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Celestial – Products and Services for Deep Space Communication

3rd Place 2019 OHB Challenge Label

Celestial – Products and Services for Deep Space Communication

Satellites orbiting the moon

Moon missions are facing many challenges in new space exploration, and communication is one of them. The fact that not all locations on the moon are accessible to transmissions from Earth creates an obstacle to cislunar communication. Celestial aims to deploy a small satellite relay constellation in lunar polar orbit to overcome this barrier. A total of three satellites (plus one redundant satellite) will be deployed. Working on the S and X bands, this constellation will be able to communicate and relay data from lunar missions to ground stations on Earth. In addition, Celestial aims to provide its satellite communication system to missions seeking to explore high-radiation Earth orbits. This payload will be lightweight and radiation-hardened, ensuring longer life than the similar communication systems currently available. The biggest benefit for lunar missions lies in the reduced costs made possible by a low-weight communication system and the ability to reach lunar locations that are otherwise inaccessible.

Benefits:

  • Increased data transmission rates and continuous communication coverage of the lunar poles
  • Low power consumption for low-cost lunar missions
  • Access to lunar regions beyond the direct line of sight
_P8A2502-Awards-OHB-3Price-Schuhmacher

Celestial
Berlin, Germany
Johannes Schumacher
celestialcomm.wixsite.com/moonshot
johannes.schumacher.mail@gmail.com

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MERIT – Disruptive Propulsion System for Microsatellites

MERIT - OHB Challenge 2018/2019 2nd Place
2nd Place 2019 OHB Challenge Label

MERIT – Disruptive Propulsion System for Microsatellites

MERIT - OHB Challenge 2018/2019 2nd Place

Miniaturised satellites have become increasingly common in recent years. In order to enable different mission scenarios, satellite platforms as small as CubeSats require propulsion systems that are small, versatile, costeffective, and reliable. Since existing propulsion systems are too expensive and lack intense development and physical comprehension, T4i started MERIT, a project that aims to upgrade their own REGULUS propulsion system in terms of cost and performance. Based on helicon plasma technology, it also leverages a modular approach, non-aerospace supply chains, and smart adoption of additive technologies. MERIT’s main target customers include small-satellite (up to150 kg) platform manufacturers. T4i plans not only to provide the propulsion system to be integrated into satellites, but to become a potential partner as well. Its technology will also be exploited in other fields, such as medical and industrial applications and in the development of smart plasma antennas.

Benefits:

  • Increased profitability and efficiency through the functionality of the satellite platform
  • Easy integration of the REGULUS propulsion system into satellite platforms
  • Better performance and cost reductions of up to 83%
  • Reliable and versatile propulsion system thanks to helicon plasma technology

T4i
Padua, Italy
Prof Dr Daniele Pavarin
d.pavarin@t4innovation.com
www.t4innovation.com

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PCM-Polymer Compound – Novel Material for Thermal Stabilisation of Component Systems

Winner 2019 OHB Challenge Label
Overall Winner 2019 Label

PCM-Polymer Compound – Novel Material for Thermal Stabilisation of Component Systems

Spacecraft components are constantly subjected to thermal variations. To avoid overheating or undercooling of these components, ESDA-Axiotherm GmbH is developing a phase-change material (PCM) polymer compound for the thermal stabilisation of space components and systems. The PCM polymer compound features a high capacity for absorbing accumulating amounts of heat and releases the heat energy into the system during an undercooling period in order to stabilise the temperature. This material will prevent temperature peaks and produce a smoothed temperature curve. Its unique feature is a mix of materials that remains gelatinous when melted. The compound is leak-proof and well-suited to processing. Furthermore, it is possible to use additives to make permanent, stable modifications to properties such as thermal conductivity, fire protection, and radiation resistance. In particular, batteries (and by extension, the field of e-mobility) should benefit from this life-prolonging technology.

Benefits:

  • Effective smoothing of temperature peaks and reduced thermo-mechanical stress
  • Increased useful life of batteries and electronic components, plus increased operational safety
  • Low mass, high capacity & directly applicable to all battery sectors (automotive/maritime/aviation)
Overall Gewinner des Innospace Masters 2018/19 (mit Dr. Lutz Bertling, Dr. Franziska Zeitler, Dr. Walther Pelzer und Frank Meures). Aufgenommen am 03.07.2019 im Humboldt Carré in Berlin.

