Military/Aerospace Electronics

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been conducting a technology demonstration of a wheeled robot for precise sample collections without human intervention. The reddish terrain is in Stevenage, not yet Mars. The rover is pictured, navigating the terrain of a quarry on its own and retrieving an object. The sample tubes, explains ESA, are a replica of the hermetically sealed ...

Skyrora and Viasat will demonstrate the transmission of data beyond the horizon line without relying on ground stations following the award of a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA). Dubbed InRange, the demonstration system will feature a space-based launch vehicle telemetry relay, which will “benefit launch vehicle providers across the industry globally”. Basically, it will use geostationary satellites to ...

Powerbox has announced a ruggedised 1,200W ac-dc power supply for ground-based defense applications and harsh industrial environments. Called OFD1200A and suitable for use inside sealed enclosures, it has a metal chassis and requires cooling by conduction though its baseplate – which needs to be maintained between -40 and +95°C (derating applies sometimes – see the product manual). Shock and vibration ...

A government contract, worth £88 million, has been placed with UK company Smiths Detection to develop chemical sensing equipment to protect UK Armed Forces. The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) say the sensor technology will have the capability to detect and monitor the presence of toxic industrial chemicals, including chemical warfare agents. The government describes it a first ...

SatVu has received the first high resolution thermal imagery from its recently launched satellite HOTSAT-1, which the company describes as a world-first. HOTSAT-1, pictured right, is the first of a planned eight-satellite constellation. Designed and manufactured in the UK in partnership with Surrey Satellite Technologies, it features a 3.5m resolution mid-wave infrared imager with video capability, while maintaining a sensitivity ...

Viasat has launched its student-focused ‘Viasat Beyond: Space’ competition, to “support the next generation of UK engineers, artists, space lovers, and scientists”. The STEM challenge is to submit ideas and suggestions for a safe and sustainable UK space sector, with students in years 12 and 13 from schools around the UK (and their equivalents in Scotland) working individually or in ...

Astroscale UK is highlighting the space sector’s contribution to the wider UK economy, in terms of job creation and regional development. The company – a specialist in space debris removal – has shared a study of its own economic impact, marking the anniversary of opening its UK facility at the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. The site includes ...

Quub, a US-based 3D printing microsatellite company, is launching an office in the UK for its Earth Observation business. Quub UK will be based in London, and its Executive Director will be Dan Lewis. The aim is for Quub UK to serve as a bridge into the European market, as part of an eventual global network. Functioning, in the words ...

Teledyne e2v is developing a fully radiation-tolerant (RT) space computing reference design, enabling high-speed data routing in space applications. Based on an Arm Cortex-A72, and with multiple high-speed interfaces, it will process and route data from various sources, such as RF front ends, image sensors and radars. Target use cases for the design include Earth observation, SATCOM applications, defence in ...

XCAM, the Northampton-based imaging specialist, has secured a £200,000 grant from the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI). The funding is to develop and evaluate an ultra-low-light camera system, which is suitable for use in a range of compact Earth observation instruments in the visible and NIR wavelengths. XCAM hopes it will lead to the development ...