Blue Canyon Technologies Celebrates 1st Anniversary with Raytheon Intelligence & Space

December 21, 2021 07:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, celebrates its first anniversary with Raytheon Intelligence & Space, one of the four RTX businesses, which specializes in developing advanced sensors, cyber and software solutions.

“Raytheon’s investment has allowed Blue Canyon to scale production to dramatically reduce spacecraft time leads and offer end-to-end solutions,” said Stephen Steg, CEO of BCT. “With RI&S’ light touch integration, our customers truly get the best of both worlds: the agility and innovation of a small business, and the deep technical expertise and strategic resources of a global organization.”

BCT has reorganized around four core business units – CubeSats, Microsats, Components, and Mission Operations, each with expert teams and dedicated manufacturing facilities in Boulder and Lafayette, Colorado. This structure supports the unique needs of each market segment and provides integrated solutions delivered directly to the end-user.

BCT’s CubeSats include sub arc-sec pointing and optimized payload size, weight, and power. Microsats will now be available in standardized designs for the ESPA and ESPA Grande spacecraft to enable rapid delivery. The Components business unit has expanded capabilities with a comprehensive offering of spacecraft subsystems, including control moment gyroscopes, reaction wheels, star trackers, sun sensors, torque rods, batteries, solar arrays, antennas, radios, and power and data systems. Mission Operations offers services to fly and operate BCT spacecraft, providing customers a one-stop-shop for spacecraft design, manufacturing, and flight operations.

“Coupled with our existing capabilities, Blue Canyon Technologies allows us to provide end-to-end space mission solutions to our customers,” said Paul Meyer, vice president, Space & C2 Systems, Raytheon Intelligence & Space.

BCT has invested in high-volume manufacturing to support large quantity production that enables NASA, DOD, and commercial missions across the globe. It has delivered over 60 spacecraft, 1,000 flight reaction wheels, 150 star trackers, and an additional 60 spacecraft are in production. BCT’s Mission Operations continues to expand and will support 27 missions in 2022.

BCT’s workforce has grown over 33% in the past year. It will continue to be a merchant supplier of spacecraft to the broader space market, supporting multiple customer sets and growing its diverse product line to meet customer demand.

About Blue Canyon Technologies
Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements. BCT’s mission is to enable space missions to expand the frontiers of science and defense. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production or recently delivered at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space
Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in adjusted pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Announces Reaction Wheel Milestone on NASA’s CYGNSS Mission

December 15, 2021 08:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small-satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, announced the five-year on-orbit milestone of its reaction wheels and star trackers on NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission. Manufactured and operated by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for Principal Investigator Dr. Chris Ruf from the University of Michigan, the CYGNSS constellation includes 24 high-performance reaction wheels (RWp015) and eight star trackers provided by BCT.

“Our reaction wheel and tracker performance are key components to the mission’s attitude controls,” said Matt Pallas, Blue Canyon executive director of components. “We pride ourselves on delivering performance-proven products for each of our customer’s unique mission needs.”

The CYGNSS mission was extended three years to 2023, with plans to revisit and possibly extend through 2026. The mission consists of a constellation of eight low-Earth orbit microsatellites that make frequent measurements of the ocean surface to monitor the intensity and development of tropical cyclones.

“Capturing this data is critical in predicting the intensity of storms and mapping them accurately through the GPS signals received by the microsatellites,” said SwRI’s Jillian Redfern, CYGNSS project manager and mission operations manager.

Each of the eight satellites is equipped with Blue Canyon’s three reaction wheels and one star tracker. The reaction wheels deliver three-axis attitude control with high-pointing accuracy, brushless DC motors, ultra-smooth bearings, and the advanced lubrication system provide low-jitter performance and a long service life, as shown in the CYGNSS mission. BCT’s star trackers offer best-in-class performance on missions that require low mass and low power and lead the way in pointing performance.

At its manufacturing facility in Boulder, Colorado, Blue Canyon produces more than 30 reaction wheels weekly and has delivered over 1000 flight reaction wheels, of which 500 have successfully flown. BCT’s reaction wheel design offers seven sizes to fit many different applications and has expanded product offerings into high torque and power-efficient control moment gyroscopes.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements. BCT’s mission is to enable space missions to expand the frontiers of science and defense. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production or recently delivered at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Selected by Ball Aerospace to Provide Spacecraft Bus for NASA Solar Cruiser Program

November 15, 2021 03:44 PM Eastern Standard Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), was selected by Ball Aerospace to develop a standardized X-SAT Venus ESPA-class microsatellite bus and several custom components to enable an upcoming one-of-a-kind mission with NASA for the Solar Cruiser project.