ESDA/Axiotherm GmbH
Eisenberg, Germany
Dirk Büttner
www.axiotherm.de
dirk.buettner@axiotherm.de

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AgSat – An Ideal Optical-Thermal Platform for Agricultural and Environmental Remote Sensing

3rd Place 2019 Airbus Challenge Label

AgSat – An Ideal Optical-Thermal Platform for Agricultural and Environmental Remote Sensing

airbus 3

The growing human population, associated challenges related to climate change, and the insufficiency of existing terrestrial sensing systems require new sources of Earth observation (EO) data. Critical parameters like non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) and evapotranspiration (ET) are not properly estimated by existing operational EO systems. NPV is important for estimating fire risk, tillage intensity, and the risk of soil erosion due to water and wind. ET is important for agricultural production and water usage. AgSat will offer an advanced multispectral satellite concept that will not only measure those parameters, but also include on-board artificial intelligence and data processing to minimise data downloads while using laser-based systems for more efficient data transmission. AgSat will deliver custom, need-driven, cloud-free data products directly to stakeholders within minutes of acquisition. Science data will be available to end users under an open data policy.

Benefits:

  • Data continuity with Sentinel-2/Landsat missions
  • Open data for science products
  • On-board anomalous event detection (fires, floods) and data product creation, including downlinking to end users
_P8A2373-Awards-Airbus-3Price-Serbin

EOanalytics Ltd.
Glasnevin, Ireland
Dr Guy Serbin
www.eoanalytics.ie
guyserbin@eoanalytics.ie

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HOSTmi – Independent, Automated & Global Broker

2nd Place 2019 Airbus Challenge Label

HOSTmi – Independent, Automated & Global Broker

airbus 2

The traditional space sector does not offer fast, simple, low-cost access to space for the commercially driven new space economy. HOSTmi is the first neutral digital B2B platform for payload owners and space mission providers that matches the growing commercial and scientific demand. This standardised online platform offers efficient, user-friendly, and global mediation of flight options aboard various space-based systems, from suborbital vehicles to deep space platforms. Payload owners receive real-time product and service information, along with the ability to search for potential hosting opportunities for their payload. Besides being available to payload owners for an annual subscription fee, HOSTmi operates on a contract- and success-based commission model for space mission providers. It is thus digitising the global market for space payloads in a scalable fashion.

Benefits:

  • Digital one-stop-shop bundles services such as technical support, financing, and insurance
  • Efficient automated processes significantly reduce time and cost requirements for payload owners
  • Space mission providers will be able to sell their services and unused capacity, which will reduce the direct cost of sales and customer acquisition based on an automated influx of prospects
  • Fosters the transition from conservative value chains to a modern, customer-oriented value network
_P8A2393-Awards-Airbus-2Price-Hostmi

HOSTmi GmbH
Pouya Haschemi
Darmstadt, Germany
info@hostmi.space
hostmi.space

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Real-Time Container Tracking and Monitoring

Winner 2019 Airbus Challenge Label

Real-Time Container Tracking and Monitoring

Modern transport and logistics require real-time tracking and monitoring of shipping containers worldwide. Many applications on the market track only the location of the vessel on which a container is transported – not the container itself. Therefore, the tracking signal is lost when the container is transferred between ships, trains, trucks and aircraft, or if it happens to be lost at sea. Callwise Ltd. addresses these issues using an innovative combination of satellite communication and a 5G LoRaWAN (Low Range Wide Area Network) IoT solution. This solution enables real-time tracking and monitoring of individual shipping containers from start to finish during multimodal transport. The concept is based on a novel architecture in which satellite and cellular tracking is combined with LoRaWAN tracking and monitoring of individual shipping containers. Callwise Ltd. is targeting logistics and shipping companies that can offer this end-to-end solution to customers as a value-added service in their product portfolios. Furthermore, the system is able to generate alerts for a wide range of events (unauthorised door opening, deviation from a predefined route, changes in container temperature, etc.) and also track down containers lost at sea.

Benefits:

  • Real-time location information on shipping containers from start to finish
  • Ability to monitor several parameters inside containers (e.g. temperature, air pressure, air moisture)
  • Ability to trace containers that are lost at sea
INNOspace Masters conference 2019 Airbus Winner

Callwise Ltd.
High Wycombe, United Kingdom
Dr Roland Weesie
www.callwise.eu
roland.weesie@gmail.com

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AC Biode – The World‘s First Standalone AC Battery

3rd Place 2019 ESA BIC Challenge Label

AC Biode – The World‘s First Standalone AC Battery

esa bic 3

The demand for high-capacity batteries in the space industry has significantly increased and battery capacity is still insufficient in terms of mobility and safety. AC Biode Ltd. is developing the first-ever standalone battery based on alternating current (AC). Biode features the characteristics of both anodes and cathodes. Thanks to a special electric circuit also found in particle accelerators, the system offers more V/Ah flexibility, requires 30% less space, and is safer than every type of regular direct-current (DC) battery. Conventional batteries use DC, which leads to power loss when electricity is converted from AC to DC. AC Biode Ltd. will utilise existing materials and battery production lines to penetrate the market faster than competitors that use new materials or types. Applications are possible in space and in connection with drones, electric vehicles and scooters, and energy storage.

