ALReCo – Orbit Recycling’s new composite material for sustainable Moon exploration

Initial submission

Humans are heading back to the Moon. Artemis and the Lunar Gateway programme are on their way and the next step will be the lunar ground station. But one major problem for a sustainable outpost on the Moon remains: Moon dust (regolith) doesn’t have the right material properties to either store energy efficiently or to be an ideal construction material. The result would be to transport massive quantities of material from the Earth. Orbit Recycling has developed a new composite: ALReCo. Using a unique method, regolith is mixed with material from space debris to enhance its physical properties. ALReCo shows improved thermal capacity and conductivity in order to store energy much better. ALReCo is better suited to construction elements and the integration of aluminium structures, and flanges with regolith parts could become a modular framework for the upcoming Moon base. By turning waste into valuable material, ALReCo reduces not only the amount of space debris but the amount of material that needs to be transported from Earth as well.

Development

INNOspace Masters was the starting point of our exciting journey within the space industry. The award gave us the credibility to collaborate with new industry partners to develop our solution and start new activities, especially in the area of a large lunar test facility. #TheMoon. This facility allows us (and others) to test all kinds of processes and technologies such as rovers and robotics under the harsh lunar dust conditions and improve them for later use on the Moon. We are sure that this would not have been possible without the INNOspace Masters award.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) From 2 to 4/5
Team: 1 dedicated PHD position at TU Berlin incl. students
Turnover: n.a. fully privately funded & profitable
Investments: Funds from German Forschungszulage
Partner: TU Berlin & ESA
Markets: EU
Fields of application: Construction & Civil Engineering
Further programmes: ESRIC Start-up Support 2022; Presentation at global leader forum at Paris Peace Forum 2022
Customers: B2B

Appraisal

ALreco is a perfect example of spin-in. Aluminium recycling is a well-known process on Earth, but currently hardly used in space. ALreco tested it and showed that this is feasible with its aluminium casting in regolith technology. The use of basalt fibres for space is an ongoing research topic. Combining both is unique and will help Europe to develop its lunar activities.

Frank Koch
fkoch@orbitrecycling.space

10. July 202310. July 2023

Multipurpose adapter generic interface connector – MA61C

Initial submission

MA61C is a universal adapter that connects any subsystem to any spacecraft platform, reducing the costs and time involved in satellite manufacturing. Once MA61C is connected with the satellite subsystem and the on-board computer, it powers up and integrates them.

The advantages are:

Integration of subsystems without programming (plug & play)
Compatibility with the most-used systems
Design based on requirements and specifics from its customers
Reuse of off-the-shelf subsystems

Development

The INNOspace Master gave SPiN access to ESA BIC Bavaria, which allowed the team to develop and produce the first MA61C prototype. In additional workshops with OHB, feedback was provided on the product and the business plan. The feedback included which technologies should be involved and the business plan was validated by showing there is a need for the product as a universal interface between suppliers andmanufacturers.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) MA61C cubesat – TRL 7, MA61C smallsat – TRL5, and MA61C cPCI – TRL3
Team: 2016: 3 FTE, 2023 13 FTE with 9 in R&D, and 20% female
Further programmes: several programmes ESA BIC 2016–2018, NewSpace Europe 2019, Techstars Allied Space in 2020, Fit4 Start in 2021, and other
Markets: EU, US
Customers: B2B, institutional customers including satellite operators, satellite manufacturers,research organisations, universities and start-ups.

Appraisal

SPiN was the first spin-in start-up in an ESA BIC after its participation in the INNOspace Masters and thus a pioneer for many other companies. The company focuses on making components and subsystems available to the space industry more cost-effectively and
efficiently through a modular concept. The developed multi-purpose adapter MA61C was launched into low Earth orbit for the first time in 2022.

Ran Qedar
ran.qedar@spinintech.com

10. July 202310. July 2023

DEBRIS – cleaning space at scale

Initial submission

The ever-growing amount of space debris is a critical threat to the space industry and jeopardises the essential services provided to clients all over the world. Although the potential for cascading collisions was outlined many decades ago, no active countermeasures to remove debris from orbit have yet been realised. DEBRIS is a small satellite for active debris removal. It utilises its geometry-independent, multi-capturing-capable mechanism to attach to target objects. After establishing physical contact with its target, DEBRIS employs passive devices — a drag sail and a tether — to deorbit them with great flexibility. From an economic perspective, DEBRIS renders active space debris removal profitable. Key cost-reducing features are its rideshare-optimised design, commercial off-the-shelf components, as well as its low development and operational costs. DEBRIS’s cost-effectiveness and scalability make it unique among other
proposals for active space debris removal.