As the largest planned solar sail to date, the 18,000 square-foot sail is a third the size of a football field. The Solar Cruiser: “Sailing on Sunlight” mission is being led by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center out of Huntsville, Alabama. Ball Aerospace will perform several mission-critical functions, including the integration and test of the satellite bus with the solar sail system that will form the completed “Sailcraft.” Other partners on the mission include Roccor, NeXolve, SDL, Purdue University, and the University of Alabama. According to NASA, Solar Cruiser will mature solar sail propulsion technology to enable near-term, compelling space science missions for NASA and the nation. NASA is expected to formally confirm the Solar Cruiser mission in 2022.

“Our high-performing spacecraft, components and systems are designed to meet each mission’s specific needs,” said Stephen Steg, CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies.

BCT will support custom guidance navigation and control software and provide custom solar arrays aboard the mission scheduled for launch no earlier than 2025. Solar Cruiser is one of four missions that will rideshare with the launch of NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP). The Solar Cruiser is the culmination of two decades of U.S. solar sail development and will allow space missions to new locations.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy, reducing the barriers of space entry. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Contact: Natalie Miller, 714-496-0839

Blue Canyon Technologies Delivers the First of Four CubeSats to NASA’s Ames Research Center for Starling Technology Demonstration

October 20, 2021 10:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, delivered the first of four 6U CubeSats to NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The CubeSats will support a technology demonstration called Starling. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the demonstration. Under the current contract agreement, in addition to designing and manufacturing the spacecraft buses, BCT will also provide engineering and support to Starling mission operations for the four flight-qualified 6U CubeSats.

“The delivery of CubeSats will allow Ames to continue with payload integration and testing of the integrated flight unit,” said Stephanee Borck, senior program manager at Blue Canyon Technologies. “A lot of hard work from both teams has gone into making it thus far in the project. We look forward to delivering the next three CubeSats and seeing what the technology demonstration can do on-orbit.”

Starling’s goal is to demonstrate technologies that enable cooperative groups of spacecraft to operate in an autonomous, synchronous manner in low-Earth orbit, or LEO. The starling bird is famous for flying in a synchronous or “swarm” formation. Starling is expected to launch in mid-2022.

Blue Canyon’s diverse spacecraft platform has the proven capability to enable a broad range of missions and technological advances for the New Space economy, further reducing the barriers of space entry.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements. BCT’s mission is to enable space missions to expand the frontiers of science and defense. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production or recently delivered at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Plays a Key Role in the Successful Pathfinder Satellite Demonstration in Advance of the NASA TROPICS Mission

October 11, 2021, 10:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time
LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, announced the successful launch and commissioning of the TROPICS, or Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats, Pathfinder spacecraft in partnership with NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Lincoln Laboratory.

MIT-LL developed the innovative instrument, the sensing technique and managed the mission architecture and implementation. MIT-LL subcontracted BCT to design and manufacture the vehicle. The design utilizes an advanced dual star tracker-based CubeSat, upgraded with mission-specific capabilities to create a state-of-the-art science observatory.

The Pathfinder satellite provided images and data of Hurricane Ida before and after landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 28 and 29, 2021. According to NASA, imagery captured detailed storm structure with a well-defined eyewall of inner and outer rainbands. The outer bands are associated with tornadoes at landfall and are important to observe accurately. Originally planned to be a qualification unit, MIT-LL and NASA selected to fly the Pathfinder as a risk reduction mission to gather performance data ahead of the upcoming TROPICS flight constellation mission.

“With the Pathfinder’s proven capabilities, we now have the experience and data to know how the TROPICS constellation will perform on orbit,” said Stephen Steg, CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “We look forward to continued efficiency in the mission ahead and being the first to use a constellation of CubeSats for high-revisit microwave observations of weather.”

Pathfinder launched on June 30, 2021, with the first contact made on July 1, 2021. Bus commissioning was completed on Aug. 13, 2021. The TROPICS Pathfinder spacecraft flew in a sun-safe and power positive auto-pilot mode during early deployment and commissioning. TROPICS’ constellation mission is scheduled to be deployed in a series of three launches between Jan. 8 and July 31, 2022. The mission’s objective is to provide high-revisit microwave observations of precipitation, temperature and humidity over tropical regions and help assess impacts on a storm’s track and intensity.