Benefits:

  • Battery is up to 30% more compact and reduces conversion losses
  • Uses existing materials/battery production lines
  • Safer than conventional Li-ion batteries
  • Lower electrical resistance (safer/longer-lasting)
_P8A2258-Awards-ESABIC-3Price-Kubo

AC Biode Ltd.
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Tadashi Kubo
www.acbiode.com
tadashi.kubo@acbiode.com

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Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) as a Service for New Space

2nd Place 2019 ESA BIC Challenge Label

Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) as a Service for New Space

Space junk orbiting around earth - Conceptual of pollution around our planet (Texture map for 3d furnished by NASA - http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/)

Due to the increasing amount of activities in space, the number of objects is becoming dangerously high and presenting a potential hazard to all satellites – especially in low Earth orbit. Since existing solutions are neither customer-friendly nor usable for the broader masses, new space market players are being forced to accept the risks of loss or damage. OKAPI:Orbits has developed a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that is dedicated to making satellite missions more sustainable and cost-efficient by offering customers space surveillance and tracking (SST) solutions as a service. It is a modular, customisable, and scalable software provided via a web interface and APIs. Due to the fact that this software is based on a data stream management system (DSMS), it offers several advantages. It can be used to operate all the relevant aspects of SST and supports integration into existing solutions.

Benefits:

  • Reduced risk of loss or damage to satellite constellations and lower mission costs overall
  • Very short access times through DSMS
  • Processes large amounts of data that define customer procedures that need to be followed
  • Efficient, sustainable utilisation of spac
_P8A2294-Awards-ESABIC_2Price_Okapi

OKAPI:Orbits GmbH
Braunschweig, Germany
Kristina Nikolaus
www.okapiorbits.space
kristina.nikolaus@okapiorbits.space

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Deployables Cubed – Actuator for Nanosatellite Applications

Winner 2019 ESA BIC Challenge Label

Deployables Cubed – Actuator for Nanosatellite Applications

The aerospace sector is trending towards small, standardised satellites (CubeSats) that offer affordable access to space. Their standard edge length of 10 cm does present a disadvantage, however, as it significantly limits the missions these satellites can support. To get around these limitations, deployable structures like antennas or sails are being used, that are deployed once a satellite is in orbit. This opens the door to high-performance applications that are typically only possible with large satellites. Initiating this deployment requires special actuators such as hold-down and release mechanisms. Unfortunately, European actuators are too large for this purpose, and American products are subject to export restrictions. To solve this problem Deployables Cubed – a new space company at ESA BIC Bavaria – is developing pin-puller and release nut actuators to ensure Europe’s independence with regard to these small actuators and the deployable structures that they make possible. The company plans to establish for simple, light, and reliable aerospace actuators on the market and offer them to a broad range of customers.

Benefits:

  • Nanosize actuator (optimised for cubesat applications)
  • Fraction of the cost of existing actuators
  • Not subject to export regulations
INNOspace Masters conference 2019 ESA BIC Winner

Deployables Cubed
Gilching, Germany
Dr Thomas Sinn
www.deployables-cubed.com
sinn@deployables-cubed.com

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MoonFibre – Spinning Technology Fibres from Lunar Rock for Direct Use on Earth’s Satellite

3rd Place 2019 Challenge by the DLR Space Administration Label

MoonFibre – Spinning Technology Fibres from Lunar Rock for Direct Use on Earth’s Satellite

MoonFibre – Spinning Technology Fibres from Lunar Rock for

Private and public institutions all over the world pursue one common mission: a manned station on the moon. The costs of rocket flights alone to transport such a station to the moon would be approximately EUR 1,000,000 per kilogramme. This is why numerous research teams around the world are working on solutions to use moon rock to manufacture 3D-printed structural components on-site. The MoonFibre project at RWTH Aachen University is developing a spinning system that will be able to produce fibres directly from lunar rocks. These fibres could be used not only to stabilise the 3D-printed structure of the lunar station, but also for thermal isolation, filter systems, or the textiles of astronaut suits. RWTH Aachen intends to further develop a spinning process already used in industry for basalt fibres as a compact and easily transportable system for use on the lunar surface. The spinning process is to be tested under zero gravity within an in-orbit demonstration experiment. The proof-of-concept will serve as the basis for the future on-site production of fibres and textiles on the moon.

Benefits:

  • Permanent settlements on the moon and technology transfer into space
  • Cost-effective on-site production of fibres and textiles on the lunar surface
  • Development of a robust, automated, and miniaturised spinning technology
_P8A2136_Awards-DLR-3Price_Lüking

RWTH Aachen University
Aachen, Germany
Alexander Lüking
www.ita.rwth-aachen.de
alexander.lueking@ita.rwth-aachen.de

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