a CLS Group spinoff, a subsidiary of CNES, was created in July 2018 to design and launch a constellation of 25 Argos nanosatellites by 2022. At the famous Paris Air Show, Kinéis announced that production of the new constellation will begin on June 21st, 2019, and that the revolutionary new generation of the Argos system will be operational by 2022, to complement the historic constellation of seven satellites maintained by international space agencies.

Same great customer service

As of June 2019, CLS hands over the operations of the Argos system to Kinéis. Kinéis will operate the Argos ground segment, ensuring the maintenance and developments to the 65+ network of ground stations around the world, while assuring the same level of service availability and data security as before. CLS will continue to provide customer service and sales support to all Argos users, and all Argos contacts remain the same.

The first batch of industrial chipset modules will be available for manufacturers and integrators as of July 2019. Interested parties should contact CLS for more information and a quote.

Upcoming Argos satellite launch schedule

• October 2019: CNES will launch ANGELS (Argos NEO Generic Economic Light Satellites), the 1st Argos nanosatellite prototype
• Early 2020: The Indian Space Agency (ISRO) will launch the first Argos-4 instrument on OceanSat-3 satellite
• 2021: CDARS satellite to be launched with an Argos-4 payload on board with U.S. government funding
• Between now-2036: EUMETSAT is committed to launching Argos-4 payloads onboard European Meteorological satellites
• 2022: Kinéis, subsidiary of CLS, will launch new constellation of 25 dedicated nanosatellites, fully compatible with Argos