BCT is building the constellation of six total 3U CubeSats that will launch in pairs. This advanced 3U CubeSat uses two of BCT’s 2-arcsec star trackers for excellent pointing control. It is equipped with an oversized reaction wheel to manage momentum from the spinning radiometer payload. The vehicle also features a first-of-its-kind sun-tracking solar array and a near-zero disturbance payload spin motor while accommodating a third-party radio.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements. BCT’s mission is to enable space missions to expand the frontiers of science and defense. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production or recently delivered at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Contacts
Natalie Miller, 714-496-0839

Blue Canyon Technologies Enables LASP’s CUTE CubeSat for Exoplanet Atmosphere Research

October 06, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, announced the successful launch and on-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft bus, supporting the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment, or CUTE, payload on a mission undertaken by University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).

CUTE, which successfully launched aboard an Atlas V rocket on Sept. 27, 2021, is a 6U CubeSat using near-ultraviolet transmission spectroscopy from 255 to 330 nanometers to characterize the composition and mass-loss rates of exoplanet atmospheres. The researchers behind the mission plan to measure escaping gases from hot Jupiter atmospheres as the exoplanets transit across the faces of their parent stars.

The $3.8 million NASA-funded mission is the result of four years of work. LASP researchers believe that the new study of hot Jupiters (gas giants with orbital periods of less than 10 days) will help planetary scientists better understand the evolution of the solar system.

“Blue Canyon’s partnership with LASP on CUTE represents a landmark mission in the process of better understanding hot Jupiters and, by extension, the discovery of exoplanets throughout our galaxy,” said Stephen Steg, CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “Blue Canyon’s star tracker-based spacecraft platform, with ultra-low disturbance reaction wheels, and advanced control algorithms, has enabled a whole class of cutting-edge missions.”

“What is unique about CUTE’s approach to exoplanet transit spectroscopy is the technical innovation of packing a small telescope and spectrograph into such a tiny volume, and the dedicated mission architecture: CUTE does nothing but stare at planetary transits,” said Kevin France, principal investigator at LASP. “We hope CUTE will demonstrate that we can do science with small satellites that have only previously been possible with larger, shared-use space telescopes.”

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements. BCT’s mission is to enable space missions to expand the frontiers of science and defense. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production or recently delivered at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Announces Karen McConnell as Executive Director of Engineering

July 26, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small-satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, announced today that it has named Karen McConnell as executive director of Engineering.

“Karen brings to Blue Canyon a track record of success with demonstrated expertise and leadership during her long career in aerospace engineering,” said Stephen Steg, co-founder and CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “Blue Canyon will continue to strive to seek out the best and brightest in the industry in our hiring, promotion, and business practices.”

McConnell’s primary responsibility is to manage performance, reliability and delivery schedules of Blue Canyon’s overall production line. She will also guide the implementation of program performance optimization efforts, which will streamline BCT execution and improve operational efficiency. Additionally, McConnell will oversee the continued evolution of the Saturn-class microsat product line, helping Blue Canyon to maintain its innovative edge in the ever-changing small-satellite space.

“The opportunity to work with Stephen, the rest of his leadership team, and all the very talented women and men at Blue Canyon Technologies is a wonderful next phase for my aerospace career,” said McConnell. “This is a period of excitement and great opportunity for the new space economy.”

Prior to joining Blue Canyon, McConnell worked at Ball Aerospace, TRW (now Northrop Grumman) and AeroAstro LLC, where she was first introduced to working with small satellites. She holds a bachelor’s of engineering degree in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering from MIT, as well as a Master of Science degree in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Stanford University.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy, reducing the barriers of space entry. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Delivers Spacecraft and Components for More Than 10 Missions Aboard Transporter 2 Launch

July 02, 2021

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), announced today that several of its commercial satellite buses and components successfully launched yesterday aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 2 mission.

With more than 88 satellites aboard the rideshare flight, Blue Canyon provided multiple microsatellites, including the standardized X-SAT Venus ESPA-class bus, 3U CubeSats, Reaction Wheels and Integrated Attitude Control Systems to support more than ten of the Transporter 2 missions, which showcases the company’s full product line. With partners like Loft Orbital, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and several undisclosed partners, Blue Canyon is enabling a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy.

“The diversity of Blue Canyon’s satellites and components included in this latest launch are a testament to the company’s diverse production capabilities,” said Stephen Steg, CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “BCT’s vertically integrated structure allows us to produce a variety of spacecraft and components to meet the wide-ranging needs of our expansive commercial space customer base. The successful launch of this mission will help us capitalize on the opportunities in the marketplace with our growing partnerships.“

The TROPICS Pathfinder mission is another one of several programs being supported by Blue Canyon that launched with the Transporter 2. Once in place, the TROPICS smallsat constellation will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements to determine temperature, pressure and humidity inside hurricanes as they form and operate over the tropics, ultimately increasing the scientific community’s understanding of storm processes.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy, reducing the barriers of space entry. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Blue Canyon Technologies Promotes Stephen Steg to Chief Executive Officer; Names New Senior Management Team

June 08, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LAFAYETTE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Small-satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), has promoted chief technical officer Stephen Steg to chief executive officer. Steg succeeds George Stafford, who will remain in an advisory capacity.