Development

Participating in the INNOspace Masters was more than just a competition; it was the crucial step that brought our project a significant step forward on its journey from idea to reality. Our participation has opened doors and established vital connections to experts from industry and academia as well as politics. We are grateful for the platform it provided, which led to a public
awareness of our project we never experienced before and increased our connections within the space ecosystem significantly, thereby representing the first step in establishing a consortium that might be crucial to implementing the idea.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) Development from 3 to 4
Participation in Falling Walls Labs in 2022 as one of 2 Germany emerging talents among 80 pitches
Markets: Europe and America (USA)
Customers: Institutional and governmental entities, opening to B2B

Appraisal

Niklas Wendel of JuForum has not only attracted OHB‘s attention with his very promising idea to mitigate space debris, but also won first place in the INNOMASTER Challenge 2021. We are very pleased that together we were able to pave the way for the development of this outstanding concept.

Niklas Wendel
niklas.wendel@juforum.de

10. July 202310. July 2023

DigiFarm – detecting the world’s most accurate field boundaries to power precision agriculture

Initial submission

All precision agriculture services start with accurate field boundaries and seeded acres. Unfortunately, the problem is that critical decisions are made based on inaccurate data, cadastral field boundary data, which is affecting the entire agricultural value chain. DigiFarm has spent the last two years developing a deep-resolution algorithm for Sentinel-2 imagery to increase image resolution by 10x from 10m to 1m, coupled with a deep neural network model to automatically detect field boundaries on a large scale. DigiFarm has delinea- ted over 15 million ha across the world and has achieved an average (IoU) accuracy of above 0.96, which represents up to 20% greater accuracy than existing cadastral map data. DigiFarm delivers four key models to B2B and B2G clients through various API endpoints, including: automatic field boundary detection (and seeded acres), deep resolution of Sentinel-2 at 1m resolution on demand, automatic delineation of in-field productivity zones and crop classification, the ability to automatically detect field boundaries (seeded acres) using deep neural network models and super-high-resolution satellite imagery.

Development

The INNOspace Masters was the start to scale, grow and achieve market acceptance. It enabled e.g. mentions in Raumfahrt Concret and by Niklas Nienaß (Member of European Parliament): “the success of DigiFarm impressively demonstrates two things. DigiFarm shows that European space programmes are drivers of innovation. DigiFarm also shows how many areas of social life benefit from space today. DigiFarm‘s algorithm makes our agriculture more precise and therefore more efficient.“ This enabled participation in the NIVA4CAP project funded by JRC and the EU Commission, and also collaboration with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and national agencies in Europe.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) from 5 to 7/8
Team: from 12 FTE to 61 FTE in 8 countries, female 30%
Turnover: 2021 EUR 60,000; 2022 EUR 350,000, 2023 Q1 EUR 1.5m, expected EUR 3m
Markets: Europe, LATAM, US, Canada, APAC, NZ, AUS, S Africa
Fields of application: Agriculture Management
Customers: B2B, B2G
Investment: EUR 7.2m of funding since the INNOspace Masters in 2021
Further programmes: e.g. first incubatee ESA BIC Norway, and others

Appraisal

The solution specifically and directly contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: 2. Zero Hunger, 1. No Poverty, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth and 13. Climate Change. This impressively shows the strength of space programmes and the impact of the INNOspace Masters.

Nils Helset
nils@digifarm.io

10. July 202310. July 2023

We create a virtual copy of the Earth – ready for simulation, gaming and more

Initial submission

Today’s virtual worlds don’t meet the key requirements of the simulation industry. For instance, to simulate an autonomous vehicle, current virtual worlds are not sufficient in quality, scale, price, and flexibility. For example, Google Earth cannot be used for simulation, as it only looks like the real world, but does not behave like the real world. AVES Reality discovered a way to solve this by looking at the world from space, instead of visiting and mapping every place down on Earth. Our unique solution lies in
our AI, which understands and then appropriately and rapidly builds up any place on Earth from satellite imagery. As we know and understand every object we reconstruct, we can apply materials and physical attributes to make the virtual world behave like the real world.

