Forward error correction in aerospace fibre optic systems necessitates trade-offs when implementing it in next-generation architectures, says Grover Brower. As aerospace platforms evolve to support more data-intensive capabilities, ranging from real-time video and sensor fusion to advanced radar, traditional data buses such as MIL-STD-1553 are no longer sufficient. Their low throughput and legacy architecture cannot keep pace with mission-critical systems ...
Advanced Navigation, which provides an alternative to GPS, has raised £83 million in a Series C funding round. The round was led by Airtree Ventures, with strategic participation from Quadrant Private Equity and the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC). These investors join a cohort of existing backers including Main Sequence, KKR, In-Q-Tel, Alpha Intelligence Capital, The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC ...
The European Space Agency has signed Tyvak International to further develop Farinella. This is a 6U CubeSat that will support ESA’s RAMSES planetary defence mission to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. The passing asteroid apparently offers an opportunity for scientists to observe how Earth’s gravity may affect the structure and behavior of an asteroid. In turn, this will help improve models ...
Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) is joining Lazuli, an initiative of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Observatory System, which aims to deliver a privately funded telescope into deep space. Working as an industrial collaborator on the programme, SSTL will develop the spacecraft platform for the mission, which will carry the Lazuli space observatory out into deep space. Spectograph The observatory will ...
At Space-Comms Expo, Filtronic was highlighting the latest version of its Cerus V solid state power amplifier (SSPA) for long range V-Band comms. This is for high-frequency links across land, air and space. One application, for example, is for satellite ground stations, providing a gateway to link to LEO. And other sectors cited by the RF-to-mmWave specialist include defence and ...
SpaceForge has launched the National Microgravity Research Centre (NMRC), the terrestrial arm of its low-Earth-orbit manufacturing programme. The Cardiff-based company is developing technologies to produce advanced materials in microgravity. It says the microgravity environment reduces the exposure to contaminants such as moisture, dust and gases, potentially resulting in up to 100-times fewer defects in semiconductor materials. The proposal is to ...
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), the Bavarian space rocket startup planning to launch from Shetland, is delivering stages of its RFA ONE launch vehicle to SaxaVord spaceport. Specifically, the first and second stages of the rocket have now been delivered, an important milestone towards the first test flight, RFA highlights. The first orbital launch is planned for “summer 2026”, but note ...
Iceye, the specialist in satellite-based SAR imagery (Synthetic Aperture Radar), is launching a deforestation monitoring system to help enforcement against illegal tropical forest loss. The Finnish company, which describes itself as a “leader in disaster intelligence from space”, says the system will use its constellation’s data to provide near real-time visibility into forest loss. This is for law enforcement agencies, ...
A north-east school has partnered with solar and space physics experts from Northumbria University for a project supported by a Royal Society Partnership Grant, which aims to bring academic research and STEM careers to life. Year 7 pupils are among those from Whytrig Middle School in Seaton Delaval who have already visited the university’s Northumbria Space Technology Laboratory (NSTL) to ...
UK government agencies are announcing their intention to work together to support in-space manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. This is in terms of regulatory clarity and official support. It sees potential in developing the UK’s role in space-enabled manufacturing via a well-defined pathway. And such In-Orbit Manufacturing (IOM) is also one subset of the wider In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) market. ...