A co-founder of Blue Canyon, Steg has served as chief technical officer since the company was founded in 2008. As CTO, Steg oversaw the development of BCT’s spacecraft and component designs. He also guided BCT’s vertical integration with in-house products for nearly all spacecraft subsystems.

“Steve Steg brings the ideal combination of leadership, experience and vision as the new Blue Canyon CEO for this next chapter in the evolution and growth of the company,” said Roy Azevedo, president, Raytheon Intelligence & Space. “His expertise in the business of small-satellite systems and technologies will be invaluable to the broad range of solutions we offer to support our customer’s space missions. We thank George Stafford for his contributions as co-founder and CEO, and his legacy of leadership at Blue Canyon.”

Blue Canyon reports into the Raytheon Intelligence & Space business of Raytheon Technologies following the purchase of Blue Canyon by Raytheon Technologies last December.

Joining Steg on the new Blue Canyon senior management team is Matt Magaña, who continues to serve as BCT president following his appointment to the position upon the completion of the company purchase by Raytheon Technologies. BCT’s current chief operating officer and co-founder Matthew Beckner has stepped into an advisory position for continuous improvement, opening and supporting the path for Steve Schneider to assume the role of COO, a promotion from his current role of executive director of Manufacturing, Test and Components. Matt Baumgart steps into Steg’s previous position of chief technical officer following his promotion from executive director, Research & Development.

“Blue Canyon is primed for growth and marketplace opportunity in the small-satellite systems sector of the new space economy,” Steg said. “With a strong senior management team at my side and the resources, synergies and talents provided to us by the backing of Raytheon Technologies, I look forward to guiding Blue Canyon into its next phase as an industry leader during these exciting and competitive times for the business.”

Steg has nearly 25 years of experience in the space industry with the design and analysis of spacecraft, mechanisms, and instruments. Prior to co-founding Blue Canyon, Steg spent 18 years at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was responsible for the mechanical design and analysis for optical instruments and space mechanisms on NASA programs. His designs include over 75 space mechanisms on-orbit, and he holds three patents for BCT products. Steg holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

About Blue Canyon Technologies

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy, reducing the barriers of space entry. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

About Raytheon Intelligence & Space

Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivers the disruptive technologies our customers need to succeed in any domain, against any challenge. A developer of advanced sensors, training, and cyber and software solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space provides a decisive advantage to civil, military and commercial customers in more than 46 countries around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the business generated $15 billion in pro forma annual revenue in 2020 and has 37,000 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

Hayle Bell, 720-458-0703

Blue Canyon Technologies to Provide CubeSats for VISORS Space Program to Study the Sun

May 12, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC (“BCT” or “Blue Canyon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), today announced the company was selected to provide a pair of 6U CubeSat buses and an Engineering Development Unit for the Virtual Super-resolution Optics with Reconfigurable Swarms, or VISORS, program, a space mission sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The objective of the VISORS program is to detect and study the fundamental energy-release regions in the sun’s corona.

“Blue Canyon Technologies is providing key components in a program that will, for the first time, reveal individual energy-release sites in the solar corona to test theories of coronal heating,” said George Stafford, co-founder and CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “Our company’s technology will enable the VISORS program to help scientists understand the sun’s plasma physics and refine models for nanoflares and corona composition.”

Under the contract awarded by the University of Illinois, BCT will also be providing an Engineering Development Unit that will allow the program’s instrument team to test hardware well in advance of the VISORS launch. Delivery of the buses to Georgia Tech for instrument integration is scheduled for June and September 2022.

In addition to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and a number of academic institutions are involved including the Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Washington State University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, the University of California San Diego, New Mexico State University, Montana State University, and the University of Colorado.

About Blue Canyon Technologies
Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable and affordable spacecraft that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy, reducing the barriers of space entry. BCT is currently supporting nearly 50 unique missions with over 90 spacecraft, all in production at their newly developed 80,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Colorado.

BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards from Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the 2020 Best in Biz Award and the 2020 Tibbetts Award.

For the latest news on Blue Canyon Technologies and for other company information, please visit www.bluecanyontech.com. You can follow the company on Instagram here or Twitter here.

Media Contact: Hayle Bell, 720-458-0703