Development

We are still in very close contact with OHB, which we really enjoy. With regard to sustainability, we reduce the need for real-life test driving by enabling more test driving to take place virtually, thus allowing carbon emissions to be reduced during automotive R&D. The scalability of the 3D environment has been proven on small scale; larger-scale scalability is still yet to be achieved. The functionality has met expectations, but is still a work-in-progress and the efficiency is being tested and proven in customer projects.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) from 6/7 now to almost 8
Team: from 3 FTE to now 5.5 FTE
Investments: two external investments by business angels
Further programmes: XPRENEURS incubator
Fields of application: Construction & Civi Engineering, Transport & Logistics
One marketable product
Markets: Europe
Target customers: B2B automotive companies that work on autonomous driving technologies

Appraisal

AVES Reality is a company that has been working on generating synthetic data based on Earth observation data for simulation
purposes. AVES Reality impressed us in the competition with a good business model and a first-class presentation, and last year‘s
collaboration only helped to validate our choice. The company have been very successful in developing its project and connecting with final customers.

Florian Albert
florian.albert@avesreality.com

5. July 202310. July 2023

OKAPI:Orbits – space surveillance and tracking (SST) as a service for New Space

Initial submission

Due to the increasing number of space activities, the number of in-orbit objects is becoming dangerously high and presenting a potential hazard to all satellites – especially in low Earth orbit. Since existing international and national regulations are only now starting to form, space traffic management solutions are in the spotlight. OKAPI:Orbits has developed a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that is dedicated to making satellite missions more sustainable and cost-effective by offering satellite operators and launchers space situational awareness and collision avoidance solutions. It is a modular, customisable, and scalable software provided via a web interface and APIs. It can be used to operate all the relevant aspects of SST and supports integration into existing solutions.

Development

The STM platform ensures the safety of in-orbit assets. With unerring accuracy in risk prediction and carefully curated manoeuvre suggestions, collisions between active in-orbit assets and space debris or between active satellites are avoided. No new collisions mean no extra space debris proliferation. This allows the alarming increase in space junk to be contained.

TRL (Technical Readiness Level) Development now nine
Platform and services are proven in an operational environment and over 150 satellites in LEO and also in GEO orbits started late 2021
Team: from four FTE in 2018 to 35 FTE in 2023
Investment & Venture Capital: 6.5m (Venture Capital and Business Angels incl. Munich Re Ventures, Dolby Ventures, APEX Ventures and Herius Space Capital)
Market split: Europe, USA
Customers: B2B, Institutional

Appraisal

Since its founding in 2018, OKAPI:Orbits has achieved extraordinary development. Its space-dedicated SaaS solution is not only key to more sustainable in-orbit security but also paved the way for incubation at ESA BIC Hessen. It also convinced strategic investment partners and customers. A perfect example of a successful commercialisation of a former winner of an INNOspace Masters competition.

Christine Vlachou
christine.vlachou@okapiorbits.com

6. July 20227. July 2022

INNOspace Masters 2021/22 – pioneering ideas for the space of tomorrow
(An Article by the German Aerospace Center)

Image: Janusz Heitmann (DLR), Cornelis J.J. Eldering (ESA), Thorsten Rudolph (AZO), Dr Lutz Bertling (OHB), Dr Peter Gräf (DLR), Dr Andreas Kanstein (cesah),
Dr Anna Christmann (BMWK), Andreas Lindenthal (Airbus), Dr Franziska Zeitler (DLR) & Dr Ulf Zillig (Mercedes-Benz)

6. July 2022

INNOspace Masters 2021/22 – pioneering ideas for the space of tomorrow
(An Article by the German Aerospace Center)

On 5 July 2022, the winners of this year’s INNOspace Masters competition have been announced and awarded at a conference in Berlin.

A total of 337 companies, start-ups, universities and research institutions from 28 countries participated in the competition.

The next round of the competition will already start at the beginning of 2023.

