OPS-SAT Flying Laboratory Wins 2023 International SpaceOps Award

Coined the flying laboratory, and funded by GSTP, the award recognizes the team’s outstanding achievement for creating and operating the world’s first mission dedicated to improving space operations by allowing rapid experimentation of mission critical process on an open, flying laboratory. It is the first time that an ESA-only operating mission has won the award since its inception in 2006. Click on the pictures for a full list of award winners and the acceptance speech. 

The award is presented to those who have demonstrated an outstanding effort in overcoming significant space operations challenges, and recognises those teams whose exceptional contributions were critical to the success of one or more space missions. This includes the anomalous recovery, crew rescue, or saving of a space mission, the development of a new paradigm that has significant effect on the performance of a space mission or to the space operations field, and the instrumental advancement in significantly reducing the cost of space operations.

Created and operates the world’s first mission dedicated to improving space operations allowing rapid experimentation of mission critical processes on an open, flying laboratory - SpaceOps 2023 Award Citation

The award is given only once, every two years, to a maximum of two recipients. Nominations are selected by a panel of representatives from national space agencies. The trophy was presented in an award ceremony during the closing event of the 2023 SpaceOps Conference. 

OPS-SAT shared center-stage with JPL’s Ingenuity mission - awarded for successfully flying a helicopter on Mars. A joint ESA/NASA team won the 2008 SpaceOps award for their dedicated, continuing contribution to the Ulysses mission. 

Previous winners include -

• 2020: DAWN and MAVEN (NASA)
• 2018: Cassini (NASA) and Grace (DLR)
• 2016: New Horizons (NASA)
• 2014: TerraSAT and TanDEM (DLR)
• 2012: Hayabusa (JAXA)
• 2010: NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity (NASA)
• 2008: Ulysses (NASA/ESA)
• 2006: LANDSAT 6 (U.S. Geological Survey/NASA)

Many congratulations to the team! It is a great honour and achievement.