Focus: Space, innovation, technology transfer

5. July 202211. August 2022

FERROTHERM

“Moon Village” is considered one of the most important projects of manned space flight. However, the long-term energy supply for the urbanisation of the Moon has not yet been clarified. Temperatures vary between -170 °C and +120 °C, and solar energy is unavailable during the two week long moon nights. There are no fossil fuels on the Moon. The energy supply must be secured with lunar regolith, a mixture of different metal oxides. Current storage systems, such as batteries, heat accumulators or mechanical storage units, lack the capacity for long-term supply. The Fraunhofer IST and ICT are developing a process by which metallic iron can be extracted from regolith and used as a non-fossil fuel. Unlike fossil fuels, the combustion products are solid and can be collected. They are recycled in a novel process and can be reused. The unique solution uses a direct electrochemical process to recycle the iron oxide in order to produce iron again, bypassing the previously known hydrogen route. This makes the process very efficient. It operates at temperatures below 100°C. The process can be used terrestrially in modified power plants or combined heat and power plants and thus makes a significant contribution to climate protection (decarbonisation).

Benefits:

Circular economy
Time-independent energy supply (day/night) on the Moon
Iron fuel is extracted from lunar regolith
On Earth, the process makes an important contribution to decarbonisation
Combustion products are recycled by means of excess electricity

Fraunhofer IST
Dr Andreas Dietz
Andreas.Dietz@ist.fraunhofer.de
ist.fraunhofer.de

5. July 202211. August 2022

Aerostructure Multifunctional Cover Against Environmental Radiation

We all increasingly use communication networks, including Wi-Fi, mobile phones, satellite networks, Internet of Things, autonomous driving, and monitoring in medicine and the environment. People, as well as machines, will become more and more connected wirelessly. Therefore, the number of antennas integrated into electronic devices is drastically increasing, resulting in strong demand for countermeasures against unwanted signals and noise. Until now, typically metal-based materials have been used to shield electronics. While these are very secure, they are intrinsically very heavy. Moreover, the antennas themselves cannot be covered, as they would then no longer be able to transmit signals. We aim here to drastically reduce the weight of such shields by employing an ultra-lightweight class of materials, called framework aero materials. We will develop small, innovative safety caps that are easy to apply, without being a barrier to the further miniaturization of electronic devices. This new kind of cap will also enable frequency selectivity, thereby increasing the digital security of communication.

Benefits:

Ultra-lightweight cover against unwanted signals
Increase in digital security and protection against jamming
Frequency-selective: antennas can be protected
Very adaptable for specific geometries without mounting interfaces
High frequency tightness
Wide range of applications at different value-added levels

Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik der Technischen Universität Dresden
Dr Tino Schmiel
tino.schmiel@tu-dresden.de
Institut für Materialwissenschaften der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Dr Fabian Schütt
fas@tf.uni-kiel.de

5. July 202211. August 2022

PFDS – Pre-Ignition Fire Detection System

Fire on board inhabited spacecraft or habitats on the Moon or Mars is one of the greatest conceivable hazards. Fires are currently detected exclusively by smoke detectors. Due to the weightlessness in orbit, they are prone to frequent false alarms triggered by non-sedimenting dust, while the preferred direction of smoke propagation is slowly towards the life-support system’s intake. In addition, smoke detectors can principally only detect an existing fire situation and, in the omnipresence of dust on the Moon, they can no longer be expected to function reliably. The new PFDS approach detects potential fire sources based on off-normal thermal outgassing of materials, e.g., volatile organic components from plastics or fabrics, in the cabin air. The semiconducting metal oxide sensors do not react to specific gases, but react to alterations in the overall composition of the air. Trained by applying machine-learning methods, they can reliably recognise alarming composition patterns. The method has already been successfully used to survey underground high-voltage power lines. It also has great potential for improved detection of terrestrial fires – ideally long before they break out.

Benefits:

Detection of potential fire sources even before ignition occurs
Proven principle
Low-cost components (for terrestrial application)
Easy installation
Wide range of applications

Universität Bremen,
Zentrum für angewandte Raumfahrttechnologie und Mikrogravitation, ZARM
Christian Eigenbrod
Christian.Eigenbrod@zarm.uni-bremen.de
zarm.uni-bremen.de

ALReCo – Orbit Recycling’s new composite material for sustainable Moon exploration

Multipurpose adapter generic interface connector – MA61C

DEBRIS – cleaning space at scale

DigiFarm – detecting the world’s most accurate field boundaries to power precision agriculture

We create a virtual copy of the Earth – ready for simulation, gaming and more

OKAPI:Orbits – space surveillance and tracking (SST) as a service for New Space

FERROTHERM

Aerostructure Multifunctional Cover Against Environmental Radiation

PFDS – Pre-Ignition Fire Detection System

INNOspace Masters

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